Kuddos to Gdub for a great anniversary trip! We just returned home from our adventure. Mark and I chartered a 30 foot bareboat but Gdub upgraded us for free to a beautiful 33 foot Hunter "Spirit wind". Mark and I are certified and experienced sailors but this was our first voyage alone as Captain and first mate. Gdub was always available, responsive, and helpful when we needed him. He helped us with everything from making our sailing plan to clearing seaweed from our prop and even offered some marriage counseling pro-bono ;) It was also our one year wedding anniversary and Spiritwind gave us an amazing experience. The boat was well equipped with we everything we needed, from spare lines to galley supplies. If you want to talk to Gdub about how your boat will be outfitted, give him a call. While he responds to emails promptly, you will get more information from a phone call. We suggest you visit the boat first then go provision (there are several grocery stores nearby). There were lots of leftovers on our boat already. Spend the night on the boat the night before you leave and have dinner at the fish market. The food is amazing. read more

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This school is like no other! I had very little sailing experience and was so nervous to start but captain GW helped push me outside my comfort zone and sail in ways I NEVER would have thought I could do. I spent a week under his training with my husband and we both left feeling ready to sail and bare boat charter with confidence. The problem solving experience and hands on training we received was second to none. It was a challenging course and we both studied really hard for the exam, but GW was so great at getting us prepared that we passed with very high marks. The experience was a great confidence booster in more ways than one. This was one of the most memorable and exciting weeks I have spent in a very long time and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from GW. read more

Sayonara - 3 Day Sail - March 2018 We are two couples, neighbors, retired, early 60's, living in south Florida. This was our second 3 Day sail with Capt. GDub on the Sayonara. We sailed with him last year on another 3 Day outing. We experienced rough seas and high winds, not what we are accustomed to for what we envisioned would be an encore cruise of our last pleasurable trip. But... that is sailing and there are always new things to learn, like getting the mainsail hoisted in bumpy waters. We are novice sailors with 3 years experience, and have passed our ASA courses. Even so... it was really great to have GDub to rely on for expert guidance, and good laughs to get us through. When sailing always keep in mind to expect the unexpected and you'll always be gaining in experience. Until next time.... read more

Below is the email I sent the owner, which describes our trip and recommendations. His one line answer to the email below: "Thanks for the suggestions. I will take them at you advise." We will not be returning to this charter company. **************************** Bruce, I wanted to follow up with you after our sail. I was not in the best of spirits with your visit our last morning for reasons I will explain below. But I would like to share some feedback that would assist your busienss and possibly make the sailing experience more enjoyable for future leasees. You expanded at length during boat check out of the many leasees that run aground in your Caralina 30'. I have rented coastal charting vessels 4 other times, and never has a boat been without a depth gauge or water proof charts to keep in the cockpit. You mentioned the new plotter in the nav station should suffice for these needs, but the boat is not handled in the nav station. Nor do you want people to depend on learning a new piece of electronics to enjoy their sailing experience. Also under navigation, the wind gauge could not be seen with the bimini up, and the helm was incredibly difficult to steer from friction at the joint. You asked me why we ran over the anchor line. The answer is absence of an anchor winch. It is more safe to assume boat operation by one person. How would one person pull up the anchor line against 3 knots of current without starting the engine? I also do not think it is advisable to produce a spliced anchor line of varying line dimensions which also had several abrasions, evident of the same problem we had. The use of colored electrical tape or length markers would have assisted in ensuring the correct anchor rode. The first time I reached my hand into the single plastic bin of all kitchen ware products, I sliced the end of my finger. Not only is it a bad idea to place knives embedded in a bin with tableware, a $15 first aid kit would have been very handy. I know you mentioned legally you do not have to provide this when I inquired, but it would be courteous. Your discussion on why we should use fresh water to flush the toilet did not include the mention of the toilet valve to bring in sea water not working, a $50 repair. And you said you would refill the fresh water tank, and yet this was empty by the second day. We used melted ice water to wash dishes, so we only used the water tank for the toilet, a few gallons at max was every used. Overall the trip was less than ideal, and a better equipped boat would have made a big difference. Suggestions Navigation - Depth finding from cock pit - Water proof marine charts for cock pit - Visibility screen on Bimini for wind gauge - Adjust helm for more maneuverability Anchor - Single anchor line w length indications - Section of chain at anchor to prevent line chaffing and assist in positioning anchor - Anchor wench, manual or electronic Misc - Separate containers for knives vs tableware - Set of plastic tableware and cups - First aid kit - Functioning valve at toilet - Functioning wall mounted DC outlets read more

