5

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  • 5

    great learning experience

    I took two lessons and both instructors were patient and helpful while teaching me about tacking, how to jibe, and docking. I wish I lived in Seattle so I could take more lessons. It was great.

  • 5

    What a magical moment

    After I sold my sail boat I needed to find another opportunity to sail. Going to the CWB has been aaawwwwsome. I had never sailed a boat without an engine. After a few lessons from great instructors I am loving this new experience. Besides being on the water, there is so much more to do. I am fond of the pond boats only wind driven, so sweet to watch. CWB has so much to offer, I wish I had more time to be there.

  • 5

    Messing about in boats

    The Center for Wooden Boats is a not-so-hidden Seattle treasure, in that it pursues preservation of our maritime heritage while encouraging use of historic vessels in its collection and passing along techniques for their construction and conservation. Go sailing or row a boat!

  • 5

    Friendly place where history lives

    I often come here to walk and rest. Sometimes I come here to sail. Thank you people who keep that place.

  • 5

    My new adventure in life.

    I got my first two hours of sailing instruction today at The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle...it was great! My instructor was very nice, understanding and patient with me as I accomplished my tasks. I can hardly wait to continue my lessons.

  • 5

    Enjoyed my boat checkout experience.

    Visiting the Center for Wooden Boats is a fun day out. I'm glad this organization exists to keep wooden boat building knowledge around and help people get out on Lake Union. Keep up the good work!

  • 5

    Sailing lesson

    We had taken a break from sailing after having an excellent experience in the learn to sail program. This was a refresher lesson and big confidence boost. Our instructor, Christian, was fantastic! He made it really fun and focused right in on the areas that needed some work - helping to address those in a constructive and fun way. Excellent!

  • 5

    Livery Checkout

    I arrived late for my scheduled checkout, due both to the pouring rain and the incredible mess that is Mercer. Once we finally managed to get to the Center, we found my instructor waiting, patiently and cheerfully, and were quickly underway on a cold, wet, blustery day. The sail was fun and very worthwhile for me, and the checkout instructor was both knowledgeable and patient. I'm very glad to have re-established my membership in CWB and look forward to being a part of it for some time to come.

  • 5

    1 hr sailing lesson

    My wife and I had a very nice sailing experience with one of the CWB's instructors. Bob was very understanding, knowledgeable and fun. We learned by doing and at very much our own pace. I would highly recommend the experience for anyone interested in sailing and doing it just for pleasure/leisure even if one is not looking to learn to sail. It's great! The CWB's is great!

  • 5

    my first sailing lesson at Center for Wooden Boats

    I just took my first sailing lesson! What an exciting experience?! This will be my first of many I'm sure. My lesson was with Christian who was amazing....such a wonderful and patient teacher! See you again soon!

  • 5

    Seattle, Center for Wooden Boats

    Took a family of four to Seattle for "Spring Break". Looking for "educational" experiences for the kids. Have sailed for 30+ years and doubt people realize what a gem they have in the heart of Seattle. This is such a unique facility. I have been to other wooden boat restoration/museums, but never to one that allows you to take boats out for a sail. Very well organized and easy to get checked out and quickly on the water. People of Seattle, take advantage of it!

  • 4

    Opportunities Presented

    After my initial CWB orientation I felt impressed at the diversity of wooden boat and sailing opportunities at hand. I felt like I really wanted to participate as a volunteet. My first step was to get checked out on a sailboat, which I did. Given my experience and interests in sailing I look forward to becoming a sailing instructor and skippering the larger boats. This fits well with my outside interest of Sea Scouting.

  • 5

    One on One Sailing Lesson

    Had a great time learning how to sail with Dave... good overview of everything involved with sailing. CWB was organized, even on a busy morning. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to learn or brush up on some skills.

  • 5

    Intro Sailing Lesson

    Have visited CWB several times in the past but just recently realized they are well organized to provide sailing lessons. Christian took us out in light winds and gave us a great overview of what we could expect in the lesson program. He was also very knowledegable and enthusiastic about teaching. We had a great time and looking forward to getting started with lessons.

  • 5

    Seattle Hidden treasure

    CWB an oasis of calm ,charm and historical interest with some thing for all ages .As well as beautifully restored boats there are a variety of exhibits and you can go out on the water by renting a rowing boat , sailing boat, pedalo or even go out on a one to one sailing lesson.my instructor Christian knowledge of winds ,sailing, Lake Union, Seattle history ,Dehaviland Beaver floatplanes .The CWB is run by volunteers whose friendly welcoming style make this very special place .

