Liveaboard Sailing Schools

[In Training]

As posted earlier my husband and I did a week with water sailing">blue water sailing school, in St. Thomas. Instructor was awful (advised ASA in review). I would not have passed without the other couple teaching me everything. It was the other couple that showed me the weather vane at the top of the mast after half a day of my not knowing what I was doing -- it was the other couple that showed me how to reach and plot on the charts. I had studied everything in tremendous detail prior to the trip, even using flash cards -- but it is not the same as actually doing it. since I had never been on a sailboat before, I would not have passed the exams if I had not spent countless hours going thru the books sent six months before the class and memorizing and learning everything I could before the trip. You do not want to have to spend your evenings studying.

[ol1970]

I can recommend with conviction that you go the Roadtown in the BVI's and take SunSail's ASA courses...and ask for Matt H. to be your instructor. I just completed this in Oct. (104 & 114), and it was well worth it. BVIs are simply amazing and Matt was demanding of us but in a good way. Great teacher, patient and knowledgeable. I agree 100% that the instructor would make all the difference. Now I just need a boat!

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by SAILORKELLY

Hi Mark, I would seriously consider taking a course in the PNW, our navigation, winds, and sea conditions cannot be duplicated elsewhere and it is the BEST place to learn.

This

[dwedeking2]

Earlier this year I used Ultimate Liveaboard Sailing Courses ASA Certification School Nautilus and took their course in La Paz. The Sea of Cortez was an excellent place to learn as it's not crowded and the weather is always nice. Some things I would note:

• Fly to San Diego, cross the border and fly from Tijuana to La Paz vs flying from the US to Cabo. Much cheaper. I was actually living in Ensenada at the time and bused from there to La Paz and then flew back afterwards.
• Read and do all the prep beforehand. A week goes quickly. You'll be doing so won't have much time for studying.
• Don't think it will be a vacation. There was little time for playing if you really want to learn to sail.
• Your instructor will play an important part. As will your fellow students. If everyone is focused on learning to sail you'll learn to sail. If everyone is focused on a vacation you'll enjoy the vacation.

I was lucky in that the other 2 people I was with (thrown together randomly) were focused on learning to sail.

[kgriffithg]

I would NOT recommend the Maryland School of Sailing in Maryland. Bottom line: the school was difficult to work with, unresponsive at times, incredibly rude, and the ASA 106 course was cancelled about halfway through due to boat problems. I will never do business with them again, which is a shame as I live nearby and I'm now flying to other schools to continue my sailing education. I do find the courses to be helpful in my sailing journey, especially since I don't own a boat myself but instead I'm chartering and part of a fractional boating club. I will buy my boat when I'm closer to retirement and can spend more time on it.

[JoeRobertJr]

Originally Posted by kgriffithg

I would NOT recommend the Maryland School of Sailing in Maryland.

Sorry and surprised to hear that. My experience with the MD School of Sailing was exceptional.

[John_Trusty]

A zombie thread gets new life!
Anyone want to report on their school or training experiences? I see that OP S/V Reveille reported buying a boat a couple years ago.

One update I’d like to add after 8 years is a recommendation for the Cruisers University offered through the Annapolis Boat Shows. Really great quality, advanced classroom training for liveaboard or long distance cruising.

[kgriffithg]

Originally Posted by JoeRobertJr

Sorry and surprised to hear that. My experience with the MD School of Sailing was exceptional.

Fair enough, and different people have different experiences for sure. But I stand by my warning on the Maryland School of Sailing. I don't think what I experienced was a fluke. I have a series of data points I collected throughout my experience from booking, logistics, to the course itself, to the aftermath. I've posted my full review below. I have posted this, more than a year after I took this course, allowing me time to process what happened and how I felt about it rather than posting this in the heat of the moment after the issues. I noticed that some negative reviews of the school that I saw previously have been scrubbed from the internet. I don't know how that happens, but without question I saw more negative reviews on that school that aren't up any longer. Other than my review on Yelp, every other review is 8 years old and 5 stars. Somehow they are removing the negative feedback. I have mine saved in a google doc and I can (and will) recreate those reviews should they find a way to scrub mine from the internet.

Full review:

Last year my wife and I signed up for an ASA 106 course which was a DelMarVa circumnavigation. My wife had to cancel her participation due to a cancer diagnosis (she is now in full remission). Rita, the office manager, treated this as a serious inconvenience to her, rather than a situation to be empathetic about. In email exchanges, she stated that I "pressured her" on the phone to provide a partial refund, when in fact I NEVER SPOKE TO HER on the phone, because she never answered. She also wasn't terribly responsive on email, but she did eventually respond to things, sometimes weeks after we sent a message. I pushed back on her characterization that I pressured her. She did apologize and write "My apologies on the characterization and use of the word pressured. I do tend to take things personally and this season has been overwhelming." But this is just one indication of how poorly Rita treated us throughout the whole process. Let's just say customer services is NOT this school's strong suit. Rita is the daughter of the owner, Tom Tursi. I mention this only because if I ran the school, I would not tolerate this, but I can see why Tom would. Perhaps Rita is overwhelmed and they need office help. Or perhaps Rita isn't cut out for this kind of work, but the customer service element of the school is about as bad as it can get.

On to the cancellation of the course. While in the middle of a marina, the engine shaft on the boat disengaged. This created a potentially dangerous situation, which was mitigated by the quick action of the crew/students. We ended up tying up to another vessel with fenders out while waiting for repairs. The vessel was repaired, but we lost a day stuck in a marina. Once underway again, we made it out into the Delaware Bay, where the same issue occurred. We needed to be towed in to a harbor in Delaware. I kept asking the captain and other instructor "what is happening next? What is the plan?" They had no answers. This is simply poor leadership. I ended up leaving and deciding that I was done with the course regardless of what they wanted to do. My wife, who just had chemo, drove out to pick me and another student up in Delaware. The fact that I was willing to abandon a $3K course in the middle of it is telling of how I felt at the time.

I understand that things breaking at inopportune times is part of sailing. However, if I were the owner of the school, I would have driven out to where the boat was, addressed the students in person, apologized, provided refunds on the spot, and offered appropriate ground transportation to the students. Not doing so is just poor leadership. Providing strong leadership and decisive action in key scenarios is an important part of being a captain. The fact that this was not done in this scenario makes me question the leadership of the school. The fact that the engine shaft failed twice in three days also makes me question how they maintain their vessels and their choice of vessels in the first place.

Ultimately the refund was provided, but there was no apology or explanation. Overall, the experience was negative from start to finish, from booking, logistics, dealing with my wife's health issues, the course itself, the boat problems, the aftermath, all of it. I suppose the instructors were knowledgeable and nice enough, but that was overshadowed by all of the other problems. The only redeeming quality is that at least they were honorable enough to provide a full refund to everyone except my wife, who could participate due to her cancer diagnosis.

[dannc]

We took ASA classes at Myrtle Beach Sailing School, https://myrtlebeachsailingschool.com...ailing-school/ which we recommend. The school also lets you charter a boat.

Later,
Dan