There are truly not enough stars to recommend LA Sailing Charters. Joe was the kindest, most easygoing, welcoming captain I have EVER met in my life. I am a photographer from Texas and we flew all the way to California to shoot in malibu and ended our evening with a sail from Joe on his boat "medium pimpin". The name still cracks me up!!! I even got a little seasick, but was perfect in helping me find the restroom on the boat and was so kind. All in all we had the most FABULOUS time and would recommend LA Sailing Charters to anyone. Also, his prices were actually reasonable in comparison to these other huge LA Sail Boat Charters. I will be attaching photos as soon as I finish editing my session. - MGM Moments A Texas Based + Destination Wedding Photographer read more

My family had a great charter with Captain Joe. The boat is large and comfortable. Joe made it easy for us to enjoy a very pleasant afternoon's sail up towards Malibu and back. Joe has led an interesting life and it's fascinating to hear some of his experiences both on the water and pre-sailing. Highly recommend the trip. read more

My friends and I searched long and hard to find an experienced captain willing to give us a real sailing experience and teach us about coastal sailing. Captain Joe was a very delightful host, a great teacher, and wonderful to work with. He made the experience so good for us all. He was very communicative and helpful throughout the process. read more

LA Sailing Charter - Boating Near Me - Marina Del Rey, California

I've recently gotten into sailing and this has been my favorite boat I've sailed on by far. The boat itself is gorgeous and Joe creates a safe and environment. His operation is perfect for learning or cruising. I can't wait to sail with him more in the future! read more

We had an absolutely horrible and disturbing experience with Captain Joe. He was not nice from the start and offered not even a hello or any welcome whatsoever. As we went to board the sailboat was a good foot away and 4' high from the dock. Joe, who was standing right there on the boat, saw my petite female friend trying to get on the boat without a free hand. He didn't offer her a hand or recommend that one of us help her. (We weren't watching her at this point or we would have helped). She ended up taking a terrible fall from the 4' height onto her tail bone and her ankle was still hanging onto the edge of the boat. It was extremely scary as we thought she also got her head and she wasn't able to move. Joe literally didn't make a move to help - nor did he EVER offer any words at all. Not "are you ok?" "I'm sorry can I get you some ice?" Nothing. He didn't even help free her ankle off the side of the boat. My friend unfortunately had to go home. Joe still never said one word to her even as she left. His first words at all were "well you can see sailing can be dangerous so I need you all to sign this liability waiver." I then spoke up and said- "I actually don't feel very comfortable right now. My friend just had a horrible fall and hurt herself and you didn't do anything or say a peep. So I'm not feeling great about how you are handling things in terms of safety ". His response-- "So get off the boat" I said "ok I will" He followed that with "I don't need you" This was appalling behavior for any human not to react or show any empathy when someone is hurt in their presence. But Joe was the captain of the boat and we put ourselves in his care. As our captain, not only should he not have allowed this to happen - when it did he should have handled things very differently. Needless to say we got off and quickly found another sailboat and lovely captain who was friendly, nice, gave us a safety talk and made the ride wonderful. I highly recommend that nobody should step foot on Joe's boat. This man was nasty, irresponsible and unprofessional. read more

We were so excited about this trip. My whole family was visiting from Michigan and for the first time we'd all be together in LA. This sure felt like the perfect activity for us and Joe has lots of great reviews so I'm not sure why we got such a bad ride. First of all, Capt. Joe lives on the boat, which would be cool and interesting if he had bothered to clean up before bringing people on board. But instead, his crap is all strewn about below deck, giving off a pretty unwelcoming feel. Also, the children's lifejacket he had for my son was old and very moldy. Luckily we had packed our own. Of course small things like this could be overcome if Capt. Joe himself was friendly and welcoming but he was actually terse and surly the whole trip, like he was doing us this favor just by letting us on his boat in the first place. When we were planning the sail, we texted to him the idea of breaking the afternoon into two sections in case some people wanted to return to the dock early. He replied that if we wanted to do that we should book 5 hours to get the most out of the sail. So, once on the boat, I told my five year old that he'd be doing a short trip and then he and mommy would get off early. Joe was standing next to me when I did this so I just assumed he'd picked on it and/or remembered the text about it. But Joe got grumpy when I mentioned that my son hit a wall and needed to go back. Joe was certainly right that we were burning into "sailing" time by going back to the dock but everyone in our group knew ahead of time that this was a likely part of the plan. I had to actually argue with Joe about turning around. So awkward. I put sailing in quotes cause I don't know if Joe is much of a sailor. Obviously his nautical resume is fantastic so I can only assume that he just didn't feel like doing a lot of actual sailing that day, which apparently included even talking about it. My 84 year old dad loved to sail, when he was able, and this trip was his idea. Multiple times he tried to engage Joe in sailing talk and even offered to help "tail a line" (a very minor job that would have been SO easy to let my dad do) but Joe was having none of it. He shut any interaction down quick, and that's a neat trick cause my dad LOVES to talk sailing. Also, once we did turn around and head back to the marina Joe didn't adjust the sails beyond the basics, so we just floated along without getting the most out of the wind from the new direction. It was such a simple thing that even a less experienced sailor like myself noticed. Joe had just been complaining about how long it would take to get back to the marina so why not try to pick up speed. I assume he knows how to trim his own sails so... maybe he was just having a really bad day. In the end our whole group just got off the boat once we returned to the marina. We still had around 90 mins left on the trip but everyone was done. This was such a disappointment. I would give it one star but I feel like that's reserved for scams and total flake outs and that's not what this was. We all went on a sail boat and that boat went out onto the ocean but that's the only positive thing I can say about the experience. read more

