Taking lessons while on vacation
Why not take sailing lessons during your vacation to an exotic (and warm)
waterfront location? Such vacations are a great way to find the time in your
busy schedule to get out on the water and figure out which way the wind is
blowing. You can use the same sources we mention earlier in this chapter in
“Exploring your options” to find sailing schools at your vacation destination.
Our favorite sailing school in paradise is the Bitter End Yacht Club (www.beyc.
com), a resort in the British Virgin Islands with a large and well-maintained
fleet of boats and well-qualified sailing instructors ready to teach you how to
sail everything from sailboards to dinghies, multihulls to keelboats.
Thousands and thousands of more experienced sailors take sailing vacations
by chartering (renting) boats. We cover that sort of ultimate vacation in
Chapter 17. Many sailboat charter companies offer a more advanced course
designed to introduce an intermediate sailor to the joys of bareboat charter-
ing (chartering a boat “bare” means without hiring a skipper or crew), and
some have programs for beginning sailing courses as well.
Looking outside the United States
Some countries have a national authority like ASA or US Sailing that promotes a
standardized educational system. The International Sailing Federation (www.
isaf.org) provides a list of countries with national entry-level sailing pro-
grams. National sailing organizations should be able to provide you with a list
of accredited schools. You can also find a list of schools at the International
Sailing School Association (www.sailingschool.org). Otherwise, you can
always ask for recommendations from local sailors or marine businesses.
Interviewing a potential school
If you decide to go to a school, you need to pick the right one for you.
Besides asking the obvious question about how much it costs, you want to
find out as much about the prospective school as possible. This short section
provides you with some factors to consider about different sailing schools
during your selection process:
Curriculum:Does the introductory course offer certification to a
national standard? Don’t settle for an answer like, “Our program is better
than ASA or US Sailing certification,” unless you have some inside info
on the program. Just because a school doesn’t offer certification doesn’t
mean that its course is deficient; the course may be great, but if it doesn’t
comply with some standard other than its own, how do you know?
31
Chapter 2: Knowing Where You Can Learn: Classes and Sailing Schools
06_791431 ch02.qxp 4/28/06 7:29 PM Page 31
