Save Washington Sailing Marina WSM) -- dredge the channel now! Join us in petitioning the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal and state authorities to preserve this unique, marine-recreational site in the waters of our Nation's Capital by performing urgently needed dredging.
Washington Sailing Marina (WSM) is a premier National Park Service (NPS) recreational site that provides access to the Potomac River for thousands of park visitors and other boaters every year. WSM also serves as "home waters" for a large number of competitive and educational sailing organizations including:
- 4 college sailing teams (American, Catholic, Georgetown, and George Washington Universities)
- Dangerfield Island Sailing Club (www.discsailing.org) – Volunteer recreational keelboat and larger sailboat racing club.
- Sailing Club of Washington (www.scow.org) – Volunteer organization promoting recreational sailing and education.
- Potomac River Sailing Association (www.potomacriversailing.org) – Volunteer organization founded in 1935 and focused on small boat sail racing on the Potomac and
- Sea Scout Ship 1942 (www.seascoutship1942.org) – Local, nautical chapter of Boy Scouts of the National Capital Area Troop 1942 and one of the most active Sea Scout Ships on the East Coast.
- WSM Sailing School – Teaching sailing year-round to more than 1,800 youth and adult students from small sailboats to large keelboats.
WSM annually hosts countless visitors from paddleboarders to sailors and wind surfers drawn by its water access and facilities. WSM’s protected lagoon provides a safe haven for paddlers and small-boat sailors for recreation and regattas. Larger sailboats and motorboats rely on WSM's access channel to access the greater Potomac for the same reasons.
The survival of this unique recreational area, however, is threatened by ongoing silting, which is reducing the navigable waters around WSM and choking the access channel to the Potomac. The marina and its channel have not been dredged since the late 1990 - early 2000's when the marina was expanded and floating docks installed. Remedial dredging is urgently needed to preserve this unique NPS asset and serve the recreational needs of George Washington Memorial Parkway visitors. Without dredging and access to the Potomac River, WSM will not survive. There is simply no reason to have a marina if you cannot access the water.
23 Comments
Keeping the channel open is critical to this resource. I believe that both Warner and Beyer need to know the importance of this to their constituency.
The channel is becoming more shallow each passing year. It is becoming more and more difficult to use without going aground or fear of going aground with sailboats that in years past could transit the channel with relative ease.
I am 55 and my mom 78 and my son 16 all sail with me on my Flying Scot, and I’m a member of the sailing club of Washington.Seems that Army Corps of Engineers has forgotten our channel where we regularly run aground IN the channel! I think if all the groups joined together with ACE help, the Potomac could become the beauty it was meant to be.
I have sailed/raced out of WSM for almost 50 years. This great venue should be maintained for now and the future.
The Four Mile run channel from the entrance gate up to the marina is almost inaccessible but to a Florida flats boat! Not to mention the wreck buoy 6A has been off it’s positions for years now! It’s time to make a change
Please dredge the channel!
WSM is a jewel. I walk there daily. Sailed there. Kids learned to sail there. It is a wonderful part of the National Park Service Geo Washington Memorial Parkway recreation area. Please keep it up and bring back the restaurant ❤️
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Save Washington Sailing Marina WSM) -- dredge the channel now! Join us in petitioning the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal and state authorities to preserve this unique, marine-recreational site in the waters of our Nation's Capital by performing urgently needed dredging.
Washington Sailing Marina (WSM) is a premier National Park Service (NPS) recreational site that provides access to the Potomac River for thousands of park visitors and other boaters every year. WSM also serves as "home waters" for a large number of competitive and educational sailing organizations including:
- 4 college sailing teams (American, Catholic, Georgetown, and George Washington Universities)
- Dangerfield Island Sailing Club (www.discsailing.org) – Volunteer recreational keelboat and larger sailboat racing club.
- Sailing Club of Washington (www.scow.org) – Volunteer organization promoting recreational sailing and education.
- Potomac River Sailing Association (www.potomacriversailing.org) – Volunteer organization founded in 1935 and focused on small boat sail racing on the Potomac and
- Sea Scout Ship 1942 (www.seascoutship1942.org) – Local, nautical chapter of Boy Scouts of the National Capital Area Troop 1942 and one of the most active Sea Scout Ships on the East Coast.
- WSM Sailing School – Teaching sailing year-round to more than 1,800 youth and adult students from small sailboats to large keelboats.
WSM annually hosts countless visitors from paddleboarders to sailors and wind surfers drawn by its water access and facilities. WSM’s protected lagoon provides a safe haven for paddlers and small-boat sailors for recreation and regattas. Larger sailboats and motorboats rely on WSM's access channel to access the greater Potomac for the same reasons.
The survival of this unique recreational area, however, is threatened by ongoing silting, which is reducing the navigable waters around WSM and choking the access channel to the Potomac. The marina and its channel have not been dredged since the late 1990 - early 2000's when the marina was expanded and floating docks installed. Remedial dredging is urgently needed to preserve this unique NPS asset and serve the recreational needs of George Washington Memorial Parkway visitors. Without dredging and access to the Potomac River, WSM will not survive. There is simply no reason to have a marina if you cannot access the water.
23 Comments
Baseball fields are mowed, Swimming pools are filled with water, tennis courts have nets replaced. These are normal & forecasted maintenance items. The same is true with a marina, docks have to be maintained, grass needs to be cut and the channel to be dredged. This is especially true with a sailing marina since the draft of the boats is greater than power boats. Right now there are times when the channel at the Washington Sailing Marina is less than 4 feet deep. The last time the channel was dredged around 2004. This normal & forecastable maintenance item should no longer be ignored.
Keeping the channel open is critical to this resource. I believe that both Warner and Beyer need to know the importance of this to their constituency.
The channel is becoming more shallow each passing year. It is becoming more and more difficult to use without going aground or fear of going aground with sailboats that in years past could transit the channel with relative ease.
I am 55 and my mom 78 and my son 16 all sail with me on my Flying Scot, and I’m a member of the sailing club of Washington.Seems that Army Corps of Engineers has forgotten our channel where we regularly run aground IN the channel! I think if all the groups joined together with ACE help, the Potomac could become the beauty it was meant to be.
I have sailed/raced out of WSM for almost 50 years. This great venue should be maintained for now and the future.
The Four Mile run channel from the entrance gate up to the marina is almost inaccessible but to a Florida flats boat! Not to mention the wreck buoy 6A has been off it’s positions for years now! It’s time to make a change
Please dredge the channel!
WSM is a jewel. I walk there daily. Sailed there. Kids learned to sail there. It is a wonderful part of the National Park Service Geo Washington Memorial Parkway recreation area. Please keep it up and bring back the restaurant ❤️
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Baseball fields are mowed, Swimming pools are filled with water, tennis courts have nets replaced. These are normal & forecasted maintenance items. The same is true with a marina, docks have to be maintained, grass needs to be cut and the channel to be dredged. This is especially true with a sailing marina since the draft of the boats is greater than power boats. Right now there are times when the channel at the Washington Sailing Marina is less than 4 feet deep. The last time the channel was dredged around 2004. This normal & forecastable maintenance item should no longer be ignored.