Our Cruising Course Fleet
We take great pride in providing the very best cruising boats for our Cruising courses. Unlike many other schools 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 Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising certifications together – ready to set sail on your own beautiful boat or charter gorgeous cruising yachts all over the world.
The Leopard 4
6 - newest addition to our fleet
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 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).
If you are taking the whole boat for your family at our full package price, or as a Private Course for Two, we will provide a chef at no extra charge.
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 flat screen TV/DVD player, plus U-shaped settee and a large dining table with seating for eight 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 Scept
re 43 – balanced, powerful and responsive
It's rare for a sailing school to have a yacht this tricked out, with such joyful sailing qualities and strong construction pedigree. So when the opportunity arose for Offshore Sailing School to add a Sceptre 43 to its fleet, we jumped at the chance.
Dragon's Bane is a true ocean-going yacht. When you learn on a boat of such high calibre, sailing any other monohull of comparable size or even larger is a breeze. She is 43' overall, with 12'8" beam, 6'1" draft and mast 59' above DWL. November through March, she is based at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida; April through October at The Inn at Perry Cabin, our Chesapeake Bay campus on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
In a Cruising World magazine review the author wrote, "True to form, the vessel is solid as a rock and quite beautifully put together above deck and below. In a steady 12 knots of true wind she jogged along to weather at 6 to 7 knots and remained remarkably nimble at the helm for a boat so designed to tackle serious bluewater cruising. On a broad reach she slid home beneath an asymmetrical kite flown off a conventional spinnaker pole that stores vertically on the mast when not in use. The 43 is balanced, powerful and responsive."
For cruising comfort this lovely yacht has two private cabins, a very comfortable salon with convertible table, u-shaped galley for cooking ease in seas or at anchor, electronic and navigation station with comfortable seating, fully equipped head and shower, and a tremendous amount of storage. With an enhanced teak-finished interior and a million little details that make sense, you'll find this yacht elegant and inviting below. Air-conditioning aboard is available when at a dock with shore power.
Since we teach no more than four at a time in our Live Aboard Cruising courses (unless a private family course), we will leave the dock with two couples, two singles or a couple and one single each week. In early November 2009, this blue-hulled beauty sailed from Portsmouth, RI to Charleston, SC and Charleston to Ft. Myers, Florida by two passage-making crews (four students and two instructors on each leg) and they loved it. An unfriendly norther hit the East Coast during that time, kicking up high seas with winds up to 40 knots while they were sailing. Dragon's Bane took it all in stride and so did all those aboard, utilzing the yacht's lee cloths, many hand holds below, a full complement of sails including storm sails and trisail track on the mast. Built to ABYC standards, the Sceptre 43 has terrific stability and is solid as a rock.
The name Dragon's Bane comes from the old English words meaning "Slayer of Dragons" and indeed she did in the Newport to Bermuda Race in 1998, 2000 and 2004. This boat is fully equipped with everything you need for a blue water passage. And that's what makes learning to cruise in a live-aboard setting so exciting when you take your Live Aboard Course at our South Seas Island Resort campus. You'll set sail from Captiva Island out into the Gulf of Mexico, practicing all we cover in this course in daily drills as you cruise along a beautiful barrier island coast. It just doesn't get better than this.
Courses taught on this beautiful Sceptre 43:
The Hunter 49 – the queen of the Hunter fleet
The Hunter 49 is a luxurious passagemaker with a complete range of live aboard accommodations and outstanding entertainment features.
You get to sail on this thoroughbred at our St. Petersburg, Florida campus out of the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.
With an overall length of 49'11", plus a 14' 5" beam and 6'9" of salon headroom, the Hunter 49 is a big boat with an impresive interior.
Driving the Hunter 49 is a lot of fun, with roller furling genoa, in-mast furling mainsail, and a jennaker for off-wind speed. In the large salon below you'll find ample seating to stretch you legs, HD/DVD, spacious galley and navigation station, and three private cabins with private heads. This yacht is equipped with air conditioning, to be used when at a dock connected to shore power.
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 grand Hunter 49s:
The Hunter 45 DS – cruising comfort in a mid-sized yacht
The Hunter 45 DS is a two-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 in-mast furling mainsail, plus 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.
Based at our Ft. Myers Beach and Captiva Island, Florida campuses, you can take a shore-based Bareboat Cruising Preparation course on this lovely yacht, or opt for a Private LiveAboard Course for Two.
Courses taught on this sleek deck salon Hunter 45:
The Moorings 43.4 – the perfect charter yacht
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 - a sprightly island cruiser
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: