Hunter 45 DS
Steve and Doris Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School and Hunter Marine are continuing a long association marked by their shared dedication to growing the ranks of skilled cruising sailors.
This year, a new Hunter 45 DS was added at Offshore’s campus in St. Petersburg, Florida, and two new Hunter 50s will join the school’s fleets at Captiva Island, Florida, and St. Michaels, Maryland.
“All of these new cruising boats will raise the bar in sail-training for new sailors who want to gain skills and confidence to start chartering and cruising in 2011,” says Steve Colgate, founder and co-owner of the 47-year-old institution.
According to Colgate, the new Hunter yachts will be integral platforms for the school’s popular Fast Track to Cruising course, which starts with two days of basic training on a Colgate 26 and continues with five days of liveaboard education on a large cruising sailboat. Sailors who already have basic skills equivalent to those taught in Offshore’s Learn to Sail course may take the cruising course without the initial training on the Colgate 26.
Cruising instruction on Hunters at Offshore Sailing School is available in two formats: Sailors can learn while living aboard, or they can stay at a destination resort while sailing during the day. Regardless of which schedule student sailors choose, the maximum number of adult students taught per week per boat and instructor is four, with one exception: Cruising-course programs for family units (two parents and up to four children aged 7 to 17) are also available during summer months.
“There’s no better way to get people hooked on cruising right out of the gate than by combining a great teaching platform like our 45- and 50-footers with expert instruction from Offshore’s dedicated instructors,” says John Peterson, the president of Hunter Marine.
For more details, contact Offshore Sailing School (www.offshoresailing.com).
Annual Charter Trip Set for August
The Black Boaters Summit, a charter event that introduces African-Americans to sailing, runs from August 5 to 14, 2011, in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Operating successfully for more than a decade, the trip attracts a wide variety of people, including singles, non-swimmers, non-sailors, the young, and the elderly. Paul Mixon, the Summit’s longtime organizer, has teamed up with Scott Farquharson of Dream Yacht Charter North America, based in Annapolis, Maryland, to present the charter.
This year, the trip sails on crewed 82-foot catamarans, each with eight air-conditioned double cabins and en-suite bathrooms. The cost is $2,865 per person (based on double occupancy).
Amenities include seven days and nights on the yacht; breakfast, lunch, and dinner on board; a welcome party; lunch at Foxy’s; dinner at the Bitter End Yacht Club and dinner at Myett’s; nightly parties; taxi transportation; T-shirts and hats; and two nights at The Westin. Cabins are cleaned daily.
For more information, contact Dream Yacht Charter North America (www.dreamyachtcharter.com), the Black Boaters Summit (blackboaterssummit.com), or Paul Mixon (773-924-1947).
