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~ A Cut Above ~

The small class size for the one-day introductory sailing class was great and allowed the chance for hands on practice. The curriculum and structure of the class was excellent for an introductory class. It allowed a solid basic survey of key sailing info to provide context and understanding but without being overwhelming. It also provided enough hands on practice to provide a baseline of confidence and sense of accomplishment. I have taken other classes taught by people who were good sailors but mediocre teachers, with more people in the class and smaller boats that left me feeling inadequate. I've also participated in intro sailing opportunities which were basically brief sailboat rides that were unsatisfactory. This course was totally different from either or previous experiences. This single day provided a wonderful experience that allowed me to learn even though I have sailed in the past at the same time it provided my wife who has never sailed with a desire to learn more so we can sail together in the future.

Captain Frank Mummert was fantastic. The perfect blend informal, relaxed, at times appearing to improvise based on the situational learning opportunities and questions from the students and at the same time covering an amazing amount of information in a single day without overwhelming us. He was wonderful at varying the level of detail and expertise he gave us and expected us to demonstrate- for example, regarding sail trim the focus was on moving the boat, guiding principles for each point of sail and still enjoying the experience not on achieving perfect trim and optimal boat speed with constant sail tweaking. This was perfect for a one day intro class and yet he also showed us how to heave to successfully for lunch - a maneuver I have heard of conceptually, found somewhat intimidating and never even attempted in previous sailing classes. Similarly, he showed us how to rig a preventer for down wind sailing, something i had been exposed to but never learned to do as part of an introductory sail. His calm, open, encouraging style is fantastic. After the class, I felt like I had learned more than I expected to and had made a friend. I hope to take other classes from him in the future.

The staff support was absolutely spectacular- Rita is a wonderful person to work with and provided the glue and continuity for our entire initial experience with your school. From the moment we walked up to your booth at the Annapolis sailboat show in April and started talking with Robin Bauer to learn about the school and its offerings to interacting with Rita as we registered and prepared to attend our class to our experience with Capt. Frank Mummert the day of our class the competence, kindness and commitment of your people was exceptional.

Bob Johnson