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.

Els Sweeney

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, Mike Edwards

Executive Vice President, West Marine Products

Grace, Jim, Felix, and I would like to thank you and your staff for the
excellent instruction that we received during our eight day sailing course
(Basic Sailing and Seamanship; Basic and Intermediate Coastal Cruising;
Bareboat Chartering). We found the instructors to be well prepared and
patient, and they were always willing and able to adapt to our individual
needs and skill levels.

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,

Michael Abbett
Aptos, CA 95003

I wanted to Thank You again for a great week! I really appreciated how
welcome everyone made me feel and especially that I was not treated any
"differently" as a female student. I felt all the learning opportunities
were "equal opportunity", which at times, - surprisingly - is hard to find.
This, in addition to the excellent experience and instruction of your staff,
provided me with what I feel is a solid base of knowledge and skill of
sailing fundamentals to build upon. I would (and will!) highly recommend
your program to other novice sailors and/or anyone looking for a beautiful
>setting to enjoy sailing in.
I look forward to future adventures with Pacific Yachting & Sailing. Again,
Thank You!>

Denise Whitson
Riverside, CA.

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.

I just want to thank you and your crew for a wonderful adventure that has only just begun.
Scarlet & Craig, Felton, Ca.

"I had the pleasure of taking the six-day course from PacificYachting. 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."Donald R. Franson
Retired Presiding Justice
California Court of Appeal
Fifth Appellate District
Fresno, California

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,

Dorothy Caldwell

 

"I took the 6-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."

Dale Mcduffe
San Jose, Calif.

"I'd like to thank you for my lesson. I was a reluctant student, but you were a great instructor. I really was relaxed and actually having a good time by the end of the lesson.""As a teacher and department chair, I've done my share of training new teachers. Specifically, I'd like to complement you on the following:"

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."

Martha Hull
Santa Clara, California

Please thank all of your captains for a very worthwhile and educational experience. All of the instructors we sailed with are awesome in their experience, patience and good humor. While all different, each is a very interesting person and we enjoyed their company. Please pass on a very sincere "thank you" from Mary and I."

Victor T. Petty
6831 Eldridge Drive
San Jose, CA 95120

 

"Pat and I would like to thank you. Our trip was enjoyable and learning packed. We attained our goals. Pat and I learned many skills to practice on our boat here in New Mexico. Our experience with boat life was enjoyable. Another trip to Santa Cruz, and Pacific Yachting and Sailing is in our plans."

Gene Tatum
Pat Hester
1916 Madeira Dr. NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico USA 87110

 

"Barbara and I would like to let you know that we had a great time taking the six-day sailing course. All three instructors, Andrew, Keith, and Homer, seemed to have a great amount of sailing knowledge and were very capable instructors. Their styles were relaxed yet structured to give us the most information without being stuffy. We liked having three instructors in that all three had their own styles of handling the boats. It was also nice to have four different sail boats to sail on during the course. This exposed us to different ways a sail boat can be rigged. We appreciate being able to stay on the boat at night for lodging. That really cut the cost of the trip as we are from New Mexico."

 

Dale Miracle
New Mexico USA

"Ginny and I are glad we postponed earlier as it was a perfect weekend for us and matching us up with Sheila was perfect too. She was terrific to sail with. It has been a few years since we had handled a boat so it was a good refresher. Sheila took a lot of time with Ginny and really got her confidence back up. We're only a month away from our charter with The Mooring in the BVI and looking forward to the trip with a lot more enthusiasm and confidence."

Ken Duffield
4128 Buchanan Drive
Fair Oaks, CA 95628

"The quality of instruction I received from Pacific Yachting & Sailing was excellent. In particular I felt fortunate to have had Joseph Rogers as an instructor, he really knows a great deal about sailing. Also, I got the feeling he had a genuine interest in making me a better sailor. I would not hesitate to recommend Pacific Yachting & Sailing to a friend."

Jake Fleck
2 Adams Street
Denver, CO 80206"This year I purchased my first cruising sailboat and skippered its delivery from San Diego to Santa Cruz. The past experiences and confidence gained from Pacific Yachting & Sailing were invaluable to making it all happen. Thanks."

Doug Grosjean