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When
you enroll in our sailing program you should expect:
- Personalized
attention form professional instructors
- To
learn sailing aboard a large, beautiful and well equipped offshore
heavy displacement ketch
- Excellent
food and accommodations
- Hands-on
sailing experience
- Instruction
using modern electronic navigation equipment
- Instruction
using non-electronic navigation procedures
- High
quality sextants and celestial navigation materials
- A
balanced blend of formal instruction and practical experience
and relaxation.
- Ocean
sailing experience under real ocean conditions
- Quiet anchorages
- Whales,
seals, sea birds, turtles and fish
What to expect from a typical day's instruction:
A
typical day's instruction begins with breakfast at 0700 followed
by a formal class from 0800 to 1130. Ocean Sailing and Navigation
students prepare each day’s run and under supervision navigate
and learn how to sail the vessel to its next anchorage. Celestial
navigation students usually devote the first two days full-time
to celestial navigation objectives, and then participate in the
formal radar, GPS, SSB, electronic charting and weather classes
later in the week with advanced ocean sailing and navigation
students. Celestial sight reduction and running fix techniques
using the sun are continuous throughout the week.
The 8-day Combined Ocean Sailing and Advanced Navigation with Night Passage
course includes one overnight with 3 hour watches. In the Caribbean we pass
offshore at night through the Anegada Passage to the USVI. Our route in Maine for the Combined Night/Offshore Course
remains within the confines of the Witch Rock buoy off Portland, the Cashius
Ledge buoy 100 miles offshore, the Mt. Desert buoy off Bar Harbor, and
the Cape Sable buoy off Nova Scotia.Most
days we are underway to our next port by 1130. Practical sailing
and navigation experience parallels the morning instruction.
Each
day you will assume the very real responsibilities for deck operations,
coastal navigation, celestial navigation, helm, or sailing master.
In effect, students in the class prepare the daily navigation plan,
and sail and navigate the vessel to its days destination. Most
voyages are between 5 - 6 hours duration. Expect to operate in
very real conditions be it light calm, ideal winds, heavy weather,
or fog. Lunch is usually served underway and supper is at the next port.
After mooring the Samana, time is split between instruction, snorkeling, or relaxation.
What to expect from a night anchorage:
We sail and anchor in waters and bays surrounding the USVI and the Spanish Virgin Islands including St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, Culebra, and Vieques.
Anchorages are quiet and sometimes we are the only vessel. Some anchorages can only be reached by water or back packing. We swim or snorkel every day in anchorages with clear water and live coral.
Anchorages are filled with frigate birds, pelicans, brown boobies, sea turtles, rays and exotic fish.
There are no bars, loud music, and city noise on shore, but rather the ruins of old sugar mills and hiking trails steeped in history of the Virgin Islands.
We sail, navigate, anchor, snorkel, swim, eat, and relax. We go to bed at dark and rise at dawn.
After reviewing our course outline please contact us by phone or e-mail before enrolling online to insure your expectations and goals are aligned with our sail training, live aboard, anchoring and sailing route goals. We are committed to providing you both a rich academic and superb experiential sail training program.
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