Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Status Update
Our southwest Florida beaches are open and clean, our waters are pristine, the sand is sugar white and the weather is perfect! Offshore Sailing School is continuing to monitor the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In the meantime, our schools are open, the sailing is great and everyone is having a fine time.
Current Status
- There is no local impact from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
- We and all our southwest Florida resort partners are open for business
- Sailing is great
- There is no imminent danger
- The picture above is what the beaches look like right now
So far, the areas of Florida which are most likely to be impacted are limited to the Panhandle area, specifically the counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay and Gulf. The Gulf loop current runs south along the west coast of Florida to the Florida Straits. If there is oil in the loop it will be well offshore - away from our shores and sailing area. The loop current is located some 90 miles west of our beaches.
Live from the beach on Captiva Island, Florida.
Our "Clean Sailing Guarantee” Policy
We understand the concerns you may have in taking a sailing vacation in Florida right now due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and 24/7 news reports.
To alleviate that concern about taking a course with us on Captiva Island, Ft. Myers Beach or in Tampa Bay, Offshore Sailing School is pleased to announce our “Clean Sailing Guarantee.”
If your Offshore Sailing School vacation is disrupted (please see definition of a “disruption” below) because of direct impacts from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill where you are learning, you are eligible for the following:
If the “disruption” occurs while you are taking one of our courses and you decide to discontinue the course and return home before it is completed, you will receive a pro-rated refund on the remaining days in your course, plus your unused room nights and applicable taxes paid as part of your package; and you may retake the course tuition free within one year at the same location or another. Room charges ashore and boat charges for live aboard courses may vary depending on the time and location you choose.
If you are already enrolled in one of our Florida courses and would like to transfer to another date or location, you may do so now for a limited time without penalty. The new date you choose must be within a year of the date you cancel. Your tuition portion of your package will remain the same, room charges ashore and boat charges for live aboard courses may vary and any increases will be charged.
If you are about to sign up and are wary about starting your course because of a disruption while you are there, up to 72 hours prior to your arrival date you may transfer without penalty to another date and/or location ~ OR ~ we will issue a full refund of all monies paid Offshore Sailing School if a “disruption” does indeed occur during the time you originally chose. If you are transferring to another location, your tuition portion of your package remains the same but accommodation or boat charges may differ depending on the time of year you choose.
A “disruption” occurs when impacts from the oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico require a state or federal agency to actively clean the resort beach where you are staying and sailing, or if a state or federal agency closes that resort beach and immediate sailing area due to public safety concerns related to the oil spill in the Gulf.
This policy will be evaluated as the situation develops. If and when our waters are affected by the spill, making it too unpleasant to vacation in this region, we will certainly be flexible in allowing date changes and transfers to future dates and/or our other locations. Remember, we have seven locations and only three of these are in Florida. Our New York, New Jersey, the British Virgin Islands and Chesapeake locations are great places to learn too!