  • 5

    check out and rental of Blanchard

    Great day in Seattle - took advantage of the sunshine, warm weather and CforWB rental options. Very easy checkout (Christian was knowledgeable) making sure we had a capable sailor, Rented the Blanchard (accomodates 4 adults but we only had 2 onboard) Good entertaining and flukish winds, sunshine, lots of activity on the lake. Right size boat for size of Lake Union. VERY NICE staff and facilities where interesting in a good way. Late lunch at Chandlers was a bonus.

  • 5

    Sail Now class was great!

    The 6 session Sail Now Class was fabulous! Each instructor was knowledgeable and helpful. We really enjoyed the class and learned a lot!

  • 5

    Great staff, knowledgable, and friendly

    I took a two hour lesson and did a checkout with Christian. Christian was extremely knowledgable and did a great job explaining concepts, etc, that I needed a refresher on. The livery staff is really friendly and helpful on the dock when necessary. I have thought about joining the CWB for years and glad I finally did.

  • 5

    Sailing Lesson

    Needed a refresher course after a number of years of not sailing. Oliver did a wonderful job helping me begin to re-learn the "ropes" sorta speak. Great experience.

  • 5

    Great experience and professional people.

    I learned sailing and associated terminology in the distant past. I even own a sail boat, but have since forgotten much of the details. Just doing a check out sail was a great refresher for the basics, and my instructor was very helpful and knowledgable. Later, I sailed one of the Beetle Cats with my wife and we had a great time on the lake! I definitely recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy a few hours on the water.

  • 5

    One-on-One Class

    I had always wanted to learn to sail and finally took a class. I had a great time learning the basics, and got to sail all over Lake Union. My teacher was fun and showed me a lot in that one hour. I highly recommend taking a classes (long or short) and getting out on the water. It's a wonderful way to have fun.

  • 5

    Great sailing experience

    Great service, nice staff and fun boats at reasonable rates. To use the sail boats, you have to schedule a check-out, but this can be done online on their web page and is easy to do.

  • 5

    A Great Day Out Of The Office

    Great day of sailing. Hal knocked the rust off my sailing skills and even showed me a couple of things I didn't know or had forgotten about. All staff members were friendly, engaging and made us feel welcome. As a result, I signed up as member and plan on teaching my kids how to sail.

  • 5

    Nice lesson

    Christian is a wonderful and friendly instructor. He showed this newbie the basic and was patient in explaining the terminology.

  • 5

    An Incredible Opportunity

    The CWB is a wonderful place, encompassing all aspects of boating from learning to sail to, boat history and boat making/woodworking. I have participated in the sailing classes: sail now, race now and one-one. Every experience has been excellent. Instructors are friendly, knowledgeable and able to share their knowledge well. At first, for comfort reasons, I hoped I would have the same instructor each time, but I have gained so much from each one. Mike B. Christian, Dan, Mike S. Thank you!

  • 5

    One-on-One worth it if you're rusty!

    I grew up sailing on a lake, but it'd been a couple of years and I wasn't positive I've be able to pass a checkout first try. So I signed up for the one-on-one. Turned out I had remembered enough to pass, but Christian still taught me a bunch of new tricks, as well as demonstrate how to rig and de-rig the BJK. Very worth the $50 for the lesson alone, but it's also wonderful to be supporting a great mission.

  • 5

    Private sailing lesson

    I am a slightly experienced sailor, with off and on time on keel boats over the past 20 years, but I have never practiced enough to gain the confidence I want. So, my private lesson with Christian (he's a great instructor) helped me get back on a boat, see that - yes - I still love to sail.. and feel like there I could soon get comfortable and check out boats on my own. This was my first CWB experience and it was incredibly positive.

  • 5

    Sailing lesson/checkout

    I just joined CWB and am considering volunteering. I took a lesson to practice docking under sail because I never on a wooden boat, without a motor. I took a one hour lesson with Oliver who was great. He checked me out that day. Now I'm ready to sail and looking forward to it! Folks at CWB are very nice and good advocates for sailing and preserving this amazing part of our heritage. You know they care because they're volunteers. Plus, it's just cool to hang out there.

  • 5

    Excellent introduction to sailing, fun for kids, great community

    So far my contact with CWB has been through sailing lessons. These have been terrific: just the right level of help to gain confidence, sail safely, and gradually take on greater challenges as I'm ready for them. The Center (and the South Lake Union area in general) is great to visit, especially for children. Altogether a wonderful and supportive way to get involved with something I'd always wanted to do and never experienced before.

  • 5

    CWB checkout

    Totally professional as it should be. Setting people loose on Lake Union in these historic boats requires a level of trust and competency. Overall a fabulous operation that is inclusive of the community, offsetting the all-too-often exclusive nature of sailing. Kudos to you all!

