Archive for the ‘Performance sailing’ Category

SAILING AND BUSINESS SYNERGIES

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Over many years of sailboat racing and cruising, I have seen how many traits are crucial in both business and sailing. Though I have observed many other examples of sailing traits relating to business, I feel those I have personally experienced or personally seen are the most compelling. My plan is to give examples from sailing for these qualities or attributes, leaving the reader to apply examples from their own business experiences. This will be a weekly blog.

Perseverance

Leadership

Concentration

Observation

Taking risks

Preparation/planning

Humor

Trust

Moral choices

Inventiveness

ESP

Perseverance: On my wall is a plaque that says, “On the morning of July 13, 1963, the yawl Dyna lost her rudder while participating in a Trans-Atlantic race from Newport, R.I. to England. Her location was 980 miles from the Eddystone Light, the finish of the race, and 1110 miles from Southampton, England, her ultimate destination. Through experimentation and continuous close attention to the trim and selection of her sails, Dyna’s crew continued the race unassisted and six days later finished 4th on both elapsed and corrected time among a fleet of 14. During this rudderless period she had one noon to noon run of 180 nautical miles. There is no known record of any sailing vessel having sailed as far or as fast after the loss of its rudder. This unprecedented accomplishment was solely the result of the collective ability, stamina and spirit of Dyna’s unusually capable crew. Each man contributed his full measure to successfully and speedily sail her to port.”

The above results were mainly brought about by perseverance. There was no consideration of quitting the race or calling for a tow, even though Clayton could easily have afforded to hire an ocean-going tugboat. We had to figure out how to sail without a rudder and the next attribute made it happen. Think of a situation in your business where perserverance saved the day.

- Steve Colgate

To be continued…

Posted in Colgate 26 sailboats, Cruising courses, Leadership, Performance sailing, Sailboat Racing, Sailing lessons, Steve and Doris Colgate, Teambuilding, sailing lifestyle | No Comments »

A Southwest Florida Jewel for Offshore Sailing School

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Thirty-five years ago, when Steve and I decided we needed a southern U.S. base we drove the Florida east coast route from Port St. Lucie down to the Keys and up the west coast to Captiva Island – in search of the perfect destination resort. It was quite an eye opener as we visited one location after another – finding beautiful beaches but no harbors where we could keep boats, a great harbor but rinky-dink motels or no housing at all ashore – or a combination that worked but with a low, fixed bridge in the path to open water. 

South Seas Island Resort's pool and fishing pier viewed from Pine Island Sound

Then, running out of time, we came upon South Seas Plantation (now called South Seas Island Resort) on the tip of Captiva Island.  Tired, and feeling like we needed to think twice about Florida, Steve had earlier called the resort and was transferred to the harbor master who said the resort only had 50 rooms and the marina was full. He was a power boater, we found out later, who referred to sailors as “ragmen” (“rag” for sails). But we made one more call on the advice of a beach vendor at the then Marco Island Marriott, and reached the manager of the resort who said “I know who you are, come on up!  We’d love to have you.” Turns out he was at Out Island Inn in the Bahamas when we opened a racing program there in 1971. It is a very small world when it came to hotel managers.

We had dragged our scrapbooks full of articles about Offshore Sailing School all over Florida and didn’t need them at this perfect home for Offshore Sailing School.  The 17 mile drive down Sanibel Island and ont0 Captiva was arched with Australian Pines gently blowing in the breeze. We saw our first Osprey and thought it was a Bald Eagle. Thirty-five years ago, the resort had condos and hotel rooms facing the marina, a small ante bellum style hotel sitting on the bay, and a bunch of little fishing cottages that dated back to lime plantation and fishing camp days.  The historic Kings Crown Room was where we ate our meals, overlooking gas burning tiki torches that cast shadows on majestic coconut palms.

Over the years, the 330 acre resort grew from a couple hundred rooms to over 500 but has maintained its unique village style with two themed

areas and an atmosphere that invites learning, relaxing, exploring and total rejuvenation. Now a Luxury Resorts property, South Seas Island Resort’s ambiance, accommodations and amenities are absolutely top of the line. There are wonderful kids programs, and educational sessions for adults as well, plus fishing, jogging and bicycle paths, kayaking, golf, tennis, a gorgeous pool with private cabanas, broad white sand beaches loaded with shells, spa and fitness facilities and a Nature Center – all right on the property. You never need to use your car, as golf carts and Trek bicycles are available to rent and a trolley travels back and forth on the 2.5 mile Plantation Drive.

