Private Family Courses
Wouldn’t it be great to take the family sailing?
A Private Family learning experience — whether it is a Learn to Sail course or a Cruising Course — is one of the most productive and fun experiences there is. Sailing is a lifetime adventure, with many family options:
- Buy a sailboat and have fun with your family sailing around home
- Get into racing and enjoy the camaraderie of a well-honed crew
- Enjoy family cruising on your own big sail boat or chartering in exotic isles
- Just try a rewarding vacation activity you can all do together
Give the family a lasting and memorable adventure - Go Sailing!
How would you like to have a caring, professional instructor bring you together as a team? Then imagine the thrill of everyone crewing together, getting the boat to move efficiently through the water, steering with big smiles, enjoying companionship, confidence and trust. Our private learning opportunities give families skills and memories that last a lifetime.
Private family courses are designed to bring children, teens and adults together. There must be at least three or four children or teens aboard, ages 7-17. We welcome parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts with up to four offspring; or one parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt with at least one offspring 17 years or older. A maximum of five is recommended for theLearn to Sail or Performance Sailing course on the Colgate 26. Cruising courses take a maximum of six. Whichever course you choose, you’ll sail, learn and live together in a green environment, driving the boat with sail-power. The bonding and sense of accomplishment you’ll feel is truly priceless. The lifestyle you’ll share today, tomorrow and as the years go on – incredible!
"I was very impressed with the knowledge of our instructor. He did a great job teaching our family. He had a great deal of patience for the first-time sailor and did a good job educating us. We were very relaxed and I wasn't as intimidated as I thought I would be from the moment he started working with us. Every family should try this. It's a great activity to do together that can last a lifetime. The knowledge learned can be passed down through generations." Stacey Mrozinski - Marion, IA
Learn to Sail
For the ultimate family vacation, we recommend our five-day program at a fabulous destination resort in Florida or the British Virgin Islands while learning to sail the award-winning Colgate 26 – training boat of choice for the U.S. Naval and Coast Guard Academies. The kids will find it exciting, all of you will feel safe and energized as you work together as a team. With half-day sailing sessions, you can experience all the other activities available at the resort: dolphin adventures, kayaking, shelling, fishing, bicycling, sightseeing, or just lounging by the pool or on the beach. You may also take this course in three days at our resort locations and our New Jersey and New York locations on weekdays and weekends.
Each day is a new adventure, as you learn to sail the Colgate 26 (known as the “family fun boat”), with a caring Offshore Sailing School instructor. At course end you’ll practice without the instructor aboard – the ultimate graduation gift and proof of how much you learned and how much fun sailing is together.
“The Learn to Sail course was a wonderful bonding experience for an ‘elderly aunt’ and three teenaged girls.”
Alexa Allen – Shoreline, WA
If you just want to give your family a taste of sailing, our two-day Learn to Sail getaways allow you to choose any two days you want and sample what it’s like to learn in two four-hour introductory sessions while enjoying other activities at the resort.
Fast Track to Cruising
Combine the Learn to Sail adventure with a cruising course and go from no experience to ready-to-cruise in just one week. This is Fast Track to Cruising® - the fastest and easiest way to get ready for big boat cruising sailing. You’ll start with two days on a Colgate 26, then segue to a 43’ to 51’ cruising boat, either staying ashore the entire time or living aboard for the duration of the cruising course.
Depending on the location you choose, you’ll sail on the perfect catamaran or monohull for charter from The Moorings, or the latest live-aboard cruising design from Hunter Marine or other manufacturers chosen by Offshore Sailing School for performance, living space and comfort aboard. At course end you’ll marvel at all you have learned and enjoy deep respect for each other’s skills and command aboard. Best of all, you can look forward to many years ahead of living the sailing life with endless sailing opportunities to share.
If all of you have basic sailing experience on mid-sized daysailers, you can go direct to one of our cruising courses described below. You’ll need Colgate Day Sailing Certification or US SAILING Basic Keelboat Certification but you may “challenge” these tests for a nominal fee during the course.
Performance Sailing
When you master the basics, you can learn more about go-fast sailing and round-the-buoy racing. Performance Sailing is also taught on the sprightly Colgate 26, which is used for International Match Racing competitions. You may take this course on a three-day or five-day schedule at two Florida resort locations and in New York and New Jersey.
View one of our family cruising courses described at the links below.
THE FAMILY FAST TRACK TO CRUISING COURSE
THE FAMILY LEARN TO SAIL COURSE
THE FAMILY PERFORMANCE SAILING COURSE
THE FAMILY BAREBOAT CRUISING PREPARATION COURSE
THE FAMILY LIVE ABOARD CRUISING COURSE
Click here to get a quote on your Private Family saiing adventure or call 888-454-7015 to talk to a friendly sailing advisor.