My girlfriend and I are looking to find a few people who want to join a sailing instructional course in the
British Virgin Islands. It takes place November 1 through 7 and it's run by Marina Sailing, which is one of the oldest and most respected sailing schools in
California. Basically, you get your
ASA (American Sailing Association) certifications 101 through 104 from an
ASA certified master instructor. 101 is basic sailing, 103 is coastal cruising, and 104 is the bare
boat chartering standard by the ASA. Once you have it, you can basically
charter any bare
boat charter (within limits) anywhere in the world. It also includes
catamaran training (asa 114). I grew up sailing but I want to make sure I've refreshed all my information, heavy
weather training,
safety, etc. so I think this will be a great way to do it. The cost is dependent on how many students we get, but the
current price is around $1895 per person. If we get enough people, it could be less, though airfare is up to you. It would cost near that much anyway to get your certifications here in
California, and of course, this is a week
vacation cruising to several islands and pristine snorkeling/diving spots in the
British Virgin Islands on a gorgeous, new
catamaran. We're looking at a 38 or 40 footer. They also teach
provisioning, etc. so it's more than just sailing, and it should be a blast. The itinerary suggests there will probably be some good ol'
Caribbean partying involved as well. We need three or four more people at least to round out the trip so we can go. If we don't have enough, the
sailing school can't cover the cost of the charter of the boat and send the instructor. Please PM me if you would like to talk about it and I can send you to the Marina Sailing page that explains the trip. It should be a blast.