Best of all the sailing is terrific; with the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Pine Island Sound to the east. The sunsets overlooking a horizon that stretches all the way to Mexico are spectacular. We’ve even seen the “green flash” there! It’s a beautiful place all year round, and a fantastic fall/winter/spring getaway when snow’s on the ground and the wind is howling through tall buildings and plains up north.

Colgate 26 fleet

Offshore Sailing School fleet at South Seas Island Resort

At this location you can take just about every course Offshore Sailing School has to offer: Learn to Sail, Fast Track to Cruising, Live Aboard Cruising, Bareboat Cruising Preparation, Performance Sailing and our annual Offshore/North U Race Week, plus Coastal Passage Making. It’s a favorite of all who visit, so plan your next vacation now – because our courses fill early and so do the rooms.

As South Seas says on its website – http://www.southseas.com/ - the resort is all about “Family. Nature. Comfort.” Offshore Sailing School is all about giving you the best learning vacation you’ll find.

So I urge you to take a look at this touch of paradise and check out www.offshoresailing.com for more information on a vacation that will set you on a

whole new lifestyle.

Yours truly,

Doris Colgate – a very happy sailor!

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Posted in Captiva Island, Cruising courses, Florida Sailing Instruction, Learn to Sail, Luxury Resorts, Navigation Instruction, Performance Race Week, Performance sailing, Sailboat Racing, Sailing lessons, Sailing vacations, South Seas Island Resort, Steve and Doris Colgate, bareboat cruising, passage making, sailing lifestyle | No Comments »

New Colgate 26 Sailboat is “Best Birthday Present”

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
George and Trudy Allen

George and Trudy Allen

 
This past weekend Colgate 26 hull # 323 was delivered to her new owner George Allen of Jackson, Mississippi, by Offshore Sailing School COO Doug Sparks.  The Jackson Yacht Club on beautiful Barnett Reservoir is Hull # 323’s new home. This is one nice club. Yes, the club building is unique, the view of the lake fantastic, the food is really good, and the docks and facilities are in pretty good shape. All important attributes of a first rate yacht club no-doubt. However, what makes this club so nice is that it is the home club for some of the nicest and friendliest sailors I have ever met. They redefine the meaning of “Southern Hospitality” and take it to another level.
 
Trudy Allen, George’s wife, surprised him with what George called, “the darn best birthday present a man could ever have,” with a huge grin on his face when he saw “The Breeze” for the first time at the club. The Allen’s have a great friend named Ken Allen (no relation, but George swears that somewhere along the line they must be related because Ken is such a nice guy and so is George), who does most of the rigging for the fleet at the yacht club. Ken was a psychologist in his pre-sailboat life with a very successful practice and he gave it up to do what he does best, mess around with boats. Needless to say I learned a lot from Ken about the club, about boats, and about the love of sailing that is shared by many in this part of the country. According to Ken this C26 is only the second “new” boat on the lake in a very long time.

 Back to Trudy and George. The boat was rigged, sails bent on her and off we go for her maiden voyage on Barnett Reservoir. A very light SE breeze, 6 adults onboard and “The Breeze” sailed like a dream.  

George Allen's New Colgate 26

"The Breeze" on Barnett Reservoir

 “We looked at a lot of different boats over the last few years. We knew what we wanted and what we did not want. We found everything we wanted in the C26,” says Trudy. George is very happy with his new boat. ” The boat has a great feel, the cockpit is great, lots of room for us no matter what we do, go racing the boat or just out with the grand kids. It is very solid and safe, easy to maintain and will be lots of fun for us. I wanted a new boat so I would always know how every single ding, dent or scratch came to be.”Trudy is just as excited about their new Colgate 26. Both Trudy and George have done lots of sailing over the years. They had a new Hunter on the lake at one time named “Some Assembly Required.” George will tell you that Trudy’s nickname is NPR, Never Pay Retail. She became a Hunter small boat dealer several years ago and when they went and picked up the first Hunter for the dealership they realized they had to rig the boat – Some Assembly Required. 

So, Hull #323, now fondly called “The Breeze”, is laying in her custom slip courtesy of the many talents of Boat Psychologist Ken Allen at the Jackson Yacht Club on Barnett Reservoir. Did I mention that some of the nicest people in the world sail here? Thanks for your business Trudy and George - enjoy many happy days on your new C26! 

If you’d like to learn how to sail on a Colgate 26 check out Learn to Sail  and  Performance Sailing and Racing Courses at Offshore Sailing School – www.offshoresailing.com.  

For more information on The Colgate 26 please go to www.colgate26.com or call Steve Colgate @ 866-842-4355. 

