Latest Reviews for Sailing Schools |
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| Date Submitted: | September 1, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | Ocean Sailing Academy |
| Location: | SC - Charleston, 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: | US Sailing Coastal Nav Review This is simply a great sailing school! This is the 3rd course I've taken from the US Sailing series with OSA, and so I've had the pleasure of learning from several of their instructors, each of which was extremely knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of blue-water sailing. All of them had deep professional and personal sailing experience, and easily shared their experience, which is the kind of training supplement that you just don't get anywhere else but from modern, seasoned sailors. They were all fun to be with as well, which made the overall learning experience as fun as any other vacation I've taken. As I was driving down to Charleston to take this course, the Registrar called me and told me that the other student signed up had to back out at the last minute, and asked if I could possibly schedule their next session instead. I could not back out of my current arrangements, and so OSA proceeded with the class, even though it was probably not profitable for them to teach me 1 on 1 for the class price. I am grateful to the school for allowing me to take the course as planned, and I wanted to share this as example of how fair and customer-oriented OSA is in it's business affairs. These days it is refreshing to see s small business still willing to go to this length to retain and satisfy student customers! On the 4th day of the course, I was pleased that my instructor accepted the sail plan I developed the night before, taking us through a gap in the Jetty called Dynamite Hole, using the skills I had just learned in the lecture portion. We had a narrow zone between danger bearings coming south out of Dynamite Hole, and after steering the course for about 25 min. I took 3 visual fixes and plotted our position dead-on the course line we were steering. One of the greatest new abilities I've taken away from this course is the ability to sail knowing exactly where good water is around me at all times, based on my new charting, plotting, planning skills. That evening, around dusk, we were approached by a large, dark line of thunder clouds (that's cumulus nimbus tu us) while entering the inlet to North Edisto R. My instinct was to reef the main and be ready to reduce the genoa as needed. My instructor's instinct was to start the engine and furl sails completey. And when the squall hit us, the rain was thick and horizontal, blowing right into our eyes as we strained to see markers which would guide us into the inlet safely. Our mast head read wind gusts of 30 kts! Lightning struck all around our area, with one or two strikes surprising us with no warning between flash and boom! And when it passed 25 min. later, leaving behind calm, foggy water in the waning light, I realized that it may have been unmanageable for 2 people to navigate, steer and line-handle; and I saw the wisdom in my instructor's call: eliminate line-handling so we can focus on steering and seeing while entering a channel in horizontal rain. I could not have asked for more than this from a sailing course! A "training" squall! How cool! I'll definitely be back here in the following summers to learn and qualify for US Sailing's Passage-Making courses. Thanks again to OSA Instructors Sterling, Mallery, Scott and Frank for the fine instruction and friendship you have given me. Thanks to you I sail today with much greater confidence and range; and each hour I've spent with you has brought my retirement dream of sailing cruiser ownership and blue-water sailing closer to reality. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | KurtF 46 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Oxford, NC |
| Date Submitted: | August 23, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | Tradewinds Sailing School |
| Location: | CA - Richmond, 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: | Sailing 101 with captain Jonathan Bloom. I would like to leave a positive feedback for my sailing 101 course that I completed on 8/14 at the tradewinds sailing school. Special thanks to my instructor, captain Jonathan Bloom. I really liked his methods and coaching stile when every cadet on the boat was getting the theory and practice as much as needed and even more, until the material was fully digested. In addition to learning experience, I had a lot of fun sailing! I would definitely try to get into Mr. Bloom's class when the time comes to take my next course. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Dimitry 33 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Walnut Creek, CA |
| Date Submitted: | August 19, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | SeaLife Sailing School |
| Location: | Vancouver, Canada |
| 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: | SeaLife Sailing School made sailing a pleasure! My boyfriend is an avid sailor, and we were planning a 3-week sailing holiday together. Only problem? I have really enjoyed spending time on his boat, but didn't really feel confidant that I could handle his boat in the event that something should happen to him on a longer cruise. He's tried teaching me the basics, but he's not a sailing instructor, and let's face it, as his girlfriend, he may have been up against some sub-conscious resistance to his attempts to educate me... I reached Jeremy Gow of SeaLife Sailing, and was instantly put at ease. His entire approach to teaching and cruising seemed to fit with what I was looking for. I joined a 4-day long weekend course; we all hit it off and gelled as a crew; great stops at marinas with good pubs and coffee shops, and quiet, secluded anchorages as promised. The food was amazing, but most importantly, I got off the boat feeling like I can confidantly motor the boat, sail it, anchor it, and get it from point A to point B!! Success!! What's more, I had a great time and made new friends!! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Sailing Mermaid 36 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: North Vancouver, BC, Canada |
| Date Submitted: | August 18, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | Pacific Yachting & Sailing |
| Location: | CA - Santa Cruz, United States |
| Classes & Instruction: | 9 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 8 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 7 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 5 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Great place to learn to sail I took the bareboat class a few years ago and was very pleased with the overall experience. I have been sailing ever since. Comments [ 1 ] |
| Submitted by: | Steelfish 49 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Grand Junction, CO |
| Date Submitted: | August 18, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | SeaLife Sailing School |
| Location: | Vancouver, Canada |
| 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: | SeaLife Sailing School hits a home run! My wife and I have been speaking for years about the possibility of buying a sailboat. We've both done a bit of sailing in dinghies, and some powerboat cruising in my father-in-law's boat. But somehow, the idea of summertime cruising in a sailboat has always appealed to us both. This summer we thought we'd give sailing a try, and brought our two young children along to see whether or not we'd enjoy ourselves on a sailboat for 5 days. We chose SeaLife Sailing School because we wanted to go with an independant, owner-operated school, and liked what we heard when we called and spoke with the owner, Jeremy. Our concerns were soon put to rest when we stepped aboard 'Ma Provence', which was modern, clean, and comfortable. Jeremy had stocked the boat with healthy food and snacks, and created an itinerary that allowed us to learn at a relaxed pace, enjoy sailing every day, and explore fantastic moorages and anchorages. Our kids had a great time, even proclaiming that our sailing trip was more fun than last summer's visit to DisneyLand!! We all agree that this trip gave us the confidence that sailing will be a great family sport for us for many, many years to come. Kudos to our instructor for making our week aboard, absolutely enjoyable!!! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Happy Sailing Family 44 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Vancouver, BC, Canada |
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