Sailboat Racing: Offshore/North U. Performance Race Week

Our 13th Year with North U. and Bill Gladstone
April 14-20, 2013 on Captiva Island, Florida was a huge success as usual . And the winners are . . .

Don't get left out! Our Race Weeks fill months in advance.

2014 dates are April 5-12 — book now!

A $200 deposit will hold your spot until 2014 rates are posted. At that time, a 30% deposit is due. 

In this week of superior on-water training, your performance racing skills improve exponentially. With the combination of North U.’s renowned racing seminars, expert guest coaches, Offshore’s top-notch racing instructors, one-design class Colgate 26s and sailing in Florida’s outstanding spring sailing conditions, Performance Race Week is truly a winning experience.

“Performance Race Week was fantastic. What you learn in one week is more valuable than anything you’ll learn in years of sailing.”
Winter Hawley - Manitowoc, WI 

Every year we hear "there's just no more rewarding or meaningful learning vacation than this." Sailboat racing every day all day. Non-stop learning on Offshore Sailing School's award-winning Colgate 26 sport boats. Coaching by the best racing instructors in the U.S. Laughs and camaraderie. A week of living, breathing, dreaming sailboat racing. Reserve your berth soon as each year these weeks fill quickly.

Click here for 2013 per person package rates, discounts and what's included! 

Racing and learning — all day every day

• Maximum time on the water 
• All-day schedule gets the most out of your sailing experience
• The very best coaches, all sailboat racing experts with decades of teaching experience and people skills
• Coaches on board with you during all training sessions, not yelling directions from a chase boat
• North U. curriculum, renowned world-wide, accelerates your sailboat race training experience
• Video reviews to see you and your teammates in action; we focus on your sailing
• The Colgate 26, an ideal training platform – stable, responsive, purpose-designed and the choice of the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Coast Guard Academy among others
• South Seas Island Resort, an incomparable beach resort with terrific sailing conditions on Pine Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico  

Learn more, have more fun, go home and win!

No other program offers this winning combination. Bill Gladstone is the Director of Education for North U., and creator of the North U. Tactics and Trim seminars, books and CDs. He has been teaching sailing and racing since 1973 and raced on everything from dinghies to fifty footers, ponds to oceans, foredeck to helm. Graduates of Bill’s programs are winning sailboat races in fleets worldwide. Bill is with you throughout the week — running seminars each day, video-recaps each evening, tweaking your knowledge to match the skills you get on the race course from Offshore Sailing School's expert racing faculty.  

Perfect racing conditions at South Seas Island Resort
on Captiva Island, Florida

• Great weather
• Super location
• Best time to get ready for racing back home
• Best time to get out of cold winter weather
• Best way to give yourself and your family a fabulous winter vacation
• Truly the best way to get away from it all! 

"Boot camp" in paradise

Well, you came for racing . . . and instruction . . . and fun. And that's what you're going to get! The program starts Sunday evening with a welcome party and orientation where you'll meet your crew mates and coaches. Unless you book a crew of four together, we will assign you to race with others based on a resume we ask you to fill out in advance of your arrival.

Monday morning starts the week: Two race sessions each day with your coach onboard at all times, a midday seminar, and video recaps after the last race session on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Midweek there's a fun beach buffet or informal dinner and Saturday everyone celebrates at the awards dinner with trophies going for the winning crews and fun recognition for all teams.  Anyone traveling with you is invited to attend these two events.

Bring family and friends

South Seas Island Resort is one of the most beautiful destinations in  southwest Florida. 330 acres on fabled Captiva Island, surrounded by the Gulf and Pine Island Sound, with our race course just outside the well-protected yacht harbor. This resort offers a great variety of activities for the whole family, and sunsets beyond belief. 

Learn to Sail and Bareboat Cruising courses are also available during your week, with half-day sailing sessions and time to play. Talk your family or best friends into coming with you to learn to sail or cruise while you race.

At South Seas Isand Resort, many types of accommodations are available including villas and homes. If your party prefers accomodations with two or more bedrooms, kitchens and living areas, we are happy to quote these. Captiva Island is serviced by Regional Southwest International Airport (RSW) in Ft. Myers,  an hour away.

Never raced before? Sailing skills in need of fine tuning?

Fast Track to Performance Racing is the perfect solution to this very solvable dilemma!  You'll enjoy three action-packed days learning on a  Colgate 26 with one of Offshore Sailing School's expert racing coaches. Steering with a velvet touch, crewing with finesse, flying spinnakers to perfection, trimming sails for ultimate speed are all part of this super Performance Sailing course. Then you'll join racing sailors for the piéce de résistance of sail-training: Performance Race Week. You just might have a leg up on everyone else in the week because of three full days sailing and learning on the very same Colgate 26s they are about to board!