 Tennessee Sailing takes place on our lakes & reservoirs here in the Volunteer State. There are many sailing adventures to be enjoyed! There are plenty of local sailors, marinas, rentals & classes to get you started. It is very rewarding & relaxing to navigate our waters in a sailboat! You'll never forget it. Sailing does take a bit of knowledge though. Unlike power boats, you must learn to read the wind, how to handle the sails and how to navigate. Sailing is a must for anyone who considers themselves an adventurer.
 From the first sailing experience, a sailor begins to build a respect for the natural environment. And sailing is much more earth friendly than motorized boats. Sailors help with conservation by teaching others to sail, adopting-a-cove, reporting enviro damage on local lakes, maintaining their boats, performing mini enviro cleans, encouraging dock masters to recycle. reducing waste, stopping litter and encouraging others likewise! Hats off to Sailors!
Percy Priest Yacht Club (PPYC) is a club of sailing enthusiasts who enjoy spending time together in racing and social events. The main purposes of PPYC are to promote the sport of sailing, enhance boat handling skills and safety on the water, and promote fellowship and association among its members. Not all of our members own a boat, many prefer to sail as crew with others. But all of our members share a love of sailing and we welcome all those who are similarly interested in sailing to join us. PPYC sails on J. Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, TN, a Corp of Engineers lake only 15 minutes from downtown. We are primarily based at Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina in Hamilton Creek Park, but some of our members utilize other marinas on the lake. Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina is a facility of Metro Nashville Parks & Recreation Department. Because no private development is allowed on the shores of Percy Priest Lake, PPYC does not own a clubhouse. We instead utilize the clubhouse at Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina for meetings and social events. PPYC sponsors six regattas annually, plus mid-week and weekend club races during the sailing season. We also sponsor a youth sailing camp during the summer and the Learning at the Helm (LATH) program on Tuesday evenings from April through September for anyone who wants to learn more about sailing and possibly joining the club. Many yacht clubs around the U.S. allow guests that are members of other yacht clubs to use their facilities. Because PPYC is a recognized yacht club and a member of Yachting Clubs of America, our active members are granted access to many of these clubs. Our dues are very reasonable and our members are very friendly. We welcome any who want to learn about sailing, participate in casual or racing sailing, and share some good times both on and off the water. We invite you to join us!
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Ever since the age of 11, I have been a sailor. My first experience was on J. Percy Priest with some friends of my father. I got to take the helm on a fairly windy day, and had this 24' sailboat leaning hard & moving quickly across the water! Everyone seem to have white knuckles as they hung on and I pushed it to the limit! It was great. Shortly there after, my father took me to Aruba, off the northern coast of South America, and we sailed to Key West, Florida in a 54' ketch. The adventure of a lifetime! I have been hooked ever since then, making several trips to the Bahamas in my fathers 36' Heritage, up the east coast to Hilton Head, NC., 2 weeks up the inter-coastal waterway, a week in the Banana River & Indian River near Cocoa Beach, numerous trips through the Florida Keys and many other sailing adventures. To lay in the cargo net, under the bowsprit, face to face with wild porpoise as we sailed through the Caribbean is something quite incredible! Not many get to experience things like this. I will always be grateful to my parents for the wonderful adventures they gave me!
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Imagine
It's early morning, you wake from the most sound sleep you've had in months, to the noises of a gull and a metal lanyard slapping lightly against the aluminum mast of your sailboat, your mate has just finished making a pot of coffee and offers you a cup. You grab a mangoe as you make your way up to the cockpit and flip over a cushion to find a seat free of the morning dew. Spending no less than ten minutes with hardly a sound, you sit with your mate and enjoy the events of an early morning, in the cove you anchored in the day before. Suddenly the radio starts playing some Norah Jones songs, as the alarm was set to go off at 5:30 AM and was set to play from your iPod. Perfect Timing! You smile, shut your eyes and enjoy the music as you wonder if anything could be better! Halfway through the third song, you get the urge and pull up the anchor as your mate raises the mainsail. There's not much wind yet, but enough to get you turned in the right direction. You confirm your position on your chart and plan the next leg of your journey. Your sailboat is loaded with supplies and 90 gallons of fresh water. It's you, your mate, your vessel and your skill, totally self sufficient, and head to head against the elements. What freedom! And You don't have to be back home for two weeks.
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