Our Cruising Course Fleet
We take great pride in providing the very best cruising boats for our Cruising courses. Unlike many other schools who split the cruising course into two levels on small to medium sized cruising boats; we give you the complete Live Aboard or Bareboat Cruising Preparation course in five days on cruising boats over 40 feet in length. This means you not only are able to sail any cruising boat up to 50 feet with confidence when you graduate, you also are living and learning aboard in real comfort. And best of all you get both your Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Cruising certifications in one course – ready to set sail on your own beautiful boat or charter gorgeous cruising yachts all over the world.
The Leopard 46
This glorious big catamaran is berthed at our Ft. Myers Beach campus in Florida, ready for you to step aboard and get the incredible experience of handling a cruising boat of this size.
Three private staterooms include dressing areas and en suite heads with separate shower stalls. Forward in each hull is a private single berth – one for your instructor, the other available to a single student at a reduced price, or a chef (see below).
This is a true bluewater cruiser, with a self-stacking mainsail and integral sail cover, roller-furling genoa, twin 55 hp diesel engines, and electric windlass with handheld remote. This impressive yacht is 46'4" long, with a beam of 24'10" and 4'5" draft. Her mast height is 70'9" with 1593 sq. ft. of sail plus a jennaker, providing excellent sailing performance.
The huge salon features a U-shaped settee and a large dining table with seating for eight (we only take four students per course date however) that converts to a double berth. The galley has all the amenities of home with plenty of counter space and storage. The helmsperson enjoys 360º visibility under shade from a hardtop bimini. A complete electronics package includes a color chart plotter.
If you've got a yen to start cruising big catamarans, and already have small boat experience (up to 30') take our Catamaran Live Aboard Cruising course out of Ft. Myers Beach, Florida and you'll be hooked! If you already have solid big boat cruising knowledge and skills, consider our Catamaran Live Aboard Navigation course for an in-depth coastal navigation education while cruising from port to port and along the barrier island coast of southwest Florida. No sailing experience yet? Our Fast Track to Catamaran Live Aboard Cruising course teaches you the basics of sailboat handling the first two days aboard our award-winning Colgate 26 fleet, then off you go on your Live Aboard training experience on this big, beaurtiful cat. Wow!
Courses taught on this impressive Leopard 46 catamaran:
The Hunter 50
According to SAIL magazine, this luxurious passagemaker
"behaves like a perfect cruising platform" and is "easier to maneuver than many boats a fraction of its size." Its big cockpit features comfortable, angled seatbacks and twin wheels to allow you to steer comfortably with sail trim in mind. The wide side decks allow easy acceses to the foredeck. Below is a spacious well-lit saloon and navigation station, a large galley and many hatches for excellent ventillation. Varnished cherry wood work complements a complete range of live aboard accommodations in four cabins and outstanding entertainment features.
You get to sail on this thoroughbred at our St. Michaels, Maryland campus, learning on the Miles River and Chesapeake Bay. With an overall length of 50', nearly 15' beam and great salon headroom, the Hunter 50 is a big boat with an impressive interior that performs beautifully under sail and power.Driving the Hunter 50 is a lot of fun, with a large mainsail, roller furling genoa and a jennaker for off-wind speed. This yacht is equipped with air conditioning, to be used when at a dock where shore power is available.
Whether you take the Live Aboard Cruising or Bareboat Cruising Preparation course, you'll find this beauty an impressive way to start your chartering or big boat ownership lifestyle.
Courses taught on our impressive Hunter 50:
The Hunter 45 DS
The Hunter 45 DS is a three-cabin yacht with a bright and airy salon. Its oversized deck ports provide lots of natural ight, complementing a rich wood intrerior. Designed for lively performance and a smooth ride, even in choppy seas, its helm station on deck delivers comfort, control and great visibility.
