The Marina Park Sailing and Boating Center makes watersports accessible to all
By Gale Nye Pinckney
“We giggled like kids when we got back to the dock. We had that much fun!” That’s how a longtime instructor described a recent ocean sailing class at Marina Park in the City of Newport Beach, Calif. “The wind was blowing hard, and we all worked well together as a team steering the boat through the big puffs of wind. The thrill of being on the water just never gets old!”
The Marina Park Sailing and Boating Center, operated by the Newport Beach Recreation and Senior Services Department, provides lifelong memories for the public––and, in some cases, like this sailing class, life-changing days. The city developed Marina Park, a recreational waterfront facility, in 2015. Along with a 10.5-acre park, nautical-themed playground, on-site café, and event-rental facilities, Marina Park also boasts a community boating center.
The center is open year-round to the public, and offers stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and sailing lessons for all ages and experience levels, as well as sailboat rentals.
