Sailing Ventures |
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| Reviewers Male / Female | Recommend Yes / No | Number of Reviews | Classes & Instruction | School Facilities | Boats & Courses | Cost | Total Average Rating |
| 7 / 2 | 7 / 2 | 9 | 8.00 | 6.89 | 8.21 | 7.00 | 7.53 |
| Date Submitted: | June 26, 2011 |
| Sailing School: | Sailing Ventures |
| Location: | CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Best part of our Lake Tahoe vacation! We spent two days on Lake Tahoe with Michelle, our instructor and learned more in those two days than we did in another sailing class that was one week long and significantly more expensive. Michelle is an excellent teacher, very patient and explains everything well. We felt very comfortable asking questions (we had a lot!) and came away feeling we were ready to take out a boat on our own. We highly recommend this class, both to learn to sail, and to enjoy beautiful Lake Tahoe from the water. The best part of our sail was going to Emerald Bay. What a beautiful part of the world to learn to sail! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Sue 54 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: Bucks County, PA |
| Date Submitted: | September 7, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | Sailing Ventures |
| Location: | CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States |
| Classes & Instruction: | 9 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 9 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 9 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | "Breaking Wind" at Lake Tahoe "Breaking Wind" is the name of the Catalina 32 that the owner (Michelle) owns and uses for training. We trained on an O'Day 22 that was perfect for our Basic Keelboat class. Our instructor, Dennis was very knowledgeable and is also a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. We had plenty of wind and the scenery was spectacular. We were also only a few hundred yards from the classroom to the dock. Excellent! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Joe Stafford 61 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Angels Camp, CA |
| 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 |
| Date Submitted: | July 23, 2008 |
| Sailing School: | Sailing Ventures |
| Location: | CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States |
| Classes & Instruction: | 6 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 6 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 6 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 1 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Be aware of all policies before signing up Don't do business with this guy via email or phone. If you choose to sign up for his Tahoe class, then be sure to use Paypal (not a credit card) and go to their website to read ALL of the terms and conditions. I relied on an email which was my mistake. Their policy does not allow for cancelations, even months in advance, unless you buy insurance from them. It's possible that this is due to the cash flow problems that small businesses experience with seasonal demand. So who knows how stable they are and if your deposit is at risk anyway. He kept our $400+ deposit even though we offered more than 30 days notice. My mistake but he was really rude in the way he handled it in "schooling" me. Who knows what his attitude is once they have your money and they get you in the classroom or on the water. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Cap'n 50 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: San Jose, CA |
| Date Submitted: | July 30, 2007 |
| Sailing School: | Sailing Ventures |
| Location: | CA - South Lake Tahoe, United States |
| Classes & Instruction: | 4 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 2 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 5 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 2 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | STAY AWAY from Sailing Ventures in South Shore!!!! This sailing school lacks a passionate leader. For some classes, there is no at the dock instruction what-so-ever! In addition, 'total hours per class' is sub-standard, and classroom size is cramped. Add in the finnicky nature of mountain lake winds, the lack of currents, and no practice sailing into a slip, and you would be better served taking your classes from a salt water school. This guy gives the ASA a bad name. Comments [ 2 ] |
| Submitted by: | Cap'n Q 35 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: California |
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