Moonlight Sailing

Sail from Sunset to Midnight in Lynx Catboats. Bring food to grill!

Every month, right around the days of the full moon, the Sailing Pavillion remains open until midnight. The catboats are fitted with the necessary lights to go out after dark by the Pavillion staff (be sure your boat’s lights are on! Ask for help if they are not. Then you’re sailing by the light of the moon!

MITNA members with a Lynx or a Phys Ed Provisional rating or higher can take out a Lynx Catboat with up to seven of their best friends or strangers for a unique experience under the moon. Please see the schedule in the sidebar for this year’s moonlight sail dates. Due to limited space, we respectfully ask that members limit their non-sailing card guests to about five people. Out of consideration for other members, groups of 10 or more are not allowed at moonlight sailing. Small groups may be consolidated, a great opportunity to make new sailing friends!

Plus, starting at sunset, the grill is turned on for members and their guests to have dinner on the dock. Bring your own food and drinks. Sharing is encouraged (particularly with the dock staff!). Grill space is limited, so if your menu requires a long cooking time, please prep and pre-cook. Please do not smoke or vape in any of our facilities. Alcohol is prohibited on the boats and at the Pavilion without proper MIT permitting.

Because moonlight sails tend to be extremely popular, we may ask that each party limit their outings to approximately 30 minutes to an hour. The front desk will assign you a time to be back at the dock. That way, many people can go out on the one-night-per-month event. And, since not all MITNA members have a Lynx or PE Provisional rating, we appreciate when those members with the rating can take out a few people they may not know.

Ratings for Moon Light Sailing

Under normal wind/weather conditions (reasonable light, light winds) you need a Lynx, Advanced Lynx, or PE Provisional rating to take out a Lynx Catboat. At the staff’s discretion, they may ask that only Lynx-rated members be skippers that night.

Procedures

1. Sign up at the front desk with your sailing card in hand. Cardholder must be present to sign up
   
2. Wait to be called by dockstaff. If your complete party is not present, you may be moved to the end of the queue
   
3. Groups may be consolidated to fill boats on busy nights
   
4. You may be given a time to return to the dock to check in or turn over the boat to the next group. Please be considerate and return on time
   
5. You can re-add your name to the queue for a second opportunity to sail

Scheduling

The Pavilion staff schedules the moonlight sail dates to be around the full moon but also to account for MIT students’ calendars and special events. Be sure to follow the Pavilion schedule rather than the exact dates of the full moon.

Bad Weather

In bad weather, the Pavilion might have to close early. Unfortunately, we don’t control the moon, so Moonlight Sails cannot be rescheduled. Therefore, please check the weather and website news ahead of time.