| There is a sailing school to meet every sailors dreams and desires, from daysailing to racing to bareboat charter training to cruising preparation. The tough part is wading through the many brochures and web sites to find the right school for you. To guide you in that search, please consider the following: (in other words, as many callers ask - WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOUR SCHOOL?)
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| We are exclusively a sailing school - 100% of our efforts are devoted to sailing education and training. Many schools are adjuncts of charter companies, whose primary goal is to drive as many people as possible to their charter fleet.
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| The best training in sailing and cruising available - We were recently ranked by readers of Practical Sailormagazine as one of the best sailing schools in the United States, and we were the highest rated ASA school. We have been rated ASA School of the Year, Southeast Region for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, as we have been twice before. We have had at least one instructor named "ASA Outstanding Instructor" every year since 2000. In 2002, Capt. Ted Wheeler and Capt. Rick Neilson were both named "Outstanding Instructor". This is the fourth year that Capt. Ted has achieved this honor, and the second year in a row for Capt. Rick. For the year 2000, and again in 2005, Capt. Bill Mount was named "Outstanding Instructor". In 2003, 2004 and 2005 Capt. Joe Logan was named "Outstanding Instructor". All instructors are licensed by the United States Coast Guard and certified by the American Sailing Association as instructors after an exhaustive evaluation process.
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| A true "hands-on" cruising experience - We actually go on a week long liveaboard cruise, mooring at a different location every night. Many schools concentrate on day sailing, with lodging in a hotel at night. Other schools offer a "liveaboard" experience, but the boat returns to the same dock each night.
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| A fantastic, tropical sailing area - within easy reach of everyone. Our courses sail from Ft. Lauderdale to the Florida Keys or the Bahamas. We sail year round, in T-shirts and shorts 95% of the time. The area of the Florida Keys we sail to is National and State Park - a true tropical paradise.
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| An appropriate cruising area - We choose the area sailed to by the composition of the students and the course level. Our beginning and intermediate courses will sail to the Florida Keys, our advanced courses cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, while our offshore courses make a passage to Bermuda, further out in the Bahamas or the Caribbean. We do not feel that it is appropriate to throw beginning and bareboat level students into a Gulf Stream crossing.
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| Our prices are inclusive - Our rates include the boat, instructor, provisions, fuel, ice, customs and immigration fees, books, certification fees and sales tax. Check other schools rates carefully - some have you buy books and course material separately, some charge extra for a recognized certification, some make you buy food for yourselves and the instructor, and every other school we have seen adds on sales tax - another 6% in Florida and possibly more in other states.
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| The best choice of schedules - Check our schedule, we offer more courses and more dates than any other school in Florida, and possibly in the United States.
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| The widest range of courses - We are one of the only schools in the United States to offer the entire range of sailing education - from Basic Sailing to Offshore Passagemaking. Our advanced courses cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, and we annually do an Offshore Passage. Each May we do an Offshore Passagemaking class while sailing to Bermuda and back. In 1997 we were the first ASA school to do a Transatlantic Passage. In 2001 we continued our Offshore tradition with trips from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands, and a west bound Transatlantic Passage, crossing from the Canaries to the Caribbean. Other schools teach only the lower levels, and still other schools run offshore courses only in their advertising. We do the trips other schools only dream about.
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| Small class sizes - Our standard one week liveaboard courses will have no more than four students and one instructor. Other schools regularly will have 5 or even 6 students on a 40 foot boat. We feel that four students is the most that can be comfortably accommodated and can have a reasonable chance of learning and practicing.
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| Other options - For couples, families and others who would prefer a boat to themselves we offer Private Instruction. We can customize courses, schedules, boats to almost any requirement.
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| The best value - You may be able to find sailing schools that charge less, you will certainly find many that charge more, but you will not find any that offer more for the money.
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