LouLife

>> Sails Pitch

Owning a sailboat may be a costly proposition, but learning to sail is not — at least it won’t be if you sign up for the Learn to Sail Clinic later this month. The River Cities Community Sailing Program offers three sessions on Saturday, June 10, covering the basics of boat anatomy, a review of nautical terms and knot-tying. Each class includes an hour cruise along the Ohio on a 25-foot or larger sailboat with members of the Cruising Club of Louisville. While there is one session geared for adults, the mission of the program is to expose children and youth to sailing for the first time. “We hope to teach them that the Ohio River isn’t as intimidating a body of water as it seems to be,” says Roger Kennedy, board president of River Cities. The clinics take place at Cox Park, with children’s sessions from 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. The adult clinic is from 1-4 p.m. Pre-registration is suggested and is available online at www.saillouisville.org or 899-1311.

>> Saber-Rattlingly Yours

Golf shirts and ties are Father’s Day presents that say, “I think you’re boring.” Instead give a gift that says, “On guard. Happy Father’s Day!” Take your old man to “Dueling With Dad,” a fencing workshop at the Frazier Arms Museum. Get in a bout of bonding as Louisville Fencing Center staffers teach you a few techniques of this age-old art of one-upsmanship. Saturday, June 17, sessions run from 10-11:30 a.m., 12:30-2 p.m. and 2:30-4 p.m. $12 for non-members; $10 for members. Frazier Arms Museum, 829 W. Main St., 753-5663.

>> Boss Summer Reading

In her debut novel, Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle (5 Spot; $12.95), former Courier-Journal columnist Beverly Bartlett combines her fascination with the lifestyles of royalty and her affection for Bruce Springsteen’s music into a novel that is part romance and part mystery. The story details the life and loves of Isabella Cordage, her betrothed Prince Raphael and her confidant Geoffrey, a mechanic and espouser of Springsteen inspiration. Bartlett steps beyond the chick-lit model enough to attract romance fans and generate new ones as well.