Spinnaker Crew Sailing is pleased to offer a Sailing Club for Qualified Members. Chicago has a beautiful lakefront and some of the best sailing around. Are you an experienced sailor or certified from the American Sailing Association and wondering how you continue to grow your skills?

Sail along Chicago’s Lakefront!

There have been three choices facing sailors who’d like to go sailing in Chicago:

1) Expensive lease share program from bigger companies. This option can set you back anywhere from $8,000 - $14,000 for a single sailing season. Not for the faint of heart.

2) Buy your own boat. An option that also is not for the faint of heart as one has to find an affordable boat, finance it, secure a down-payment, pay for a slip, outfit the boat with the required equipment and importantly tackle on the associated maintenance with all the associated responsibility.

3) Do Nothing. Unfortunately, this was the only option facing newly certified students as option 1 or 2 is expensive - especially either when one just got certified (and doesn’t know if this is going to be their thing or not) or isn’t in the position to tackle on the national debt of a lease share or buying a boat.

Until now!

Now you can leave the costs for either an expensive lease share program or buying a boat to someone else. Leave the costs for maintenance and boat ownership to someone else. Why spend your time and money to get it ready to sail when you can come and sail right away (without breaking the bank)?

Located at Monroe Harbor

Membership Options

As a member of the Spinnaker Crew Sailing Club, members are able to charter the Catalina Capri 22. Click here to see more information about our flagship vessel. There are three membership levels for qualified members - Ensign, Captain, and Admiral. With each membership program comes the ability to experience more time on the water (at a greater per hour discount). Make the wrong choice? Don’t fret, you can still purchase extra time on the water once you have become a member.

To become a member of the Sailing Club and take out a vessel, the individual must meet the following:

• Provide a Sailing Resume to Spinnaker Crew Sailing

• Be a graduate and certified at the ASA 101 level (or similar level from an accrediting institution).

• For first-time members, successfully complete a 2-hour checkout sail with Spinnaker Crew Sailing. The cost for this checkout sail (i.e., $250) is not included with the membership fee. After your first-year, this will not be necessary.

• See sections below for membership levels and times of use

Affordable

The costs of the membership plan are all inclusive once on the water. We offer the sailing vessel, the slip, the fuel, the PFDs, the equipment. That means no hidden sailing costs, no mortgage, no maintenance costs… just show up for your assigned time and start sailing. Please note parking is not included in membership. Public parking is available near the harbor and ranges from $12-$24/hr. for the 5-hour charter.

Entire Season of Sailing

The inaugural season will open on May 15th and continue through October. The qualified member has the ability to take out a Sailing Club vessel for a 5-hour charter between the hours of 08:00 - 13:00 (morning) and 13:00 - 18:00 (afternoon). There are no overnights permitted as part of any membership. Members are able to use the sailing club online scheduler to book their times in advance. Have to reschedule? Not a problem (as long as its not within 24 hours).