Wonderful Training Experience! We had a group of four new sailors: two had never sailed before, and two had limited experience as youths sailing small boats (Sunfish and Hobie Catamarans) many years earlier. Wayne and Suzie kept us well informed and they were flexible with rescheduling due to Covid-related closures. We went in well-prepared what to expect. Our instructor, Collin made us feel comfortable immediately upon our arrival. He was very experienced and knowledgeable, and he explained everything so that even with our limited backgrounds we learned easily. He was fun to work with, and when one of us struggled with an idea or a skill, he gave us individual attention until we had everything down pat. We spent enough time in the classroom working on the concepts, and lots and lots of hours on the water practicing our skills. We had an absolute blast learning! Collin made it a wonderful vacation and education. Our course came with a U.S. Sailing certification, so we can rent sailboats either from J/World or from hundreds of other locations. Based on what I learned, I have no doubt that I can now rent or buy a 25-30 foot, and safely and enjoyably sail it. I can't wait to return next year! read more

So fun! I bought a Living Social coupon for my man and he loved it! He couldn't stop talking about how fun this was. He said they take you around on the boat and you guys learn to maneauver it and get real close to the water. The staff are real nice and teach you well. If we lived in San Diego he would have bought a membership and a boat! read more

Take a course. You will be glad you did. I had very little sailing experience, and took a 5 day learn to sail course. The class size was small (3 people) which was good for learning. The training boat was a J80 which was light and responsive so you can get a good feel for how a boat handles. The instructors were knowledgable and thorough. I left comfortable enough to skipper a J80. I had considered shorter/cheaper learn to sail courses, but after taking this one I realized that you can't get enough instruction as a newbie in only 3 days or a weekend. read more

We purchased the Living Social Group Deal and have been waiting for a while to find the time to get in- but I can tell you it was worth the wait. We did have to reschedule our time due to a Regatta leaving them short staffed for our original afternoon time slot, but they got us in a few hours earlier which worked out well for us. I will say they have a very "laid back" style and are pretty casual, but that's kind of what sailing is about right? Conditions change, you have to go with the flow in my opinion. And the comment about white soled shoes seemed silly to me, they require non marking soles on tennis courts too, they don't want their equipment to get ruined! Makes sense. Anyhow as far as the actual sailing experience we were very happy. The instructor was genuinely interested in helping us learn to sail, we all got hands on time steering and tacking the boat, and everyone had smiles when we left. We would like to take the week Into to Keel Boating course next, we just have to make the time now! read more

I went out for an evening sail with Robert while I was in town from Chicago. With his quiet confidence and easy going manner, I knew it was going to be a great sail. I really appreciated Robert sharing his knowledge around spinnaker sailing as well. The entire session was filled with so many awesome sailing tips. I had an amazing time out on the water and I would recommend anyone, at any skill level heading out with him. He has a lifetime of sailing knowledge to share and it was a true privilege to be on the water with him. While de-rigging the J/80 after the sail, he showed me how to tie a 3 second bowline. Definitely an unexpected bonus, ending a fantastic session. Thank you Robert and J World. I will be back! read more

These guys and girls are tops. Learned more in the 6 day race clinic and regatta than I did over the past few years sailing. They're nice, patient and cover every aspect of sailing from the physics to the strategy and tactics. Highly recommend. read more

I took sailing lessons while growing up in the Finger Lakes area and wanted to relearn how to sail in this beautiful city! I researched many sailing schools and finally chose J World which proved to be a terrific choice. Patrick taught our group of 4 and was extremely professional, knowledgable, patient, and entertaining to boot! He was also understanding and flexible by allowing me to reschedule some of my class time when I encountered a conflict. In addition, J World's book /instruction manual which each student received included great diagrams along with explanations of sailing techniques, definitions and a glossary. I would certainly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a Top Notch Class on How to Sail! I read more

This was by far the best experience I have had with a sailing school. The class was in depth and very informative while providing lots of on the water time . Our instructor was Patrick and I could not have been more pleased with him. I will continue my sailing experience with J world before jumping into sail boat ownership as I am sure each class will build on the previous one Thanks Patrick read more

We took a week long Basic Keel Boat course in December and LOVED it. The staff is professional, knowledgeable, friendly and just plain awesome! We came into the course knowing pretty much nothing... and walked out confident and eager to learn more. The class size was intimate (one instructor to three students) and the hands on experience was priceless. We will be going back for the more advanced courses in the near future and we would recommend this sailing school to ANYONE. It was well worth the money and travel... and what we learned was invaluable and life changing. (I know I'm being a drama queen... but I really did love it) read more

I am very dissappointed. I booked the deal through living social in may to take my dad sailing for fathers day. My dad lives over 100 miles away so we planned for him to come down for this what I thought would be a fun adventure. I received an email 2days before saying it was cancelled. What cancelled 2 days before. I booked over a month ago. I feel like the email was not very good customer service they should of at least called. With that being said my father day plans were cancelled and all the planning for nothing. I called to get a refund and I am still waiting and its been almost 2 weeks. They r not trust worthy and I would never go there. read more

Patrick Farrell was an excellent instructor for my refresher sailing lessons. Attentive, showed me a lot about my boat and did a thorough and great job. I'm so glad I took the lesson. Thank you J world and Patrick read more

