| One of last summer’s big Summer Sailstice winners was Jean Hurley of Sandwich, Massachusetts, who won the “Fast Track to Cruising” course from Offshore Sailing. Fast Track to Cruising is a week-to-10-day-long course which combines Offshore Sailing’s “Learn to Sail” course with a “Bareboat Cruising Preparation” or “Live Aboard Cruising” course (student’s choice). The Learn to Sail course is conducted on the Colgate 26. There are no pre-requisites for Fast Track to Cruising, and students come away with certification in Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, and Bareboat Cruising.
Jean, a registered nurse, and her husband Joe, who’s an electrical engineer, sail their Hunter sloop Callisto in the Cape Cod area. We prefer the peace and serenity of sailing to less crowded areas, or less popular times of year, early spring/summer and late summer/fall,” says Jean. “Sailing is our escape from stresses of everyday life. We have two teenage children, and enjoy ‘getting away’ on Callisto even if just for an afternoon.”
Jean has sailed for about 4 or 5 years, but hadn’t had any offshore experience before taking the “Fast Track to Cruising” course. As she was never very comfortable at the helm, she was usually the “mate” while Joe was helmsman.
After winning the prize, Jean attended the course at Offshore Sailing’s Ft. Meyers, Florida, location. Her sailing instruction took place along the Gulf of Mexico’s shoreline and barrier islands. Her “basecamp” was the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa, a luxury resort with studios, one or two-bedroom suites, cottages, and deluxe two-bedroom beach villas with kitchens or kitchenettes, many with Gulf views.
The Learn to Sail course covered everything from nautical terminology and finding wind direction to spinnaker techniques, crew overboard pick-ups, knots, sailing in heavy weather and everything in between. The Bareboat Cruising Preparation course that Jean chose included everything from planning a cruise and operation of all onboard equipment to safety and maintenance techniques while underway.
Here’s what Jean had to say about her course: "The [Pink Shell Resort] is beautiful. The weather was great, warm and breezy, with no rain. The instructors were super, Rick in ‘Learn to Sail’ and Kevin in ‘Cruising.’ They were both so patient and really knew their stuff, but kept a sense of humor. The program is intense and sometimes overwhelming, but there was a lot to cover in a short amount of time. I learned so much, and am now much more confident at the helm. I came away with a much better understanding of sailing in general and learned some new maneuvers. I can't wait to launch our boat and go out and practice them here at home.
We don't have any specific plans for this summer yet but plan on sailing to Cuttyhunk, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket along with several weekend trips with the Red Brook Harbor Sailing Club. Maybe venture out to Block Island at the end of the summer.
Thanks to everyone at Summer Sailstice for making this possible. It was super of OSSS to donate this prize.”
Offshore Sailing (http://www.offshoresailingschool.com/) is offering the Fast Track to Cruising course again this year to a lucky Summer Sailstice sailor. Be sure to register your Summer Sailstice sailing plans in the “Locations” section of our website to add your name to the drawing.
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The Hurley's Callisto
Offshore Sailing's Colgate 26
Learning to sail in the Gulf
A view from the Pink Shell Resort
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