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Posted in Colgate 26 sailboats, Learn to Sail, Performance Race Week, Performance sailing, Sailboat Racing, Sailing lessons, sailing lifestyle | No Comments »

Performance Race Week April 2010

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Last week was the April 2010 Performance Race Week event at our Captiva Island Location. This one of a kind competition drew racers from all over the country and even from Canada. Below is a blog post from the Triumph C&C 115 crew of Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) that participated in this spring’s event.

Performance Race Week

by triumphcnc115
Colgate 26 Fleet, South Seas Island Resort
The Colgate 26 fleet, Captiva Island, FL

Arrived in southwest Florida on Saturday evening to attend the Colgate Offshore Sailing School, Performance Race Week here on Captiva Island off Ft. Myer’s. We’ve had 2 days on the water now, beginning Monday. The Colgate 26′s are similar to J24′s but with a longer cockpit and an open transom. The weather has been pretty good so far with conditions improving greatly from the torrential rain on the weekend. Mornings have tended to be pretty light air.

Bill Gladstone, North Sails, Spinnaker Trim
Bill explains the right way to gybe the pole.

The day is split in two by a Trim & Tactics Seminar series with Bill Gladstone of North Sails. The afternoons on the water have had much more lively breeze. The first 2 days have been on basic techniques of tacking & gybing, spinnaker sets & douses and mark roundings with an emphasis on repetition. At the rate we’re going we’ll have completed a seasons worth of maneuvers by the end of the week. Tomorrow should be the beginnings of starting line techniques.

You can read the Triumph C&C 115 blog here.

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Posted in Captiva Island, Performance Race Week, Performance sailing | No Comments »

Colgate 26 #320 going to North Idaho College for Sailing Instruction

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

I’m so pleased that the 320th Colgate 26 sailing instruction boat hull to come off the line is moving across the country to Idaho.  Jon Totten, the college’s Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator, just sent me some of the reasons they chose the Colgate 26 for sailing instruction so I thought I’d share them with our followers. Here’s what he wrote:

Colgate 26 for sailing instruction will be sailed at North Idaho College

New Colgate 26 heads to North Idaho College

“North Idaho College (NIC) is a community college located in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.  We have approximately 5000 students studying everything from nursing to auto mechanics. The Outdoor Pursuits program (www.nic.edu/op) , which has included a sailing element since its inception, has been getting students on the lake and in the surrounding mountains for over 30 years.

Our sailing program has evolved significantly over that time. The addition of the Colgate 26 is the final step toward our goal of owning all of the boats used for the program.  As you can imagine, this will eliminate many headaches. Last season we had over 100 sailing students in our program.  Due to the fact that we only had Hobies to teach on, our offering was limited to basic sailing only.  The addition of the Colgate 26 will allow us to offer advanced courses such as racing, cruising, advanced sail trim and more.

The Colgate 26 will be sailed primarily on Coeur d’ Alene Lake.  NIC has a mile and a half of lake front, which is where our summer program resides. Wind speeds range from 5–15 knots most days.  The lake’s a bit tricky due to the surrounding mountains’ influence on the breeze.  Our season begins in April/May and ends in October/November depending on the year.  We also plan to put a student race team together and campaign the boat regionally.  Regattas on nearby Lake Pend Oreille (Sandpoint, Idaho) and Flathead Lake (NW Montana) will be first on the list.  Eventually I’d like to race the boat at Whidbey Island Race Week in Washington’s Puget Sound.

We chose the Colgate 26 mainly due to the fact that is was designed specifically for instruction.  I’ve taught on a lot of different boats in a lot of different conditions.  The only challenge that’s consistent is the boat itself.  I was able to sail aboard a fellow instructor’s Colgate 26 in Bellingham, WA while I was working for San Juan Sailing.  I was immediately impressed with the function and form of the boat.  I’m confident that it will be a perfect fit for our program.

Colgate 26 is great boat for racing and sail training

Colgate 26 used by many schools and service institutions, including Offshore Sailing School and U.S. Naval Academy

This boat will be an excellent addition to our program and community.  The excitement is mounting on campus as we have announced the purchase and we will be holding a student writing competition to decide on a name.  Very cool.”

I (Steve Colgate) designed the Colgate 26 primarily for my 46 year old company, Offshore Sailing School back in 1996. It debuted at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD that fall and won the coveted Cruising World magazine Boat of the Year Award in the Pocket Cruiser Division in 1997. The U.S. Naval Academy chose it as their training boat that year (they now have a fleet of 30) and other academies have followed suit, including the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Maine Maritime Academy. A lot of our boats (see www.Colgate26.com) are now day sailing and racing around the country in local fleets, owned by individuals. There’s even a sailing club in Qatar with 10 Colgate 26s going strong.