Sail handling is a breeze on this fun cruiser, with roller furling genoa and a jennaker for greater speed off the wind. Easy to sail, the Hunter 45 is the perfect platform for training, whether you plan to sail alone, with just a loved one or friend, or as a family on daysails and short and long trips.
The large galley has plentiful storage areas. In the cozy main salon a huge table and settees port and starboard provide inviting living space. An expanded aft stateroom features a queen-sized berth and private head; the forward guest cabin and private head give you a sense of what it's like to chart your own course someday on your private yacht. the Hunter 46 is equipped with air-conditioning to be used when at a dock connected to shore power.
Available now at our St. Petersburg, Florida location.
Courses taught on this sleek deck salon Hunter 45:
The Moorings 43.4
Our 37 year partnership with The Moorings has allowed us to pick the best charter boats for training in the British Virgin Islands. This beauty features two steering stations in a spacious cockpit equipped with a dodger and bimini, drop leaf table with built-in storage space, stereo speakers, and a full electronics package including a color chartpllotter and autopilot.
Like all our cruising yachts, the Moorings 43.4 has an electric windlass. And for after-sail swimming in the islands, a generous swim platform with shower is a lot of fun. Designed for sailing performance without sacrificing cruising comfort, its full-batten mainsail and roller-furling genoa easily drive this sleek hull in all conditions. Sail control lines are led aft to the cockpit for safety and convenience, and the mainsail has a self-stacking system with lazy jacks.
Below is a luxurious u-shaped saloon with an entertainment center featuring a stereo/CD player with MP3 connection, and a TV/DVD player. The large dining table and separate chart table provide plenty of room to dine and study, with a fore-and-aft galley to port. Four private cabins with plenty of storage and hanging lockers, opening ports and hatches as well as fans make sleeping on the hook a dream. While at a dock, shore-powered air-conditioning provides comfort. Two spacious heads with showers are easily accessed from all four cabins.
With a 43'1" LOL, 13'1" beam and 6'7" draft, this performance yacht gives you a real feel for cruising in one of the most beautiful cruising grounds you'll find.
Courses taught on this perfect Moorings 43.4 cruiser:
The Moorings 4300 Catamaran
This four-cabin yacht features a full-batten, self-stacking mainsail, roller-furling genoa, and twin 40 hp diesel engines. this is a perfect platform for island learning - stable with lots of space on deck and below. Its 43' LOL and 22'9" beam with 1227 square feet of sail make for a great teaching environment if you like to stay "flat."
The cockpit has 360 degree visibility with a double helm seat and hardtop bimini for shade. Large swim platforms, full electronics package, stereo-CD player speakers, large drop leaf table with lots of seating lead to a wide door opening into the luxurious saloon.
Here you'll find cozy v-shaped settees and a large dining table, with an adjacent galley. The four double statemrooms with en suite heads and showers provide comfortable rest after an exciting day of learning and cruising. When at anchor, many opening ports provide cool breezes. When at the dock, shore-powered air-conditioning may be used.
The Moorings base in the British Virgin Islands is where you'll find this fun, fast cruising machine. Come join us!
Courses taught on this Moorings 4300 catamaran cruiser:
Dufour 43 Classic
Our 43’ Dufour Classic – "Oz" – is a timeless design, extremely safe and well-built. It has a large V-berth cabin forward, port and starboard cabins aft and a small cabin aft of the forward cabin on the starboard side with upper and lower berths. If you are planning a family learning vacation, kids will love this cabin.
The main cabin has a table and seating for about eight persons with a flat screen TV for classroom sessions (or movies after your day is done).The mainsail has triple reefs and a roller furling 130% genoa, so it is a comfortable passage maker and designed for short-handed sailing as well, providing great confidence as you learn to take command.It has a brand new Volvo Penta engine, large battery bank and very quiet generator for the two air-conditioning systems aboard. Complete electronics fill out the inventory of features that are ideal for teaching cruising courses.
You will sail this thoroughbred at our Captiva Island, Florida campus.
Courses taught on this classic design: