Just returned from a week of sailing with LTD sailing school in Grenada

[Nahbrown]

Last week my wife, son(17) and I attended a sailing course put on by LTD sailing school in Grenada. First let me say that if you're looking to learn how to sail going for a week on a 44 foot catamaran is a great way to go. None of us had any sailing experience and our instructor definitely took a crawl -walk -run approach. We were expected to have studied all of sailing 101 prior to arriving so that we at least understood the basics. The nice thing about living on the boat while learning was that we were engaged in learning from 8 AM to 5 PM every day. Having seven days on the boat give us plenty of time to practice tacking, jibing, Man overboard drills, anchoring, learning the systems of the boat, plotting, triangulation, dead reckoning, and of course Learning how to use a two engine system to navigate crowded anchorages and docking.

The cost was substantial but oh so worth it in the end. Chris from LTD was outstanding with his communication in the weeks leading up to the trip. We had a good idea of what to expect and how to prepare for the week aboard the catamaran. RJ was our sailing instructor but he did a whole lot more to make the trip awesome. After the trip was over you realize that he was up every morning breakfast, making dinner, snorkel guide and a whole lot more. He was very patient with us newbies and made the whole trip fun.

As far as the sailing itinerary....
The first two days were spent on the Leeward side of Grenada Learning all the basics and living on the hook by nightfall. Day three we headed north about 22 miles to Carriacou and anchored in Tyrell bay. Day four we headed north to petite St. Vincent, a private picturesque island. Day five we headed back to Carriacou and anchored at Hillsborogh. Day six we headed back down to the underwater sculptures in Grenada. Day seven ended at the Marina we started from in Grenada.

If you're looking to get your 101, 103, 104, 114 certifications and I highly recommend this course with LTD in Grenada. If you're looking to use the autopilot, at all, then this is not the course for you! RJ talked to us on the first morning and explained that if we just wanted a good vacation that was OK but don't expect to get your certifications by relaxing on the beach or snorkeling every day.

Now we just need to find a way to keep practicing what we learned in San Antonio Texas ha ha Ha. Does anyone in Corpus Christi need a crew?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Good report, nice details.

[SailWhiteStar]

Sound like a great course. Besides airfare what was the cost for the course?

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[Nahbrown]

The website says $2700 for off season. This includes the boat, instruction, provisions (except 2 diners at beach restaurants) and probably even staying on the boat the night before the course starts.

Call Chris and he may give you a deal for booking two students. 206.792.9787 LTDsailing.com

[SailWhiteStar]

Thanks for the info. I guess I could have Google it.


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[Lostgriz]

Well, I joined this forum to answer some questions about getting started and your post and link to their page sure helped.

Thanks!

Matt

[LTDsailing]

That is AWESOME! Thank you for the great review and recommendation. If anyone has any other questions feel free to contact me either through CF, our website or by email (Chris@LTDsailing.com).

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by Nahbrown

Last week my wife, son(17) and I attended a sailing course put on by LTD sailing school in Grenada. First let me say that if you're looking to learn how to sail going for a week on a 44 foot catamaran is a great way to go. None of us had any sailing experience and our instructor definitely took a crawl -walk -run approach. We were expected to have studied all of sailing 101 prior to arriving so that we at least understood the basics. The nice thing about living on the boat while learning was that we were engaged in learning from 8 AM to 5 PM every day. Having seven days on the boat give us plenty of time to practice tacking, jibing, Man overboard drills, anchoring, learning the systems of the boat, plotting, triangulation, dead reckoning, and of course Learning how to use a two engine system to navigate crowded anchorages and docking.

The cost was substantial but oh so worth it in the end. Chris from LTD was outstanding with his communication in the weeks leading up to the trip. We had a good idea of what to expect and how to prepare for the week aboard the catamaran. RJ was our sailing instructor but he did a whole lot more to make the trip awesome. After the trip was over you realize that he was up every morning breakfast, making dinner, snorkel guide and a whole lot more. He was very patient with us newbies and made the whole trip fun.

As far as the sailing itinerary....
The first two days were spent on the Leeward side of Grenada Learning all the basics and living on the hook by nightfall. Day three we headed north about 22 miles to Carriacou and anchored in Tyrell bay. Day four we headed north to petite St. Vincent, a private picturesque island. Day five we headed back to Carriacou and anchored at Hillsborogh. Day six we headed back down to the underwater sculptures in Grenada. Day seven ended at the Marina we started from in Grenada.

If you're looking to get your 101, 103, 104, 114 certifications and I highly recommend this course with LTD in Grenada. If you're looking to use the autopilot, at all, then this is not the course for you! RJ talked to us on the first morning and explained that if we just wanted a good vacation that was OK but don't expect to get your certifications by relaxing on the beach or snorkeling every day.

Now we just need to find a way to keep practicing what we learned in San Antonio Texas ha ha Ha. Does anyone in Corpus Christi need a crew?

I hope I didn't just overlook this, but how many other students were on board? I'd like to find something similar for the two of us; I have experience and she has no training and very little experience, so I told her I'd take the courses as a brush-up and a way to get rid of some bad habits!

Thanks!

[LTDsailing]

LeeV,

We limit our open courses to no more than four students. Private courses are also available if you would prefer. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any other questions about our courses. My email is chris@LTDsailing.com or you can contact me through Cruisers Forum. Our website has a lot more information if you prefer to start there, the website is Caribbean Sailing School and Skippered Yacht Charters | LTD Sailing.

Beam winds,

Chris