Published: Sunday, July 20, 2008 at:10:49 AM




Sailing Certification at Bitter End!

You can get certified and still go to Anegada!



This summer, Bitter End’s certification program will kick-off by offering basic keelboat sailing certification.

Bitter End adheres to the guidelines set forth by US Sailing, regarding the number and quality of sailing instructors, and type and quality of boats. Additionally, the curriculum must pass US Sailing’s stringent requirements, and Bitter End’s coursework will use the US Sailing Association’s own materials. The Basic Keelboat Course will be taught on Rhodes 19s and IC-24s. Classroom instruction takes place in the 15-seat Bitter End Sailing School building (adjacent to the Watersports Center), complete with dry erase boards, and wall-mounted Laser-model simulators. At all times, we maintain a staff of no fewer than four US Sailing certified instructors, and class sizes will be very small, to afford personal attention for each participant.

Coursework follows a regular weekly schedule, island style, starting on Monday morning, and concluding on Friday with the exam during the final hour of instruction:

On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, the courses will run three hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon with a break for lunch in between.

Wednesday is layday! Go to Anegada! Relax at the beach or by the pool or learn something else – windsurfing? Diving? Whatever you wish!

On Friday there will be two hours of instruction in the morning and then the test, so either the afternoon is free to show off your new skills or you can take that time to make up anything you might have missed earlier in the week. Graduation is at 5 pm.

Basic Keelboat certification, in Bitter End terms, is a combination of our current 101, 102A & B, with a lot more time spent on really honing the 102A & B skills.

Of course, if this is too much structure for a vacation, we will still offer our other courses that you can take if the mood strikes you.

This summer (for visits from now to July 28), the price will be $500 per person for guests staying on an Admiral’s Package. And starting this fall, the price will be $800 per person for guests staying on the Admiral’s Package

Just let your travel planner know you are interested in getting certified in basic keelboat sailing when you make your reservation, and you’ll be commanding your own vessel before you know it!