Tracey School for Sailing Instruction- Spring 2009 email Newsletter
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Da boid's is choipin-
Well spring has sprung. Down here in Florida that means it is hitting the mid to high 80s some afternoon's! For those of you in the frozen hinterlands, it means maybe not worrying about someone taking your parking place in the snowdrift.
Unlike those of us that do get to sail year round, you likely appreciate it all that much more.
For starter's: Sailing School is the cheapest way to get out on the water-
Our number one bit of news this year is we are holding the line on pricing. We actually dropped the prices on our spring trip north to Sandy Hook from Florida.
We all are feeling some pain economically these days, but we have to keep living right? So our part is to make it a little easier for you to get some sailing time and education in. Maybe we all will have to learn to live with a little less, but isn't that one of the essences of sailing?
Sailing in large part entails simple needs, preservation and intellectual stimulation. There is nothing wrong with passing through the world without leaving a big wake and injecting hundreds of pounds of carbon per hour into the air. There is also nothing wrong with understanding your environment and using it to propel you from shore to shore. And there is certainly nothing wrong with saving some dinero while enjoying our hobby!
Spring 2009 Coastal Passage Courses-
Speaking of the Kathleen D spring passage courses- we have one berth left between Charleston, SC and Sandy Hook, NJ. It is one of the most diverse portions of the entire passage. From offshore in the North Atlantic to the beauty of the ICW, locks, canals, bridges and the Chesapeake, Leg 3 offers it all. One berth (a double berth by the way) is left for either one or two sailors. May 13-19. ASA-106/114. $1495. 10% off for the second person in a couple and for repeat customers.
The Mystery of the Chart-
Since it is still too chilly up north to sail- we have a two day weekend Coastal Navigation course coming up April 18-19, 2009 (ASA-105 certification to those who desire it). You do not have to be a sailor or have taken any previous ASA courses to take this course. Coastal navigation works regardless of the vessel type. This is a classroom only course with Captain Andrew Seligman. Lunch, text book, chart and certification are included in the $275 fee ($260 for couples / groups and repeat customers). This course is guaranteed to get your synapses firing and boating juices flowing. It is fun and good stuff to know and practice. Oh, and by the way- it is not hard at all. It just takes a little coaching and some practice. Come on down to our Highlands classroom facility and give it a go with Andrew. You can do it!
Meet the Crew-
I am very happy to announce we have brought Captain Ed Mustra into our little funhouse this year to teach some weekday ASA-101 courses. We did not have Capt. Ed with us last year and hence did not offer 101 during the week. These days, so many folks work weekends we felt the need to go back to offering weekday classes. So if our weekend 101 courses don't work for you, check out our weekday schedule. Captain Ed will also being doing some weekend and private teaching. If you need private lessons, some mentoring or want to learn on your own boat, give us a call.
Captain Frank Muratore is handling our regularly scheduled ASA-103 courses aboard his immaculate Catalina 34 once again this season. We have aligned our 103 course dates with periodic 101 weekend dates so those that would like too, may take them adjacent to each other and get two certifications over five days. (Friday-Tuesday)
Captain John "The Professor" Henderson is teaching our Cruising Catamaran Instructor clinic on May 31 - June 2 and he is also taking our Maine Cat 41, the Kathleen D, to Block Island and the LI Sound once again July 12-17 for a combined ASA-106/114 Advanced Coastal Cruising and Cruising Catamaran course.
Capt. Andrew Seligman is handling our flagship ASA-101 Basic Keelboat Sailing weekend courses all summer. This three day course is the cornerstone of every ASA trained sailor. Fundamentals are what any sport, business and life itself are about. As my father used to say relentlessly, you have to have a solid foundation to build upon. This course is bedrock.
Yours truly is handling the combined ASA-104 / 114 courses this coming summer and autumn as well as our fall and spring coastal passages and winter courses in Florida.
Miscellaneous School News:
Vela Via, our second Maine Cat 41 is making steady headway towards her goal of USCG certification for 20 passengers. She is working six passenger charters as she undergoes her modification from our Punta Gorda, Florida location until at least May 1. Her fate is in the hands of the Coast Guard for awhile, but she may yet make it to NJ this summer.
We had a some very successful courses over the winter from our base at the Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, Florida. Located on the shore of the beautiful Manatee River, the Kathleen D is only a few miles from Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Anna Maria Island, Sarasota and Tampa, not to mention the Gulf of Mexico. It took a few years of kicking around Florida to sort out the best location and I believe we have found it. There is an unbelievably diverse mix of urban, natural and interesting places to sail too, all within a few hours of our dock. It reminds me of how cool our NJ base is for sailing and diverse destinations. We have a similar mix of safe protected waters, the open Gulf and Tampa Bay, much as we have with Sandy Hook Bay, the Two Rivers, the Sound and Atlantic. Culturally diverse medium sized cities line the Gulf ICW, bays and rivers along with large vacant keys, parks and nature preserves. At the Gateway to the Sunshine Coast of Florida lies the best sailing I have yet to find in all of this boater's paradise. There are only a few hundred miles of coastline left to check out to the north and west, so there is a chance we'll find something even better, but it is getting hard to imagine.
Head down here some winter and lose those winter clothes for a week or two and come sailing right here at home in the good 'ole USA.
In Conclusion-
Keep your eyes out for some other offerings we are cooking up for you to participate in and enjoy.
Please stop by www.traceyschool.com and check for updates or come over to the school at Sandy Hook Bay Marina in Highlands, NJ and say hello. We'll be getting busy in the next week or two, prepping boats and getting the dust blown off the desktops in the school building. Our trip home starts May 1 but we will be in full swing starting April 18 in NJ.
Stay warm, stay employed and stay safe. Especially when sailing on the colder waters of springtime.
I think all of our spirits need this spring more than most I can remember and it promises to be one heck of a good summer.
So go sailing!
See you on the water,
Captain Tracey
