Finding a way to spend a day on the water isn’t difficult if you live in or around Pittsburgh. Not only is the city surrounded by three rivers, but western Pennsylvania is rife with lakes that beckon boaters of every kind.

The Moraine Sailing Club, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is home to more than 200 sailors of all ages. “Sailing is good for people looking for nontraditional types of activities and sports, and it’s something that you can do at any age,” explained Commodore Jason Harrison. “One of our original founding members is over 90 and still sails competitively. Our members are made up of husbands and wives and parents and children it’s something everyone can do together.

“Kids today are involved in lots of activities, but their parents are usually just chauffeurs unless they’re coaching a team,” he added. “A family can join us on a basic membership, which enables their kids to attend Sail Camp. A lot of our members, especially the younger adults with kids, want to introduce their children to the sport.”

Sailing is an activity in which people of all abilities can participate. “Last week, our Membership Director and Certified Sailing Instructor Trainer Joe Shields took a woman and her husband out sailing,” said Harrison. “She had always wanted to try sailing, but was confined to a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis. While our boats are not specifically adapted for wheelchair use, we can make accommodations.

“She had a wonderful time—she couldn’t have had a bigger smile on her face,” he continued. “I’m sure she’ll come back and go through the Learn to Sail program to get her certification.”

The only organization providing sailing training in southwestern PA, the Moraine Sailing Club also offers sailboat racing competitions and a Community Sailing program in addition to their Learn to Sail program. “Through our Community Sailing Program, people can reserve club boats for use, which gives them the opportunity to go sailing without being a boat owner,” said Harrison. The Moraine Sailing Club’s fleet consists of six Flying Scot sailboats, 10 Sunfish, two Optis and two smaller boats for children.

Through the Learn to Sail Program, individuals can gain the skills they need to become certified as small boat sailors by U.S. Sailing, with whom the Club is affiliated. The Club also holds a Sail Camp for kids, which attracted 19 students last year. Families can participate in building an Optimist together through a boat building program that runs through the winter.

“All you need to go sailing is a want to do it and a place to do it, and we have a really nice facility at Lake Arthur,” said Harrison of the club’s home in Moraine State Park. “This is a first-class lake and park facility, and the people here are very accommodating. Park management is very friendly to the club.” The lake is also home to the Lake Arthur Sailing Club, which promotes organized recreational sailing and camaraderie among families of owners of sailboats moored in Davis Hollow Marina at Lake Arthur.

While it’s common to see the lake filled with sailboats on sunny weekend afternoons, the sport has not always been in vogue. “The sport is in fluctuation,” said Harrison. “In the 1970s and early 80s, it was very popular, but it experienced a downward period in the late ‘80s and early 90s. I believe we’re on an upward trend now—we have more members than ever before, and our Learn to Sail program is busting at the seams.”

It costs $35 for a basic membership to the Club, and $25 for the Learn to Sail program per person, per season. “For $60, you get access to a U.S. Sailing certified program, which is one of the best bargains for sailing in the nation,” said Harrison. “I know a lot of places that do it for a lot more. “

According to Harrison, there is also a push to get a sailing program started at Point State Park downtown. “I’ve been contacted about helping and I’ll support it if they get it up and running, but I still feel that the best place to learn to sail is on Lake Arthur,” he said. “There are a lot of power boaters and personal watercraft at the Point, which makes me a little leery. I personally think that it’s safer to learn in an enclosed lake with a 20-horsepower limit like they have at Moraine State Park.”

All of the Club’s classes are taught by volunteer sailing instructors who pay for their own training to get certified. “Everything the club does is done by volunteers, from the sailing instructors, to the officers to the board members,” said Harrison.

And why do they do it? “I’ve been sailing since I was 8, and I’m 52 now. I learned to sail in California on San Francisco Bay, and until you’ve experienced it, it’s tough to describe,” said Harrison. “You’re on this boat, moving through the water, and there’s no noise. Everything you do is through the power of the wind and your ability to harness it.

“To me, it’s just a wonderful way to relax and have fun and to meet people in a shared activity,” he added. “The best thing is that people of all age groups, social backgrounds and economic backgrounds can come out and just have fun.”

The Moraine Sailing Club will celebrate its 40th anniversary by hosting a race weekend and picnic on July 24. For more information on the Club and its Learn to Sail program, visit www.morainesailingclub.org