Commuting via sailboat has a number of advantages: there are no traffic jams, there are no hitchhikers with hooks for teeth, and if you hit a deer it's definitely the deer's fault. Become acquainted with the joys of being seaborne with today’s Groupon to SailTime Chicago in Winthrop Harbor. Choose between the following options:

• For $195, you get an Experience Sailing trip for two (a $400 value).
• For $385, you get an Experience Sailing trip for four (an $800 value).

Owners Bob and Maureen Remsing channel their joint passion for boating on Lake Michigan into SailTime Chicago’s experiential tours for beginning sailors. With today’s deal, pairs and quartets of future first mates will venture out on the lake for a four-hour journey of learning and exploration. Under the guidance of a seasoned water wayfarer, pupils will learn the basics of sailing while the ship is piloted around Lake Michigan, Winthrop Harbor, and even up to Kenosha, Wisconsin, if the wind is favorable and Neptune permits passage.

Through hands-on instruction, students will acquire a new familiarity with sailing equipment, the rigging and sails, and methods of communicating with other sailors or boats, all while practicing proper onboard safety under the vigilant watch of the captain. Once they return to the harbor, students can receive further information about training to pilot wind-powered boats through SailTime Chicago’s ASA-certified sailing school and will be rewarded with a goodie bag that contains koozies that can hug beer cans or similarly cylindrical cups containing the Heart of the Ocean. Call ahead to reserve a time for your trip.