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Goddard Sailing Association
Sail away with us!

GSA offers NASA employees and their families the opportunity to sail Flying Scots and a cabin cruiser on the Chesapeake Bay at substantially lower-than-market rates, with instruction classes, social activities, and convenient access from the DC area.

Flying Scots

Welcome to the Goddard Sailing Association (GSA). Founded in 1973, the association owns 3 boats: Solar Wind, a 19’ centerboard flying Scot; Sea Breeze, also a flying Scot; and a 27’ cabin cruiser named Take Luck. The flying scots are kept on a trailer and the cruiser in a slip at Selby Bay Sailing Center off the South River, south of Annapolis. Members may charter these boats at the lowest rates on the bay. The club also offers class instruction at several levels, opportunities to socialize and sail with other club members, and opportunities to race in the Scots.

In addition to classes, the club sponsors day-long sails to destinations such as Galesville, Annapolis, and the Eastern Shore. There are evening sails where both beginners and salty helmsmen enjoy a sunset on the bay and an occasional astronomy lesson a bit later. We have periodic (sometimes spontaneous) happy hours, lunches, and dinner parties.

All Goddard employees (civil servants and contractors, current or retired) and family members are welcome to join GSA. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Boat Reservations


News

  • The 2025 sailing season is now underway, the flying scots are available for sailing.
  • Merch Store is live, offering shirts, hats, and mugs. Merch Store
  • The cruiser is out of commission temporarily, due to an engine problem that needs to be fixed.
  • Season Opener Picnic was held on Saturday, June 7.
  • The 2025 annual membership meeting was held on April 24 through Microsoft Teams.

From the archives:

  • Club members went to sail at the Bahamas in April 2024.
  • Long video of peaceful sailing in one of the club’s Flying Scots in September 2023 was posted on YouTube.
  • Club members went to the “Pirates and Wenches” weekend held in Rock Hall in August 2023.
  • Club members went to the “Pirates and Wenches” weekend held in Rock Hall in September 2022.
  • Short, lively video of sailing the club’s Flying Scots on Sept. 26, 2021 is available on YouTube.
  • Description and photos of a Sunday Sail to Kent Island on July 9, 2017.
  • Description and photos of a Saturday Sail to Kent Island on June 3, 2017.

Weather and sailing conditions:


Why and How to Join

All Goddard employees (civil servants and contractors) and family members are welcome to join GSA.

Some reasons for joining:

  • Sail with family, friends, or fellow club members in our three boats, two Flying Scots and a cruiser. Each boat can comfortably seat 6 people. The club replaced its old cruiser with a newer one in 2015, and one of the Flying Scots with a newer one in 2017.
  • Sail at a substantially lower (~quarter) cost than free-market rates (fees)
  • Sailing classes for various levels, at much below free-market rates. (classes)
  • Marina at excellent location (directions):
    • Less than an hour drive from most of the DC area
    • Quick access to the well-protected waters of Selby Bay, the wider South River, and the wide open Chesapeake Bay. Other scenic bays and inlets, as well as marinas and restaurants are also within easy reach for daysailing. (Daysail destinations)
  • Club activities: club sails, picnics and happy hours, Fleet 42 races.
  • Flexible, convenient online boat chartering and self-service at marina.

How to get started:

  • To join, simply fill out the membership form and (a) scan it and send the PDF file by email to Theo Muench and Robin Clemente, plus make a payment through Venmo, OR (b) send a hardcopy and a check to Theo Muench.
  • Sign up for a sailing class or, if you already know to sail, arrange for a qualification test with Doug Frantz.
  • Once qualified, enjoy sailing from sometime in April to late October.
  • Contact our officers and volunteers with any questions.

Club Calendar

Date Time Location Event
TBA TBA Selby Bay Season Finale Event
August 8-10, 2025 All day Rock Hall, MD Pirates and Wenches weekend
Saturday, August 2, 2025 10:00 Selby Bay Beverly Beach Sail

Photos and Videos

Links coming soon.


