Hi Marc,

I would like to thank you and your skippers Jeff, Steve, Frank, and Joe for the fine job they did in teaching my family to sail. It was marvelous family experience, and my 14 year old daughter in particular showed a natural touch at the helm.

During the 4 weekends of lessons we saw some amazing wildlife in Monterey bay: a mother and infant harbor porpoise (They were tiny, and seemed to be following us for a good part of the day), a mother and infant sea otters, and the water exploding with anchovies trying to escape harbor seals.

Each of the skippers were excellent, knowledgeable, good teachers, and very colorful characters too! It was unforgettable meeting them. They had decades of ocean experience, and the lessons were interspersed with marvelous tales of sea lore and wisdom.

There were times when I didn't know if we would really learn to do this, but your instructors showed great patience, and by the last day we were anchoring for lunch by sail alone! Later, when the breeze really picked up, we were ready. With the wind over 25 miles an hour, the main double reefed, and the waves about 6 feet high, we were calmly manning the helm and zigzagging through the waves, taking them on the rear quarter and surfing down the front. We were really sailing!

This is only the beginning of our sailing adventures, and they couldn't have had a better start.

James Miyake

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I just wanted to say thank you to you and the rest of the Pacific Sail Team. The eight day course provided me with everything I could have hoped for. The perfect mix of instruction, vacation, and excitement to make me want to get out there sailing again as soon as possible. Will you pass on a "hello, and thanks" to Joe, Barry, and Craig who were all more than wonderful.
I am trying to plan a weekend to head back to Santa Cruz, and charter for an afternoon sail.
Again I just want to say thank you. I shopped around quite a bit before deciding to go with Pacific Sail, and I could not be more pleased with my decision.

Thank You.

Jim Curran

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Everything you told me over the phone is true or better! I thank you for giving me such a real welcome in your harbor, for "giving" excellent, capable, and patient instructors, and most of all providing me with such a relaxed feeling in this country where the palm tree meets the pine! Most importantly: I learned so much about safety and caution that it will not only help me on board a boat, but in everything in my life. Thank you and your staff again.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the outstanding program you offer to sailors. I found it to be very beneficial and enjoyed the time I spent with your staff. As leaders in the marine industry, we appreciate you offering this service to the sailing community and I will recommend this program to all West Marine associates.

With Kind Regards,

Special kudos go to your instructors for their adroitness in teaching and their abilities to explain the whys, as well as the hows, of sailing. I especially appreciate their emphasis on anticipation and preparation. We highly recommend Pacific Yachting and Sailing to potential sailors or to current sailors wishing to increase their skill levels.

We look forward to lots of fun on Monterey Bay and beyond.

Sincerely,

Neither Craig nor I can stop talking about how great the eight-day course was. Both Joe and Barry were perfect teachers. We loved learning from each of them and are amazed at how easily they transferred their sailing skills to us apprentice wannabes. Learning the points-of-sail was fun and I was sure it was going to be impossible to learn. But both Barry and Joe made sure we understood the fundamentals by posing questions and having us demonstrate through sailing. The result is that we have learned a new skill, a new mode of transportation, and have greater self confidence. And you should end up with a couple of new clients who'll charter a boat from you every now and then. I hope we charter at least once a month.

Of all the things I've ever wanted to do, sailing was the one I didn't think I'd complete. It always seemed too big a hurdle, too expensive, and probably not as prudent as I'd normally like. Neither did I realize how physically and mentally demanding, and rewarding it is to sail. The best part of my sailing experience was found in how quiet our planet became. Without trees, forests, and gardens there just aren't any chirpers nearby. Equally pleasant was the silence of the animals moving within the water. Occasionally we glimpsed otters floating like little logs, sea lions poking their snouts up just long enough to reposition themselves, and we think we even saw a whale. One day soon I'm going to have to write a short story about this adventure because there is so much to capture. I just didn't think that a person could go from no sailing experience to proficiency so quickly. You don't get this idea from reading sailing magazines or talking to people who have always managed to find a boating friend.

