Florida Sailing Schools Recommendation

[Advocate777]

can anyone recommend a s. florida sailing school for ASA 103 Coastal Cruising class?

[acunningham]

Originally Posted by Advocate777

can anyone recommend a s. florida sailing school for ASA 103 Coastal Cruising class?

I did the 101, 103, and 104 courses with Castle Harbor last year, and was happy with them:

CastleHarborSplash

[Minnewaska]

Colgate Offshore Sailing School. Ft Meyers, I believe. Know those who have gone to their Tortola school.

[PorFin]

Blue Water Sailing School, Ft Lauderdale.

We did 101/103/104 with them -- great staff, decent vessels, and good sailing grounds (Biscayne Bay).

[Capetinho]

I did the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat course with JWorld in Key West and the U.S. Sailing Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising with Colgate in St. Pete. Both were quality courses, but the Coalgate course seemed a bit more institutionalized while the guys in Key West were...well...much more Key Westerly. That said, there was a student in St. Pete who passed but probably shouldn't have, while a student in Key West who shouldn't have passed and didn't.

The Key West instructors were younger and from a New Port racing background, while the St. Pete instructor was older and a former BVI charter captain. All had a great skillsets and all but one were excellent instructors.

My impression is that it's a very competitive business and there's not much difference in the quality of first-line schools. Ultimately, I think it comes down to getting out of it exactly what you're willing to put into it, regardless of location or company.

[emoney]

I've heard of several folks use the guy at St. Pete. Haven't heard anything negative. For whatever that's all worth.

[dnf777]

We did the 101-104 with Blue Water Sailing School. Very good experience. Our skipper was very flexible and ALL of us had a good learning experinece, from the two guys who knew basic sailing already, to our wives who didn't. He really tailored the program for each of us, so we all came away with a worthwhile experience. Highly recommend BWSS.

[niceshoes6]

I took the 103-104 with Capt. Dave through Reefrunner Sailing school this spring. The whole experience was amazing and Capt Dave is a supercool guy.