FL Sailing Schools?

[Frank Hagan]

Looks like I will be in Orlando in February of next year on business, and plan to take a few days after our trade show for vacation. My wife and I have done the parks, but now want to take the ASA sailing courses with a eye toward being able to bareboat charter some day.

I see a few schools offering ASA certification in the St. Petersburg area, and a couple in St. Augustine. Anyone familiar with any of these? We'd like to spend 3 - 4 - 5 days sailing, depending on cost.

[Craig]

Frank the St Augy area is nice and fewer tourests that time of year. St Pete is hard to get around in. Both are about 1 street long and two wide. I don't know about the schools. Food is better in St Augustine.

[jakehaynie]

Frank,

I took the ASA bareboat course in St. Pete back in the 80's. I think the course lasted a week. We used an O'day 37 CC sloop with 5 students and the instructor. I completely enjoyed it and hated having to leave. I would highly recommend the course to anyone. Got a diploma and everything, even used it once to rent a boat for a weekend here at home. Very expensive to rent a boat, that's why I only did it once!

If you have any specific questions I will be glad to answer them, as best as I can recollect anyway.

Regards,

Jake Haynie

[Bruce S Kershaw]

My wife's sister and their father took a sailing course in Amelia Island (Jacksonville area) a few years ago. I'll see what she can tell me about it and get back to you.

[Bruce]

Frank, a little closer than Jax or St. A is Melbourne on the east coast. Diamond 99 Sailing School is ASA. Nice little spot but I don't know anybody who has taken their course.

407.254.1490

Bruce, boatless, but I have the plans for the CK17

[Frank Hagan]

Thanks, guys. Everyone I've talked to who has taken the ASA courses has been happy with them. Its something my wife has expressed interest in and she feels it will make her time sailing with me more enjoyable if she isn't worried about "blowing it" through her inexperience.

So, St. Augustine is a better place to spend a few days than St. Petersburg? I thought St. Petersburg might be better sailing in the gulf rather than the Atlantic.

The other option we have is to get ASA certification here, and then just rent a place with a sailboat for a few days.

[Bill]

Frank,

I'd probably opt to take the Basic Keel Boat and the Basic Coastal Cruising at home. These are prerequisites to the Bare Boat course. They are pretty basic and you probably know 90 percent of what would/will be covered. They would both be a few hours each day of sailing for a 4 or 5 day course. (Varies depending on the school). Some schools let you combine them. On the Bareboat course, you'd spend time all week (usually) on the boat and some courses let you stay on board basically the full time, some offer only a night or two overnight. There is also a navigation course offered by the ASA that is academic only and some schools can offer it by Email. My thinking would be to take a Bareboat course in the area in which you think you might charter. You would no doubt get a lot of tips about the area for future sails. Then again, being on a boat anywhere for a week is a vacation, even if it's class time. Having the Bareboat certificate does not guarantee rental though. Some places want to see time (logged) already in that particular boat be chartered, in which case you might have to pay extra to take a designated person out for a few hours and prove your new skills. One other thing I always mention to people is to take their local Power Squadron/CGAux Boating course. Most of the time it's free. It's a nice 13 week (or so, depending) diversion in the winter months and gives a wealth of information. I learned as much from that than any ASA courses I have taken. Do look around though, course prices can vary considerably from school to school, and so can quality of content. I'd probably spend the extra bucks and take the course in the Caribbean, how can you lose! I do have some ASA info here at the house if you need info on requirements/prerequisites etc. Feel free to email me direct. Good luck!

Bill

[Frank Hagan]

Thanks, Bill. We may do just as you indicated, take the courses here instead. I have corresponded with a pretty experienced sailor who owns a trailerable boat, and then charters on vacation to get his "big boat fix". He claims its the best of both worlds ... doesn't spend any more that way, and only has to do maintenance he can easily handle in his backyard without driving down to the slip.

[John Stevens]

Frank,

I took lessons from this lady, Carol. She was an instructor at the Clearwater Sailing Center a few years ago and has since started her own school. She's very good and a real nice lady. Along with teaching and sailing she also races her boats. She's in Dunedin, just about 20 miles north of St. Pete. Here's the link

http://smoothsailingschool.com/

John

I usually perform a few nights a week at Buffett's Margaritaville in Orlando, send me an email when you come to town.

[Steve Day]

Frank,

Another alternate might be Nautica, Ltd in Point Clear, AL. (My boat is in the bareboat fleet there.) John and Bev run a class act and taylor the courses to your needs. It's a bit of a drive from Orlando and probably would not be practical, but I had to throw their name in the mix.

Their web site is http://www.nauticaltd.com/

Steve

[Frank Hagan]

I usually perform a few nights a week at Buffett's Margaritaville in Orlando' date=' send me an email when you come to town.[/quote']

We've eaten there a couple of times! I'll shoot an email out when my schedule gets nailed down. Last time I was in Florida I ended up with no time at all between events and flights, so I didn't get a chance to visit with anyone.

[Bill]

Last time I was in Florida I ended up with no time at all between events

And if yer a smart sales/tech/mgr, you would have learned from your past trip(s)(and mistakes).., how, in fact, to make a bit o' time, this time through mate...sneak a night in, for fun, and tell us about it..you old fa@rt!!

Bill

[Frank Hagan]

I should be able to squeeze in an extra day this time, but it all depends on how much "emergency" stuff happens while I'm gone. The "emergencies" are never really emergencies, but as long as they think I'm the one to resolve them I have a job, so I shouldn't complain!

[capt jake]

The "emergencies" are never really emergencies, but as long as they think I'm the one to resolve them I have a job, so I shouldn't complain

Good stategy!! I flat turned my pager off for the past 11 days and worked on the house with no interuptions. We'll see what the consequences will be tommorrow.