I've had this life-long fascination with the sea and sailing upon it since watching Gardner McKay and Tiki III on Adventures in Paradise as a child in the early 60's. Learned the basics of sailing going with friends in Hawaii and helping crew a small sloop in high school in Maryland. Read lots of books. Could get a sailboat out and bring it back by myself, but it was really ugly. As with any skill you can learn by decades of doing, or you can learn from the accumulated experience of others. To get rid of the ugly, I began taking sailing courses several years ago. Latest one was with Florida Keys Sailing out of Marathon, Florida. Captain Bruce Palmenberg is experienced, can get impressive energy out of any wind, but even better, he can communicate not just the hows, but also the whys of boat handling, safety, and enjoying your time on the water. But how do you know if what you are learning is useful? Someday a learned skill might just come in handy. Last month my wife and I bought a boat. 1984 37-foot Hunter cutter. Older boat, but the hull was sound and she sails beautifully. Needs some work, a lot of deferred maintenance and repairs to catch up. Gives us something to do weekends and evenings. Had the boat out a couple of weeks ago and was returning to the marina under motor power as we had no wind and a 2 kt current. As we were about to turn into the marina, a much larger cabin cruiser was coming out. Nevermind rights of way, just get out of the way! Shifted into neutral, then into reverse to let the big boat pass. Backing up against the current held us in place. No worries. Shifted into forward. Actually, tried to shift into forward. Discovered we could only get into neutral and reverse! Now that little bit of current was pushing us down the bayou and out into the bay. Shoals on either side of the pass and we really didn't want to run her aground after only the first two weeks. Wondering what to do. But wait! Someone had recently spent part of an afternoon teaching me how to back a sailboat up to a pier. I mean, why would that be a useful skill? Guess what, if backward is your only choice, its really good to have learned how! Advanced the throttle, swung the stern around and motored up to the dock (backwards), with lots of spectators. Tossed the docking lines to one and we were secure along side the pier and could check out the transmission at our leisure. No problem. So how do you assess the training you've received? Along with improving your sailing skills and adding another US Sailing Certification, you learned something perhaps a bit out of the ordinary but extremely useful. How do you find a good sailing school? Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you hear about a good one from those who have been there. Check out Florida Keys Sailing Inc (floridakeyssailiing@comcast.net ). I think you'll be pleased. JWD Freeport, FL read more

We rented a 30' sailboat for the day, and my friends (one of which is an experience sailor) went out and got to explore the Florida Bay. The owner/manager walked us through everything, told us where to go, what to see, what not to do, how to work the GPS, what areas to avoid, etc. In a way, he was micromanaging us, but he meant well and just wanted us to stay safe and have fun. 4 stars for the experience, but -1 for small things, such as the lower deck smelling funny (possibly the toilet from the previous renters?) and minor things like the non-clean ice chest, which he provided, and the power inverter (for things like the radio) not working. read more

If you are ever in the keys and want a nice relaxing sail. Florida Keys Sailing is great! G-Dub knows his boats and is great with kids and old kids that don't know a jib from a rudder. read more

A buddy and I took the Bareboat class with Capt Bruce aboard the 51' Beneteau "Sayonara" and found the two a perfect match for teaching this course. Bruce has a depth of knowledge that goes well beyond what you will find in any book. His teaching style is serious yet light hearted, happily rewording important points until you truly understand. The vessel, while several years old, is very well maintained. We found everything in working order. The constant care needed by a teaching vessel was clearly carried out on a regular basis. While I may have initially been intimidated by the size of the boat, in very little time Bruce had me feeling very comfortable sailing, docking, and anchoring her. By day three her many systems seemed no longer a challenge, again thanks to Bruce's hands-on teaching style. I plan to revisit Bruce, but this time to charter one of his boats. I would recommend Florida Keys Sailing for instruction or charter to anyone. read more

We did a bare-boat charter with Florida Keys Sailing in Marathon FL this past July 2011 and it was a great experience. The owner Bruce was helpful and charming. He has several boats, we chose his very nice 30 foot Catalina Yacht, Sailina, which has tiller steering as opposed to a wheel. The boat was in great shape, and had many extras for us to use. Several highlights: (1) The harbor location is great, and shares a small inlet with an excellent casual restaurant called Key Fisheries, which has a fun little Tiki Bar upstairs as well. (2) The boat is CLEAN and in good working condition, and includes air conditioning when you are tied up to the dock. (3) Bruce is an excellent guide and was able to help us stay out of trouble when we cruised, pointing out where to watch for shallows, and where to go for a good sail or snorkel. (4) The sailing grounds are excellent, you can stay bay-side and enjoy sailing around, or you can go under the bridge and head out to an excellent reef for snorkeling. Bruce also recommended several restaurants, including where NOT to go. We stayed aboard for three nights which was a perfect amount as part of our Honeymoon trip. We also understand that Bruce offers sailing instruction, and if you are not ready yet for sailing on your own, it seems he would be an excellent teacher to get you going. A great alternate to the long flight to the BVI or Bahamas, strongly recommended! read more