Sailing Ventures

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: 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