Tampa, FL - Although I've lived in Tampa for approximately 20 years of my life, until recently, I'd never been sailing in the Bay.  I'd been on a power boat before and traveled around St. Pete, under the Sunshine Skyway, and over to a small island, but had never launched from Tampa.  I now live on Davis Islands with my wife and stepson and our home is literally within walking distance to the Davis Islands Yacht Club (DIYC). 

My father-in-law has enjoyed sailing for many years, focusing primarily on racing.  Each year, he participates in a race from the St. Pete Yacht Club, to Mexico - the Regata del Sol al Sol - which he and his crew won in 2007.  This year, prior to the race, he decided to spend about a week at the Davis Islands Yacht Club to relax and prepare his boat for the upcoming contest.

When it was time to move the boat (and himself) to St. Pete, he invited my stepson (his grandson) and me to ride along.  Boy... What a pleasure it was to make the 2 minute drive to the Davis Islands Yacht Club, meet him at his boat, and be pushed away from the dock some 5 minutes later.  No hassels.  No wasted time parking.  Just the quick and quiet serenity of the water lapping against the sides of the boat.  If you're a boater, Davis Islands truly is a great location To learn more, please feel free to send me an email.

During his stay at the DIYC, my father-in-law mentioned the wonderful learn-to-sail program the club offers to children and teens.  I don't know anything about the cost, but the program sounded impressive, offering children an amazing opportunity to learn and enjoy sailing.  If you live in the South Tampa Area, I encourage you to look into this program.  It is available to all children - membership in the yacht club is NOT required - and is a great opportunity to expose your kids to one of life's real pleasures.

As always, we encourage your participation. Please feel free to add your thoughts.