From hobby to career

Late to sailing, Harford man is now an instructor

David Berry has always been fascinated by the water.

But as a boy, his opportunities to be on the water were scarce.

Then about 22 years ago, Berry learned to sail.

"I made every mistake you can make," said Berry, 54, of Havre de Grace. "I had trouble getting the sails up, and tons of trouble docking and undocking the boat. I don't know if you ever master sailing. But it took me three years to feel comfortable on the water."

Berry has come a long way since then. He now teaches sailing, volunteers on a skipjack as a crew member, owns his own boat and recently published a book, Images of America, Maryland's Skipjacks.

Berry's hobby has taken him to destinations worldwide. Last year, he spent about 180 days sailing in Greece, the British Virgin Islands, the San Juan Islands, Florida and San Diego.

Ten years ago, about the time he retired from his job in the telecommunications industry, he took his sailing passion to the next level.

The BaySail Sailing School in Havre de Grace changed ownership, and there was an opening for an instructor, he said.

"What once was an avocation is now a vocation," said Berry, who is an American Sailing Association certified instructor. "My love of the Chesapeake Bay led to diving into sailing."

Berry said exercise and family time are the top reasons he enjoys sailing. Sailing is a good physical and mental activity, said Berry, whose wife, Chris, and their two children, Jason, 28, and Julie, 25, also sail.

"I love sailing, and I love the bay," said Berry, who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Muskingum College, and an MBA from Miami University of Ohio. "And sailing is something everyone in the family can do together. When you're sailing, you're away from everything. When you travel by boat, it gives you a different perspective."

Becoming a crew member on a skipjack was a natural progression, he said. He had seen the skipjacks around, crew members were needed and he wanted to help out.

Berry is a welcome crew member, said Greg Shinn, the captain of the Skipjack Martha Lewis, built in 1955 and restored in 1993. The skipjack is based in Havre de Grace.

"Our crew is made up of volunteers, so I'm always happy to see David," said Shinn, who has captained the skipjack for the past two years. "He's a skilled and capable sailor."

After years of writing for sailing publications, Berry took his hobby and volunteerism to the next level when he agreed to write a book on skipjacks for Arcadia Publishing.