It warms my heart to see the 320th hull roll off the line, and have it go to a college with such dedicated goals. We wish Jon and North Idaho College all the best for their sailing program.

Steve Colgate
Chairman and Founder
Offshore Sailing School

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Posted in Colgate 26 sailboats, Learn to Sail, North Idaho College, Performance sailing, Sail trim, Sailboat Racing | No Comments »

Have You Seen Our New Sailing Magazine Ads?

Monday, February 15th, 2010
Take a look at a March copy of Cruising World or Sail magazine.  They are both celebrating big milestones like we are. SAIL is now 40 years old and Cruising World is over 30 (need to look up the exact year); we are in our 46th year. Both magazines have been bought and sold many times over their tenures, but remain two of the most reliable and important books out there when it comes to sailing.

I found out about sailing by taking a job at Yachting magazine on 44th between 5th and 6th in New York City.  My first day in the office my boss (Bob Bavier, ad director and winner of the 1964 America’s Cup) dictated a letter full of sailing terms with a pipe in his mouth. Does anyone reading this blog remember Dictaphones? All kinds of new words and thoughts reached my brain that day, and I couldn’t wait to learn how to sail. When I asked where to go to learn, everyone said there’s only one school: Steve Colgate’s sailing school.  And so the saga began.

Offshore Sailing School is proud of our 46 continuous year of teaching sailing under the same name and with the same owners/management team but even more proud of the more than 115,000 individuals who are now graduates of at least one of our courses: Learn to Sail, Fast Track to Cruising®, Bareboat Cruising Preparation, Live Aboard Cruising, Coastal and Offshore Passage Making, Performance Sailing and Racing, Coastal or Celestial Navigation, a Sailing Lesson or short introductory Learn to Sail course, or perhaps a refresher course.

If you are one of our grads but are not in this new ad, we would LOVE to add you to our next series.  I have thousands of testimonials written by grads, but not a lot of photos to go with them. With today’s technology I KNOW you are taking pictures of each other during our courses.

To get into the ad we need pretty good resolution, but we can also post you on our blog here and upcoming MY OFFSHORE section on www.offshoresailing.com. Send us what you’ve got – sailing and having a lot of fun doing it, during one of our courses, on a charter or your own or a friend’s boat after taking our course. We’d love to see it.

Happy sailing!

Doris Colgate, CEO and President

Live Aboard Cruising in the British Virgin Islands | Offshore Sailing School Blog

Larry Lohmann too Live Aboard Cruising in the British Virgin Islands with his wife in 2009

Fast Track to Cruising grads | Offshore Sailing Blog

Fast Track to Cruising grads – The McCallians – father and son

Fast Track To Cruising in the British Virgin Islands and Florida | Offshore Sailing School Blog

Jessie took Fast Track To Cruising in the British Virgin Islands and came to Florida to help us with our DVD several years later

The Forlinis

The Forlinis took Fast Track to Cruising and then set sail around the world with their two sons

The Nugents

The Nugents took Learn to Sail and Bareboat Cruising Preparation at The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, MD

Melinda Long

Melinda Long has taken just about every course we offer - says sailing is her favorite getaway

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Posted in Caribbean sailing, Cruising courses, Learn to Sail, Performance sailing, Sailing lessons, The Inn at Perry Cabin, The Moorings, bareboat cruising, passage making, sailing lifestyle | 1 Comment »

See Colgate 26 at Chicago Strictly Sail Show

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Colgate 26 hull #319 has been bought by Richard Tamplin and you can see this wonderful sailboat at the Chicago sailbot show, January 28 – 31, before we deliver it to Richard in Alexandria, Virginia. I will be at the show on Saturday, January 30th to answer any questions about purchasing a Colgate 26 for family fun, racing, single-handing and just “messing about in boats.”

This is the boat Offshore Sailing School uses for Learn to Sail, Performance and racing courses. Come on down to Florida this winter and give it a try.

Steve Colgate

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Posted in Colgate 26 sailboats, Learn to Sail, Performance sailing, Sailboat Racing, Sailing lessons | 1 Comment »

Women Win First Annual Regatta for Great Cause

Monday, December 7th, 2009

A wonderful thing happened here in southwest Florida this past weekend. The first annual St. Charles Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup was held, with racing on a fleet of Colgate 26s donated by Offshore Sailing School. As a member of this club, who relaxes every Wednesday there after working all day, I want to boast about two highlights:

St._Charlie's_Angels_accepting_the_trophy_12-5-2009[1]

St. Charlie's Angels: Ella MacDowell, Liz Byck, Lois Hogerheide, Mary Wright frame Steve Colgate holding the trophy.

