Go sailing, minus the major expenses
TORONTO As the boat rounds the beached freighter marking the entrance to Port Credit marina in Mississauga, Ont., the lines are loosed and the vessel’s sails take hold of the Lake Ontario wind, pulling it out into the open water.
For those accustomed to power boats, sailing is a whole different world, an experience not unlike hitting the road on a motorcycle — it’s just you and God (or other higher power) and the waves.
It’s an experience normally reserved for those with financial means, but a growing ‘boat sharing’ movement is helping bring sailing to a wider range of enthusiasts.
SailTime is the newest such service.
Founded in 2001 in Austin, Texas, SailTime is considered to be the largest fractional boat club in the world. Its innovative boat sharing program gives sailing enthusiasts of all kinds the freedom of regular, flexible time on the water.
The service operates mainly in a number of U.S. cities, many along the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
So far, there’s only one service available in Canada.
“SailTime is what we call a ‘fractional ownership sailboat program,’ ” said Amit Kumaria, vice-president and general manager of Boat Sharing Enterprises, which consists of Freedom Boat Club in Toronto and SailTime Ontario, based in Mississauga’s Port Credit neighbourhood, just west of Toronto.
The program, Kumaria said, works in one of two ways.
Those wishing to purchase a boat can do so through SailTime, which then sells time on the vessel when it would normally be sitting at the pier — a handy way to offset the purchase cost.
“We sell the sailing memberships so that people can enjoy your boat,” he said. “You can still sail on your boat, but then we share the revenue to offset the cost of your purchase.”
Members without aspirations of boat ownership can arrange use of the program’s vessels — SailTime ensures users have a fully equipped, prepared and fuelled boat ready for a day out on the water.
SailTime also handles mundane details like dock fees, storage, insurance and basic maintenance. Think of it as Airbnb for boats. “It’s fair to say that both SailTime and Freedom Boat Club fall into the shared economy category,” Kumaria said.
The aim of these boat sharing platforms, Kumaria said, is to make the life more accessible to everyone.
“It’s being able to go out on the water and enjoy the city from a different perspective,” he said.
For more information, go to sailtime.com/greater-toronto-area. bpassifiume@postmedia.com