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~ A Cut Above ~

Roger LeBoeuf, who took our ASA101 Basic Sailing Class in September 2015, sent the following comments: 

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Nice job...we had a great time and learned a lot! Mary and I both plan to sail in the future, with me taking more classes.

Four days felt right for this class. It's a lot of information for a first-timer and the four days helped allow the extensive terminology and unique feel for the boat sink in. I had sailed before but Mary had not. Our beginner was lost on the first day but doing everything with no trouble on the fourth day.  Some other schools offered the same certifications in fewer days but that seemed like trying to rush it for no educational benefit. 

Capt. Bauer did a great job. Three of the students had sailed before, knew most of the terminology, and had different goals. The fourth student had never sailed. Capt. Bauer found a good balance to keep the class instructional for all parties. She did an outstanding job of not overdoing it. There were 20 knot winds on the first three days and she double reefed the main to keep the setting instructional rather than "hang on for dear life". Finally, she made it fun and indulged requests that were within the scope of the class, such as sailing to a nearby destination on the third day rather than doing drills in the same waters as the first two days.

Rita is excellent at answering questions, helping with long-term sailing goals, providing options for different family members who come in with different sailing backgrounds, and keeping us informed of what we need to do before and at arrival. Tom Tursi happened to be there and was gracious in showing us the Island Packet 40 and answering our questions about classes and his past experiences.

The facilities were good (thanks for the clean bath house) and location nice. The Chester River was a good location for a beginners class. It took a little more time than we would have liked to get from the dock to the open water in the river for sailing each day, which is a comment on the marina location and not the instructor. Capt. Bauer used that time to explain various points, so it was like class time on the water. That seemed to work well for everyone except the helmsman and navigator, who missed a little of the instruction because of paying attention to course and markers. But that's a small criticism on what was a great 4 days! 

Roger LeBoeuf

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