  • 5

    Great toddler time

    We did a sail to celebrate a 3 year old's birthday and took a 4 year along, first sail for both. We also enjoy outings at cwb for weekend pond races and getting wet on sprinklers outside. Great kid entertainment always.

  • 5

    best organization ever

    It is a complete delight interacting with the CWB folks. Everyone here is enthusiastic, helpful and welcoming.

  • 5

    positive

    Had a great check out at the Center for Wooden Boats. Oliver was fun and helpful. cant wait to go back.

  • 5

    Superior Sailing Lesson Today

    Took a 2 hour sailing "refresher" in a Blanchard Knockabout and had a great instructor. Fun and good learning too.

  • 5

    Well worth it, you will love it.

    My spouse and I did the Get Zapped three-day learning to sail private class with Christian. We were complete novices and had never sailed before. One of the days we ended up in a torrent of rain and wind for two hours with the boat heeling dramatically. Christian continued the lesson at our okay and taught us safe storm sailing. He is a patient, skilled, and thorough instructor with decades of experience on all manner of boats. He’s charming and makes this intense sailing course a delight.

  • 5

    great instruction and sail

    Hello, I signed my mother 80 years old up for a sailing lesson with Christion (spelling) her desire was to better understand how to rig the sail the 10 ft boat we had built at the family boat building workshop at Center for Wooden boats. She had a great time, instructor was patient and took the time to explain how to rig the sail and gave her the time of her life on the water. She will take a lesson again when she is back in town.

  • 5

    First times out in a while

    I haven't sailed much, but enjoy it. My family bought me a CWB membership for this year,so I came down to get checked out so that I could rent boats and practice (I am a stone cold novice). Christian checked me out and he was great,very helpful and informative. The next day we came down and rented a sloop, and the volunteers were very helpful in getting us under way and tied down upon return. We look forward to many more trips! What a blast!

  • 5

    Fantastic one-on-one sailing lesson

    Spent an hour on the water with Christian. I'm pretty familiar with sailing already, but wanted a formal refresher. He was incredibly entertaining as well as easy to learn from. Vast knowledge of the boat, sailing, racing, even the planes that were landing around us. Absolutely zero stress or judgement. I'm pretty sure I could have flipped the Knockabout and he would have calmly explained how sailors first figured out how to get a boat upright.

  • 5

    One on one sailing lesson

    An hour in a Blanchard Junior Knockabout with Christian, my first experience with CWB. Great personal communication skills as well as sailing knowledge, and even a history lesson about the boat and CWB. Fabulous!

  • 4

    Great instructor, great experience

    Overall a very nice experience. Instructor let me start out at the helm from the get-go. Was a little nervous but he was very confident in me and gave me direct instructions as to what I needed to do. Only minor thing was that I didn't get an update at the beginning about some of the terminology. Was a bit overwhelmed at times when he used technical words to tell me what I should be doing or what the boat was doing. Other than that a fantastic day on the lake!

  • 5

    One on one sailing lesson

    Excellent service, instructor, and experience. The instructor and I quickly establishe a rapport that enhanced the lesson and learning experience.

  • 5

    Gf and me took sailing lessons together

    It was a great experience we quickly sailed and took turns on the helm. The instructor was super knowledgeable of the area and of sailing itself which made for a fun time!!

  • 5

    So much fun

    Second lesson on Blanchard Junior knockabout. Wind , sun and a great instructor.Sailing smaller boats is a new and wonderful experience for me. I just sold a larger sloop sailboat and was sad until I found the CWB.

  • 5

    Center for Wooden Boats

    This is a Seattle gem! What a wonderful place to learn how to sail, row, and even build a boat. I have taken sailing lessons and really enjoyed my experience! They also have great classes for kids and adults!

  • 5

    Sail Now Sailing Lesson

    This was a great experience. The instructor was patient and helpful and taught in a way that required us to think about what we were doing, not just doing what he asked. I can't wait for our next lesson!

  • 5

    The best

    I love the CWB! Great staff and always happy with my sailing experiences there. Very cool boats and the experience cannot be replicated anywhere else. You should join up!

  • 5

    Sailing Lesson

    An awesome experience! Very knowledgeable and friendly staff! Excellent boats, patient instruction, and beautiful views of the city. The instruction covered all the basics of sailing - how to rig and de-rig a boat, tacking, jibing, steering with only the sails, and so on. One of my instructors also gave me great tips about racing sail boats. I feel very comfortable sailing on my own now and look forward to returning to sail the gaff rig vessels.

Business Information

Hours Tue10:00am - 8:00pm
Wed10:00am - 8:00pm
Thu10:00am - 8:00pm
Fri10:00am - 8:00pm
Sat10:00am - 8:00pm
Sun10:00am - 8:00pm
Phone (206) 382-2628
Location Get directions
Website www.cwb.org