[caption id="attachment_130039" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The Austin Sailboat Rentals dock can be found across from Austin High School.[/caption]

Water-loving couple charts course for expansion 

When Jim and Ginny Niebauer purchased their first sailboat, neither of them knew how to sail. But as their expertise grew, so too did their passion to share that knowledge with a new generation of sailors.   

The Niebauers have owned and operated Austin Sailboat Rentals on Lady Bird Lake for nearly four years, and this spring they plan to expand operations to Lake Travis and Lake Austin, where they will offer youth sailing camps, Jim said.

“This is the year we’re going to grow in the area,” he said. “We think there’s a need for it. In the communities where our locations are, the people we’ve had love our business.”

Austin Sailboat Rentals is open year-round and offers sailing clinics, lessons for adults and children, and spring and summer children’s camps. The company also offers a variety of rental watercraft, including small and large daysailers, sea skimmers, catamarans, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, Ginny said.