Your web site Q & A's that Monterey Bay provides a better learning experience because you actually feel the ocean swells. We had several days of 4 foot swells. Better to experience this phenomena with an instructor than alone. I could go on and on.

Everything that you and your company promised was fulfilled and then some.The feeling of self reliance that we gained is due to your program,
instructors and location. I've witnessed instructors in various fields such
as horsemanship, computing and sailing who lacked patience and the ability to relate to their students.

Tina Schwendemann and Forest Roberts are absolutely tops. They know their skills and were so willing and patient.They taught us both the "how and why" of things and our trust in them was100%!

I also have to give credit to your location. Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay
have to be among the top places for this type of class. How can we truly
learn to sail in real ocean conditions by training in rivers, lakes or flat
water? The whole experience was exhilarating and rewarding.
We heartily recommend Pacific Yachting without reservation.

Best regards,
Jerry Woods

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I had the pleasure of taking the six-day course from Pacific Yachting. The lessons were intense, and involved. The instructors were knowledgeable and dedicated to the task of teaching their students how to sail.

I was particularly impressed with their ability to express thoughts in a calm, concise and meaningful way. Having spent many years listening to lawyers, witnesses and others trying to communicate their ideas, I have acquired a great respect for those individuals who express themselves in simple and understandable terms.

The Pacific Yachting instructors did this in an effective manner, making it an outstanding course.

The instruction we received was great. The instructors were super at introducing me into sailing "officially." The overall instruction was super. I quickly understood what to do and when; boat terminology; handling the boat, handling the sheets; and they were very, very, patient in teaching docking. All instructors were easy going and knowledgeable and very upbeat. Not once did I ever feel intimidated.

Our advanced class with Joseph was wonderful. It had to have been my most enjoyable experience sailing. In addition to Joseph being an incredibly patient instructor, his wealth of sailing and local knowledge was fantastic. The stories and history of landmarks, terminology, anchors, boats, and so on added so much value to our experience. I learned so much this last weekend and felt so good about what I was accomplishing, and Joseph was a large contributor to that feeling. He boosted my confidence and had me sailing into the slip after a whole day at the helm. I feel like I got to do everything in one weekend and it was fantastic. I can't wait to get out there again.

I just wanted to pass on my appreciation of the time and energy given to us by Joseph. Not only did we learn a lot about sailing, but we also had tons of fun doing it.

Thank you again for providing such a quality program.

Best regards,

I took the 8-day-straight, liveaboard class 2 years ago. I had only sailed Lido 14's before then. The class was excellent. The instructors know their stuff and are keenly interested in teaching. I especially liked the sailing on a variety of boats - I think we sailed on 3 different boats. ranging from 27' to 34 feet. I was surprised by how quickly I was at the helm of the boats - right from the start we had to back the boat out of the dock and learn to not hit any other boats.

The great thing about learning to sail in Santa Cruz is that you get to sail in the ocean. In our class we experienced everything from flat seas to white caps and rather large swells - it was great training. It was a nice vacation as well. All the boats were in very good condition, and Marc, the owner of Pacific Yachting & Sailing has recently added more brand-new boats to the fleet that I have rented for day-sailing.

Just last fall I took the 4-day coastal navigation course where we sailed from Half Moon Bay to San Francisco Bay, and back to Santa Cruz. This too was taught by a well seasoned, patient instructor.

I guess the bottom line is that through Pacific Yachting's instruction and rental program, I feel confident enough to rent a boat and take my family out. I continue to rent boats from Marc and look forward to doing it again soon. Marc, is very easy going and honest guy. I highly recommend him and his instructors.

1. You listened to what I said and reacted to it. I did not feel threatened and was therefore willing to listen. I became a "teachable" student.
2. You did not simply show me how to do something. You made sure I did it myself.
3. You made me do something more than once so that I became more familiar with it.
4. You did not use technical sailing terms when I was not ready for them.

Again, I thank you for your lesson.