Sailing Your Heart Out

I like to convince men NOT to buy a sailboat. Their wives seem pleased by that. Bruce Queen of suburban Richmond is land-locked in Mechanicsville but loves to sail his heart out. He took Basic Keelboat Sailing from the American Sailing Association and had a blast.

“I went the ASA Woodbridge Sailing School on the Potomac. After I completed the 101 class I signed up to sail seven times a month, and I went at least once a week. I knew the owner, so we’d go out in February or March if it was a good day. Thanks to ASA, I’ve chartered in Hilton Head, San Diego, and Grand Traverse Bay in Michigan.”

As to buying a boat, “I saw a 1980 Hunter 25 with a pop-up cabin top. It’s got a new

outboard motor. The great thing is that I have a wife. I said, ‘Here’s the boat’ and she said, ‘No!’” Bruce laughed. “Then I knew a fellow with a 30-foot boat that he wanted to sell for next to nothing. I figured if he can’t afford it, neither can I.”

Bruce also completed the ASA course in docking, an all-day grind that requires learning how to back up into a slip, among other challenges. “But I’ll let you dock yours,” he smiled.