Seeking Sailing Instructor Recommendations in Florida

[Midwesterner]

I don't know of very many places that offer sailing instruction without certified instructors. You might find a friend who would teach you to sail. If someone bothers to learn sailing, and set up a sailing school, they usually get certified to provide ASA instruction.

I have chartered from a sailing school in Key Largo Florida called Key Lime Sailing Club. To give instruction, and offer chargers. They have a fleet of Catalina 22s, which are great. They also have Cottages available for rent and package deals for lodging, sailing instruction, and use of a boat.

Key Lime Sailing Club

www.keylimesailingclub.com

[dannc]

Not in Florida but https://myrtlebeachsailingschool.com...idual-courses/ for classes in SC with reasonable prices.

If the boat is available, sleeping on one of their boats is an option to lower one's expenses.

Later,
Dan

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by Midwesterner

I don't know of very many places that offer sailing instruction without certified instructors. You might find a friend who would teach you to sail. If someone bothers to learn sailing, and set up a sailing school, they usually get certified to provide ASA instruction.

I have chartered from a sailing school in Key Largo Florida called Key Lime Sailing Club. To give instruction, and offer chargers. They have a fleet of Catalina 22s, which are great. They also have Cottages available for rent and package deals for lodging, sailing instruction, and use of a boat.

Key Lime Sailing Club

www.keylimesailingclub.com

Fellow Midwesterner! No offense meant because I appreciate your response, but this looks more like a sailing vacation rather than the inexpensive lessons I'm asking for. When a company doesn't put prices on their website it's almost always because they're expensive. And just philosophically, if they can't be bothered to list the prices I can't be bothered to ask for them. I broke that rule for Colgate because several people recommended them (or they recommended themselves) and was reminded why I follow it, because they cost as much as a small boat.

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by dannc

Not in Florida but https://myrtlebeachsailingschool.com...idual-courses/ for classes in SC with reasonable prices.

If the boat is available, sleeping on one of their boats is an option to lower one's expenses.

Later,
Dan

This is great Dan, exactly what I'm looking for. $400 per 5-hour block of private instruction. When coupled with online theory courses, a couple of these would probably leave me feeling confident. Thank you!

[laila23]

Originally Posted by Lance Monotone

I would like to make my way to Florida from the frozen hell that is NY sometime in February or March to take sailing lessons.

Hi Lance,
I'd like to kindly ask your current sailing experience please.

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by laila23

Hi Lance,
I'd like to kindly ask your current sailing experience please.

Hi Laila, I have absolutely zero experience at this point, aside from online lessons of varying quality (seminars, classes, helpful tips, etc). I have yet to set foot on a sailboat.

[laila23]

Originally Posted by Lance Monotone

Hi Laila, I have absolutely zero experience at this point, aside from online lessons of varying quality (seminars, classes, helpful tips, etc). I have yet to set foot on a sailboat.

I'm originally from KC too. I'm not missing that town at all; people started to be shot in the streets with no reason in day light when I left there. First thing first, remember you got out of the wild west in one piece; storms in bluewaters shall be piece of cake for you!?

I'd strongly recommend you to buy a dinghy sailboat and sail it everyday. Used ones are dirt cheap, and you can get rid of it without any financial loss when you are done with it. Most come with trailers, and any car will be powerful enough to pull them; they are light. Or some other arragement could be established that is practical for storing purposes when not sailed.

Not a big fan of these videos, but see what happened to him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELa66tQU3f4

If the story is true, which it very well could be, then this could happen to anybody. Start with small like sailing dingies, and then move up. Give yourself time and take baby steps, still transition will not take long time. I woudn't skip the dinghy step if I were you. You'll save a lot of money in the long run, be a better sailor, and more importantly, have so much 'stress free' fun learning the ropes.

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by laila23

I'm originally from KC too. I'm not missing that town at all; people started to be shot in the streets with no reason in day light when I left there. First thing first, remember you got out of the wild west in one piece; storms in bluewaters shall be piece of cake for you!?

I'd strongly recommend you to buy a dinghy sailboat and sail it everyday. Used ones are dirt cheap, and you can get rid of it without any financial loss when you are done with it. Most come with trailers, and any car will be powerful enough to pull them; they are light. Or some other arragement could be established that is practical for storing purposes when not sailed.

I tell people Kansas City is a nice place to be from. I love its history and art and music, but I will never go back to Missouri. Too many guns, too much religion, too much racism and too many pissed-off people who think I'm their mortal enemy because I believe in such evils as universal healthcare and protecting the planet. I'm safer in New York, even if I can't stand the weather. I'm hoping to be living on a boat in the Caribbean this time next year.

The dinghy idea is a very good one, I hadn't even considered it, thank you. I can't do much in upstate NY until the thaw, but there is a lot of water here and I have a car, so a dinghy would be an easy thing to do between taking a sailing course and finding my boat.

I can't watch that video because of spoilers haha. I just started watching his channel. He's living the life I want!

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by laila23

I woudn't skip the dinghy step if I were you. You'll save a lot of money in the long run, be a better sailor, and more importantly, have so much 'stress free' fun learning the ropes.

At the risk of diluting my thread (although I have a lot of great leads now, so perhaps it's okay), what are some decent sailing dinghies I should check out?

[laila23]

Originally Posted by Lance Monotone

what are some decent sailing dinghies I should check out?