I just completed the 5 day Learn To Sail class at J World. It was great! The instructors could not have been better in providing good course work instruction (10% of time in classroom) and practical hands-on in the water operating the sail boat (90%). They have the students from day one do all the boat operations. Within 2 hours we were on the boat in the Bay. Having never sailed, I felt uncomfortable with the terminology used in sailing and adopting it in the water activities but by day 5 I was much more confident in my ability to apply the sailing terminology and manuevers. J World's location puts you in a great sailing area with downtown SD, the Navy docks and you operate your J-80 with Navy ships passing and every conceivable water craft which provides excellent situational experience. I highly recommend this program. Dennis M read more

Also got the Living Social coupon and was great for me and my retired uncle who had never tried sailing. Got the instructor, Channing, who was hella cool. He let us drive it from the start and then showed us his skills when we needed to dock. read more

The sailing bug bit me and I wanted to learn how to sail! I was referred to J-World Sailing School by a family friend who's a lifelong sailor, competitive sailing racer and who has taught sailing herself. She told me if I really wanted to learn how to sail, J-World was the only place to go. She said they have incredible instruction, more time on the water than any other sailing school and the boats they use are extremely responsive, so I'd get immediate feedback to learn what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. All sounded great, so I signed up. My class at J-World was two weekends. We started at 9 am on Saturday and had about an hour of classroom orientation and instruction. Then, we got onboard the 26' J-Boat and got her ready to start sailing. We spent over 6 hours on the water and learned an incredible amount in just the first day. Let me digress about our instructor. He was a late 20-something man who'd been sailing as long as he'd been walking. He is a mechanical engineer by profession, and has been a sailor for about as long as he get on a boat, literally since he was a little kid. He'd sail-raced in high school and college, and was incredibly knowledgable. But even better than knowledgable, he was able to communicate that knowledge to us in a way that we understood the principles and practices he was teaching us. I felt very fortunate to have him as an instructor. He could explain sailing from a practical manner, an engineering manner translate that into "normal-speak" for those of us who aren't engineers! I also had questions for the management of J-World, wanting to talk to them about continuing my sailing education and possibly purchasing a boat. I found Barry to be extremely responsive, very helpful, knowledgable and willing to listen to what I was asking and give considered responses. He was most generous with his time and information, and I am very appreciative of what I learned outside the classroom from him. So, back to sailing school. We had 3 more days of school, all following the same format. An hour or hour and a half classroom followed by about 6 hours on the water. We covered everything that US Sailing Association required for for basic keel boat certification. On the final day, we took an exam, and I was able to pass it based on what I'd learned from J-World and the course material they provided. I feel like I have a good, basic knowledge of sailing principles, how to do everything I need to do to sail safely within a protected area and build my skills from here. I obviously need to practice, but I have a good working knowledge of the basics and feel competent to go out on my own. That's what I wanted, and J-World delivered! I highly recommend the school. They are completely professional, the level of instruction was high and and sailboat was great. We learned all the skills necessary to sail safely in the San Diego Bay, and no doubt, elsewhere with more experience, although many people I spoke to do little more than sail in the Bay because it is so large. Anyway, the instruction was great, the school is great and the equipment is great. Go. You won't be sorry! read more

I am very experienced sailor, mostly racing, and have come back to racing after kids. I took the 5 day J 80 class. Patrick, Paul and Jenna were the very best. They are calm ,kool and great under pressure. We had 6 students with great, fun racing. I had some new J80 racing already under me but learned a lot. The pre sailing lectures are prefect. The location is great, close to slip, so much fun with Navy and downtown views but not to busy to effect racing, added benefit . Don read more

Just got back from a great 2-hour introductory sailing trip. The instructor was fantastic. Very informative and educational about the area and the sea life. Everyone got to take turns steering and handling the sails. Was a small boat, so not too many people on board. Seriously considering signing up for classes here! read more

Did the 1 week Learn to Sail course with Vince. Vince is great to work with - very knowledgeable and a patient teacher. The course is very thorough - the basic skills are drilled repeatedly so that by the end you are very confident on the water. I had zero prior experience, and the day after the course I rented one of their boats solo and cruised around SD Bay without a problem. One of the hardest things for a beginner I think is getting on and off the dock with only wind power - and thats one of the skills you practice over and over (some of the other schools use an outboard motor). The J80 boats they use are definitely performance-oriented, and if you ever want to race this is prolly the only school that can get you there. But even if you just want to be able to leisurely cruise around, this course will make sure you can handle pretty much anything that comes your way. read more

My girlfriend and I took the weekend 1 Fundamentals class. We were referred to j-world by two different experienced sailors. The experience was everything I hoped for! I've been on sailboats a few times and could never figure out why different things were being done - boat direction, sails, etc. our instructor and captain, Jenna explained everything in such a manner that I could understand not only the "what" but also "why" and in a way I could remember it and put it into practice immediately on the boat. I never guessed I'd learn enough in two days to have the instructor say "go to a port tack, close reach" and either my girlfriend or I would immediately know which way to turn the boat an what heading to steer. It was a truly amazing experience and a wonderful two days! We're already planning the second weekend class so we can get our US Sailing Certificate. read more