(1) The three-race regatta was won by four women, who called their team St. Charlie’s Angels. They are more than angels in my mind; they are a great example of the “highs” and personal satisfaction we women get from sailing and sharing it with others.

(2) The yacht club’s support and dedication to supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raised over $21,000 for LLS through this now annual event.

The whole idea started to gel when, a year ago, Commodore Wright and other club members donated spectator and support boats and their time for The Leukemia Cup Regatta year-end Fantasy Sail Weekend to thank top fund raisers. Offshore Sailing School was asked by LLS to provide the boats and staff needed. We gladly jumped in (for the second time in four years). This exposure to sailboat racing started the Commodore thinking about adding a sailing component to club activities here in Ft. Myers, Florida.

A year later, we did it.  Racing off the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa on Ft. Myers Beach, on six Colgate 26s with four St. Charles Yacht Club teams each with an Offshore silent observer aboard, official US SAILING race committee judge and umpires, many meetings, two pre-race events and then the regatta lead up to one of the most exciting nights at the club ever.

I admit to some bias in wanting the women to win this regatta. Ultimately, it was their dedicated and cohesive desire to learn to sail the Colgate 26 and work as a team while having a whole lot of fun that brought the trophy to them I believe. All the crews got out, took lessons, and practiced at our bidding. They are all successful, avid boaters and many had sailed in their past.

Winning_Angels_team_on_port_455[1]

Liz Byck at helm; with Lois Hogerheide, Ella MacDowell, Mary Wright

Everything but the weather went like clock work. Despite a nasty cold front that poured buckets and brought heavy winds Friday through mid-day Saturday, three races were run and there were smiles at the end.  “I can’t wait to go sailing again!!!” said Mary Wright in an email later that day.

The women all said they had a blast and can’t wait to go sailing again!

Doris Colgate, Offshore Sailing School CEO and President

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Offshore Sailing School is raising funds to cure blood diseases

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Over the years we’ve met a lot of people who have been affected by blood diseases. Some are good friends or friends of friends, others are family members and a many are sailors like us. In fact, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is supported by a very active community of sailors which holds Leukemia Cup Regattas around the country each year and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of research and cures for blood diseases. So Offshore Sailing School is jumping into that campaign too; partly because sailing is so dear to our hearts and so many sailors suffer from these diseases, partly because one of our dearest friends (Gary Jobson) is not only the spokesperson for the Leukemia Cup Regattas and a lymphoma survivor, but also because medicine and scientific research has always been a part of my life. We also realize that the research done by this great organization has become extremely useful in many other disciplines. Did you know that chemotherapy was discovered as a treatment first for blood diseases back in the 60s? We are only in the beginning stages of what I hope will be a long and productive association with LLS, starting with four five-day Learn to Sail and Performance Sailing traning sessions at one of our campuses  next January, April and May where $500 of each package sold will go to LLS. You can read more about this program at http://www.offshoresailing.com/special-courses/sailing-for-cures.aspx when you have a chance. We’re excited about this opportunity. Let us know how you are helping this very worthy cause.

Doris Colgate, Offshore Sailing School

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Posted in Learn to Sail, Performance sailing, Sailing lessons, Specials | 1 Comment »

Introducing Youth to Sailing

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

oss-family-250x250Dinghies and small boats are fast, furious and fun, but it’s sailing on large racing /cruising boats that is life-changing. For my first youth sailing experience, I stepped aboard a 72′ yawl in Havana, Cuba at the age of 19 and raced 4200 miles to San Sebastian, Spain. I have never looked back and sailing has been my life in many ways ever since.

Sailing big boats gives you respect for the sea and for the awesome power of the wind and the sea. You learn teamwork and dependence on fellow crew members. You enjoy the ever-changing beauty of nature. You learn that even in your darkest moments (cold, weet and depressed) the sun will be shining tomorrow and everything will be wonderful. It gives you a new perspective on life.

Many youth learn to sail on dinghes, but we try to take youth sailing past that level. In this way perhaps we are “bringing up” our future Russel Coutts, Torban Graels, Ellen MacArthurs and Dennis Connors (all big sailboat racing celebrities) to the multi-faceted world of large boat sailing.

By Steve Colgate, Offshore Sailing School Chairman

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