Is it called KC, MO, or KC, Misery?!
A few links...
https://www.lifeofsailing.com/post/t...-for-beginners
https://www.laserperformance.us/
https://youtu.be/vH9gqDUaBQ0
https://youtu.be/Cg1EwlQpH5o
https://youtu.be/aDmTXC6cJW4
https://youtu.be/Xb5R__1VYmQ
https://youtu.be/0XMnSh_bVsE

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by laila23

Is it called KC, MO, or KC, Misery?!
A few links...
https://www.lifeofsailing.com/post/t...-for-beginners
https://www.laserperformance.us/
https://youtu.be/vH9gqDUaBQ0
https://youtu.be/Cg1EwlQpH5o
https://youtu.be/aDmTXC6cJW4
https://youtu.be/Xb5R__1VYmQ
https://youtu.be/0XMnSh_bVsE

Wow, thanks for these. I found a Chrysler Dagger 14 with a trailer nearby. Looks pretty cool.

[Midwesterner]

Originally Posted by Lance Monotone

Fellow Midwesterner! No offense meant because I appreciate your response, but this looks more like a sailing vacation rather than the inexpensive lessons I'm asking for. When a company doesn't put prices on their website it's almost always because they're expensive. And just philosophically, if they can't be bothered to list the prices I can't be bothered to ask for them. I broke that rule for Colgate because several people recommended them (or they recommended themselves) and was reminded why I follow it, because they cost as much as a small boat.

KeyLimeSailing is a full service sailing school. They happen to have cabins for people to rent as either part of a vacation package, or for people who come down for a three day course, to have a place to stay.

One reason some schools don't post their prices, is that they offer discounted prices if you join a group class. Any price they might post would be their "rich person individual lesson" base price. That's the price for the people who call and say, "I'm not worried about the cost. I don't want to be in a class with common people. I want a private instructor all to myself".

They want you to call them to discuss whether you want your own group instruction for your family of five, or for you and four of your college buddies,
or if you want to join one of their scheduled classes, with three other people. Each situation has a different price, with some discounts.

At KeyLimeSailing, they have a base rate for single person instruction of $2613. That includes ASA 101, 103, & 104. That includes the classes, the book, the fee for registry with ASA and your certification card, and all rental fees for the boat, fuel and supplies. The places that list cheaper prices on their website, are often listing a "come on" price that may charge extra for the book, and boat rental costs.

That price is for their combined Cruiser Package, that will give you an ASA certificate that will be accepted in most places around the world, allowing you to drop in and charter a 30-50 foot boat to go sailing, skippering the boat yourself.

I took mine in Vancouver Canada, and the class and boat charter were priced out separately. But I received a Bareboat Skipper's certificate that I have since used to charter a Catalina 30 and a 22 in the Florida Keys, and an Endeavor 32, and a Catalina 34 out of Oriental North Carolina. If you wanted, with that certificate, you can drop down to the Virgin Islands and charter your ow boat.

These courses, the certification, and the five charters are how I prepared for buying my own boat.

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by Midwesterner

KeyLimeSailing is a full service sailing school. They happen to have cabins for people to rent as either part of a vacation package, or for people who come down for a three day course, to have a place to stay.

One reason some schools don't post their prices, is that they offer discounted prices if you join a group class. Any price they might post would be their "rich person individual lesson" base price. That's the price for the people who call and say, "I'm not worried about the cost. I don't want to be in a class with common people. I want a private instructor all to myself".

They want you to call them to discuss whether you want your own group instruction for your family of five, or for you and four of your college buddies,
or if you want to join one of their scheduled classes, with three other people. Each situation has a different price, with some discounts.

At KeyLimeSailing, they have a base rate for single person instruction of $2613. That includes ASA 101, 103, & 104. That includes the classes, the book, the fee for registry with ASA and your certification card, and all rental fees for the boat, fuel and supplies. The places that list cheaper prices on their website, are often listing a "come on" price that may charge extra for the book, and boat rental costs.

That price is for their combined Cruiser Package, that will give you an ASA certificate that will be accepted in most places around the world, allowing you to drop in and charter a 30-50 foot boat to go sailing, skippering the boat yourself.

I took mine in Vancouver Canada, and the class and boat charter were priced out separately. But I received a Bareboat Skipper's certificate that I have since used to charter a Catalina 30 and a 22 in the Florida Keys, and an Endeavor 32, and a Catalina 34 out of Oriental North Carolina. If you wanted, with that certificate, you can drop down to the Virgin Islands and charter your ow boat.

These courses, the certification, and the five charters are how I prepared for buying my own boat.

Thank you for clarifying that. That does make sense and I admire how seriously you took your education and preparation for your boat!

[John_Trusty]

First, welcome and good luck Lance. You've gotten some good advice here, and some references. As others detailed, I fully support the ASA program as a good standardized set of courses and instruction quality. Many have said (particularly those completing the RYA series) that it is not sufficiently rigorous to prepare the student sailor for handling all the conditions that one can experience on a boat, and I agree but it is a good start and allows people to gain theoretical knowledge focusing on safety and preparation. Without standards, it's difficult to know who you should hire to teach you if you don't know anyone or much about the subject.

One aspect of ASA courses that I've seen people make mistakes about is taking three courses in a week vacation time. It's just too much information to absorb that quickly, and you need practice between times.

[Lance Monotone]

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

First, welcome and good luck Lance. You've gotten some good advice here, and some references. As others detailed, I fully support the ASA program as a good standardized set of courses and instruction quality. Many have said (particularly those completing the RYA series) that it is not sufficiently rigorous to prepare the student sailor for handling all the conditions that one can experience on a boat, and I agree but it is a good start and allows people to gain theoretical knowledge focusing on safety and preparation. Without standards, it's difficult to know who you should hire to teach you if you don't know anyone or much about the subject.

One aspect of ASA courses that I've seen people make mistakes about is taking three courses in a week vacation time. It's just too much information to absorb that quickly, and you need practice between times.

Thanks John, that's good advice.