| Courses | Private School | FAQs | Bookstore | Links | Contact Us |
| ASA Course Decriptions | Schedule | Details | Offshore Passagemaking | Why Choose Blue Water | Charters |
Capt. Ted Wheeler
The most important part of any sailing school is the staff. We feel very fortunate to have some of the finest instructors in Southeast Florida. Chief among equals is Capt.Ted Wheeler, Lead Instructor for Blue Water Sailing School. Ted started sailing more than 30 years ago. A professionally trained classical musician and educator, Ted's previous life included stints in the US Air Force, a Bachelors and Masters in Music, a career as a music educator, orchestra and choir conductor. Ted fell in love with sailing in his early 30s. He purhased a Pearson 26 almost immediately after his first sailing experience. Soon outgrowing the Pearson, Ted bought one of the first Cabo Rico 38 sloops brought into the United States. He and his wife cruised the Bahamas, Florida Keys and both Florida coasts on his three to four month breaks from teaching. It was not long before Ted began sailing professionally, working part-time as an instructor for the International School of Sailing in Ft Lauderdale. Being a professional educator as well as a professional sailor, Ted quickly ascended to Head of Instructional Programs. After ISS went out of business in 1989 Ted started working for Blue Water Sailing School as Lead Instructor. Around this time Ted gave up the world of steady employment to sail and teach fulltime. Ted is certified by the American Sailing Association to teach all levels of the ASA program, including being one of the few instructors in the US certified to teach ASA 108 - Offshore Passagemaking. During his career Ted has made more than a dozen trips to or from the Caribbean, the US Gulf Coast, the Chesapeake and New York, three trips to Bermuda, one Transatlantic and over 200 weeks to the Florida Keys and Bahamas. Ted has been named Outstanding Instructor by the ASA, based on surveys of students, four times in his career. |