Sailing Ventures

Reviewers Male / Female Recommend Yes / No Number of Reviews Classes & Instruction School Facilities Boats & Courses Cost Total Average Rating
6 / 1 5 / 2 7 7.57 6.14 7.85 6.15 6.93

Date Submitted: August 17, 2009
Sailing School: Sailing Ventures
Location: CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States
Classes & Instruction: 9 out of 10
School Facilities: 7 out of 10
Boats & Courses: 8 out of 10
Cost: 9 out of 10
Recommend: Yes
Review: Hard to find negatives
After many years of wanting to learn how to sail I finally did it. I got exposed to bareboating when a friend invited me to join a small group heading to the Virgin Islands. I was hooked. Many years later I am now in a position to make that dream come true.

Classes are kept small on purpose and that is a good thing because there is a lot to learn and when doing all the required skills on board a boat anymore bodies than three would impede learning.

We spent way more hours on the water than in the classroom which was a great bonus.

We were amply prepared to take the test and all of us passed it.

Yes, the winds and conditions on Lake Tahoe can be a challenge but the same weather conditions can exist anywhere so what is experienced at LT can be of use anywhere. Beside the alpine surroundings of Tahoe are spectacular.

Our instructor "Cat" was new to Sailing Ventures but not to sailing. This young lady had her act together. She knew her "stuff" and did a great job of explaining all. She is a ver personable and dynamic instructor.
The location and pricing worked out well for me and I plan on takng more classes from Sailing Ventures.

As the saying goes "you can't please all of the folks all the time." However, one has to understand that a business cannot be successful with "no-shows" so some financial limitations have to be in place. From what I have experienced at SV I am convinced that if "special circumstances" arise accomodations will be available.

My experience was positive and I will be back for more.
Comments [ 0 ]
Submitted by: Joel F.
68 year-old   ::   Male Reviewer   ::   Carson City, Nevada

Date Submitted: August 13, 2009
Sailing School: Sailing Ventures
Location: CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States
Classes & Instruction: 10 out of 10
School Facilities: 7 out of 10
Boats & Courses: 9 out of 10
Cost: 10 out of 10
Recommend: Yes
Review: Two Classes at Sailing Ventures SLT
My husband and I are planning to bareboat in the near future, so we are taking a series of ASA classes from Sailing Ventures this summer. We chose Sailing Ventures for both their affordable price and the beautiful location at Lake Tahoe.

So far, we have taken ASA 101 (Basic Keelboat) and ASA 103 (Basic Cruising). We both enjoyed the teaching styles of class instructors, Don and Robert.

In Basic Keelboat, Don did an excellent job of teaching us the basics, and presenting the material is an organized and thorough way. His passion for the sport was obvious and we appreciated his passing that enthusiasm onto us. At the end of the class, we were glad to learn Don was teaching our last class, Bareboat Cruising.

The Basic Cruising Class was highly entertaining thanks to Robert's energetic teaching style. Our best memory from this class was the section on docking that we received from Robert. Without giving away any of Robert's trade secrets, his approach to teaching students this challenging subject was masterful! After benefiting from Robert's docking method, we can honestly say that docking or motoring into a slip is now a breeze!

We had the opportunity to meet both owners of Sailing Ventures and they were warm and professional at all times. We were rather surprised to read some earlier negative feedback on this site because our experience was so opposite to theirs. All terms were clearly spelled out well in advance.

In the Basic Cruising Class, at the end of the second day, the wind died down right before the last safety drill, "man overboard." Sailing Ventures was quick to reassure us and reschedule another time to finish the class.

We had a great experience with Sailing Ventures and look forward to taking our last class- Bareboat Cruising.






Comments [ 0 ]
Submitted by: Joe and Carla
50 year-old   ::   Female Reviewer   ::   El Dorado, CA

Date Submitted: March 10, 2009
Sailing School: Sailing Ventures
Location: CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States
Classes & Instruction: 8 out of 10
School Facilities: 7 out of 10
Boats & Courses: 9 out of 10
Cost: 8 out of 10
Recommend: Yes
Review: Learning to sail on Tahoe CAN be fun!!
My wife and I have been interested in taking up sailing for quite some time. Living as far from the coast as we do, my hopes of ever being able to do so without encountering extensive travel costs were initially dashed. That is, until we discovered Sailing Ventures.

Last summer, we enrolled in the Basic Keelboat/Basic Cruising classes offered by Sailing Ventures. I will say, there was a scheduling conflict that did arise on the school’s end, and our class days had to be moved around a bit. However, the owner contacted me and was very accommodating in arranging new class dates that would fit around OUR schedule. It’s my honest opinion that he personally extended himself well beyond what I thought necessary to coordinate and conduct the class in a very gratifying fashion.

I have read the other reviews and find it difficult to comprehend how a positive resolution could not be achieved for those who posted poor ratings. Sailing Ventures exceeded my expectations on many levels: customer service, quality of instruction, and overall enjoyment. I would highly recommend this sailing school to anyone, and have every intention of continuing my sailing instruction as far as I can – all with Sailing Ventures.



Comments [ 0 ]
Submitted by: Pete C.
45 year-old   ::   Male Reviewer   ::   Reno, NV

Date Submitted: January 9, 2009
Sailing School: Sailing Ventures
Location: CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States
Classes & Instruction: 8 out of 10
School Facilities: 7 out of 10
Boats & Courses: 9 out of 10
Cost: 7 out of 10
Recommend: Yes
Review: Best of the schools I've tried
I have taken classes in LA, San Francisco Bay and Tahoe. The experience I had at Sailing Ventures was more personal and enjoyable than the two big schools on the coast. The instruction was outstanding the teacher was nothing short of terrific and the boat was the best I have seen at any of the other schools. The owner bent over backwards to accommodate my challenging schedule requirements which was no easy task. Another school I contacted had a take it or leave it attitude to my requests. The wind conditions were much more challenging than what I experienced on the CA coast where it tended to blow with boring regularity in both speed and direction. The two classes I was in had everything from light and variable to 30 knots blasts out of the southwest. It was way cool! I am writing this mostly to counter some of the other reviews I have read. Two things I will add are that one of the Bay Area schools I went to encouraged us to write a review here. The other is that if unsolicited, only bad experiences are going to be shared. Everyone in my classes had a great time.
Comments [ 0 ]
Submitted by: Anthony F.
36 year-old   ::   Male Reviewer   ::   Nevada City, CA

Date Submitted: January 9, 2009
Sailing School: Sailing Ventures
Location: CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States
Classes & Instruction: 8 out of 10
School Facilities: 7 out of 10
Boats & Courses: 9 out of 10
Cost: 6 out of 10
Recommend: Yes
Review: Great place to learn to sail
My wife and I had a fine experience and received a thorough sailing education at Sailing Ventures. Our Instructor, Cameron, was passionate, detail oriented and lots of fun. The. Boats were new Catalinas that were clean and well maintained. Lake. Tahoe offered grand vistas, strong winds and lots of room to practice the things we were taught. We travelled from Sacramento to Tahoe for lessons to avoid the congestion on the roads and on the SF Bay. I am happy to recommend this school to anyone.
Comments [ 0 ]
Submitted by: Andy Macoomb
44 year-old   ::   Male Reviewer   ::   Sacramento, CA

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