Daysail Destinations

This section is to help club members benefit from each other’s knowledge of the waters and land around Selby Bay. Please contact Tamás Várnai to share your knowledge with fellow sailors. Any piece of information is appreciated, such as attractions, good landing spots and marinas, restaurants, anchorages, or hazards.

Additional resources available include free nautical charts and commercially available books.

Daysail destinations

Symbol Description
1 Selby Bay Sailing Center
In addition to the Goddard sailboats, the NIH sailing club and the Flying Scot Fleet 42 are also located here.
2 Pirate’s Cove Restaurant and Marina
Additional information that would be welcome include: where exactly to tie up a boat, how long it typically takes to sail there, whether the restaurant is often crowded or requires a long wait, etc.
3 Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built in 1875 and switched to automatic operations in 1986. It is a National Historic Landmark—one of only nine lighthouses in the US to receive this highest honor afforded to buildings. The lighthouse is in excellent condition and will be open to public tours once parts of its interior will be restored to represent their state in the early 20th Century. It reaches 43 feet above water and operates a foghorn and a white flashing light visible from up to 11 miles, as well as an automated weather station. Current weather at lighthouse.
4 Quiet Waters Park
A big park with attractions such as walking/biking trails through fields and woods, an art pavillion, fountains, gardens, and a playground. Visible from the South River are two gazebos and a dog beach where only dogs are allowed to swim. The South River is quite shallow in front of the park, but a scenic inlet (Harness Creek) on the West side of the park is deep enough for sailboats—though trees may block the wind. Additional information about the park.
5 Rhode River
A scenic body of water with little human presence along its shores. The river hosts two islands and the remnants of a third one. These are, clockwise from South-West: Big Island (private land), Flat Island (great for exploration), and High Island (almost entirely washed away by the waves). Excellent location for overnight anchorage (for example next to Big Island), with services available at nearby marinas. Highly recommended to stick to the marked channel, even in the Scots. From Turkey Point to Mayo Beach to Dutchman Point, the waters inshore of the channel are crowded with crab pots and shoals. Route is approx. 8 miles following the marks.
6 Kentmorr Restaurant
Kentmorr is a marina and restaurant on Kent Island, about 4 miles East of the Thomas Point Lighthouse. In light winds and using the cruiser motor, the trip from Selby Bay takes about 3 hours each way. The chart says the bearing is about 75 degree. There is a brown cone-like silo, such as for road salt, which makes an excellent land reference point for navigation. The entrance to the marina is 20+ feet wide, and there is plently of water for First Light’s 4ft draft.

The restaurant is almost directly on the dockside. There are almost a dozen perpendicular slips specifically for diners to the east of the arrow, barely 10 feet from the front door. “2 hour free docking while dining” says the website. Several slips are available, but one can also point the bow out to the bay and make fast on the wharf at the green arrow in the image below.

Dining: Casual dining both oudoor and indoor (air conditioning), good food ($12-20 for seafood entree), good staff, we’d go back, check out the specials. Restaurant menu

Kentmorr in Google Maps

Thomas Point Light from Club boat


Directions to Marina

Our boats are based at:

Selby Bay Sailing Center 1032 Old Turkey Point Road Edgewater, MD 21037-4027 (410) 798-4146

Directions to marina from any location: Google Maps

Directions from US-50, heading eastward from the DC area:

  • Leave US-50 at Exit 16, turn onto MD-424 South.
  • Travel 3.7 mi on MD-424.
  • Turn left at the stoplight, onto MD-214.
  • Travel 7 mi on MD-214, well past Riva Road and Rte 2.
  • Turn left onto Turkey Point Road (shortly after a Sam’s Market).
  • PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY ON THE NARROW LOCAL ROADS!!!
  • Immediately turn left again, onto Old Turkey Point Road.
  • Turn sharply to the right where the road forks.
  • Turn left at the second driveway: 1032 Old Turkey Point Road
  • Park with other cars on the left side of the driveway.
  • The dock is straight ahead, past the Flying Scots on trailers.