How to Find a Small Sailboat Sailing School

If you choose to learn to sail on small boats, go to the source.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Boat Shoes
• 1 Approved Life Jackets
• 1 sun block, suntan lotion
• waterproof, insulated warm jackets

1. Visit local beaches, harbors and lakes where sailing is taught in small sailboats.
2. Check out the facilities from a distance. Look for things like condition of boats, neatness and cleanliness of facilities and staff professionalism.
3. Walk into each school and ask for information.
4. Make sure the tour you gave yourself as an outside observer matches what you are shown as a potential customer.
5. Examine course material. Make sure safety topics such as rules of the road and hypothermia are covered in detail.
6. Ask about instructor qualifications. Self-trained instructors are often qualified, but instructors certified by a national certifying agency have proven their competency based on national standards.
7. Compare facilities, course content and, of course, prices to find the best course for you.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the school operator introduces safety to the discussion. Any small boat sailing program that doesn't include mandatory personal flotation device (PFD) usage should be avoided. If you can't visit all potential schools, get a list of schools from a national association or a telephone directory and run the same comparison.
• Some schools look quite a bit different in person than how they appeared in the brochure. There's no substitute for an in-person visit.