Meet NauticEd Instructor Harish Neelakandan
“Being on the water on a sailboat is my happy place.”
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Originally from Mumbai, India (a very maritime city!), I’ve lived and sailed in the Baltimore/Annapolis area for the last 20 years. In addition to sailing, I moonlight as an Investment Professional during the day, and also am an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the University of Maryland.
Favorite Sailboat Type?
Both!
What’s your “style” of sailing?
Adventure (new destinations & experiences).
Favorite “type” of sailing?
Coastal / Excursions.
What got you into Boating?
Growing up in India, I always dreamed of sailing, but never got a chance. When I moved to the United States for graduate school, I lost no time enrolling at my school’s sailing club and enjoyed some dinghy sailing on the Charles River at Boston. Then, life (and work) got in the way, and I had a 10-year hiatus. When I moved to Baltimore almost 20 years ago, I took it up again, almost started from scratch, and have never looked back since!
What does boating do (or has done) for you?
I LOVE the water. (I also swim regularly, and I’m a scuba diver.) Being on the water on a sailboat, then, is my happy place. And since sailing can be such a technical sport, I enjoy the thought process that goes on (now sub-consciously) when we sail. I also enjoy teaching sailing, and have found that it has improved my own sailing skills. I race regularly, and I also love to cruise, and I dream of sailing in the deep blue and beyond!
Most memorable boating experience?
Bringing down the mainsail just in time to avoid grazing a freighter docked at Dundalk during a Tuesday night race when a squall enveloped the race course and we went from 15 to 40 kts in a few minutes. The engine was powerless as long as the mainsail was up! We doused the sail in the nick of time, throttled up, but could still motor only downwind despite the 2500 rpm’s! We rode out the storm and then headed back home.
What are a couple of your favorite boating spots?
I love cruising from Baltimore to the Eastern Shore’s Bay Bridge Marina in Stevensville, MD. For a completely different experience, I enjoy sailing on the Hudson in New York harbor where one has to fight the current and keep away from the ferries which steam back and forth at 30 kts!
What’s your favorite part about teaching boating students?
I learned to sail as an adult. I therefore clearly remember what it feels like to be confused about all the different aspects of sailing. So I’ve been able to use that perspective effectively when teaching, and I really like using slightly differing approaches to explaining the same concepts to students who all learn differently and latch on to different explanations of the same concept.
What advice would you give a new student about boating? An experienced boater?
Advice to new students: it’s all about time-on-the-water (or time-on-the-boat).
Advice to experienced boaters: keep an open mind and you will learn something new every time you go out.
What is a random fact about yourself?
I am a musician. I play the violin and also love to sing.
What’s on your boating ‘bucket list’?
Combining all my hobbies: charter a boat in the BVI, go scuba-diving during the day, anchor in a lonely spot at night and bring out the musical instruments and jam with your crew under a moonlit night.
You can learn more with NauticEd
Sign up with NauticEd for FREE (no obligation) and receive 2 free boating courses, a free eLogbook and boating resume, and more! If you want to get started in boating or are experienced and want to expand your knowledge and skills, consider taking our many online sailing and powerboating courses.
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