Captain Joe was very accommodating. We were running late, forgot our food and drinks, but Captain Joe saved the day with some drinks and snacks he had a board the boat. The sail was very beautiful and relaxing. We made some great memories aboard that will last forever. Also, my 72-year-old mother mother-in-law had no problem getting aboard as there is a step ramp to get on and off. Thank you, Captain Joe, for your kindness. read more

We had such a fabulous time on our sunset cruise. Captain Joe was communicative, easy to work with, and knowledgeable. He had all the necessary safety gear and keeps the boat impeccably clean. We even spotted some dolphins out on our cruise - wonderful way to escape the city for a few hours. As others have said, the name of the boat is amazing. read more

This has been my third time sailing with Captain Joe. After previously sailing with him on both an afternoon and sunset cruise, and having an absolute blast, a couple of my buddies decided to charter a trip to Two Harbors, Catalina. Captain Joe is an incredible sailor and the boat was in immaculate shape. Being new to sailing, I had many questions about the whole process, and Joe walked me through everything explained how it all worked. Once we moored in the harbor, we were able to go to shore on the dinghy and explore the island. This was a trip of a lifetime and I will be sailing with Captain Joe on the Medium Pimpin again soon! read more

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Great experience! From start to finish, 5 stars all around. Before I booked it, I reached out with questions and Captain Joe was responsive and happy to answer anything. His directions for finding the boat were easy and straightforward. The boat itself is beautiful and clean, and Captain Joe made it a really nice experience. We did a sunset cruise for my husbands birthday, and it was really peaceful and relaxing. I can see it also being fun to charter for day outings or a longer sail out to Catalina - we would absolutely hire Joe for a trip on his boat again! read more

LA Sailing Charter - Boating Near Me - Marina Del Rey, California

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We booked a trip with Captain Joe for my friends' birthday and it was one amazing experience. We were 4 people and it was our first time on a sailboat, we are all more familiar with yachts and motor boats however this was something else. This was an experience we will never forget and Captain Joe contributed greatly to that, not only is his boat beautiful and very well kept but he is also a gentleman who obviously enjoys sailing and made our overall first time experience something that will make us come back again for more trips. Despite the fact that the weather was not super ideal, it was windy and cloudy it did not deter us from enjoying our trip greatly. We were in awe the entire trip from the beauty of the boat to the vastness of the ocean. I have done a lot of research before deciding to go with LA Sailing Charter, and i am so happy I made the right decision. Captain Joe communicated effectively and efficiently , he told me where to park and where to meet him it was all very easy to follow. It was money well spent and we will definitely be bringing more friends and booking sails with Captain Joe. read more

We did the 3 hrs sunset special, is so relaxing, the breeze, the ocean sound, the experienced captain and no engine noise! Just Bring your wine jam cheese seat and enjoy! There is a grill available, I'll bring the steaks next time! read more

LA Sailing Charter - Boating Near Me - Marina Del Rey, California

Good for the soul! With all of us having been cooped up for so long, and limited in our grasp of the human experience, something as simple and pure as sailing on the ocean can do wonders for the spirit. Something about being out on the water, the altered perspective, the air, the water, the sky--- it was truly perfect. But besides all that, what really made our experience special is Captain Joe. He's extremely intuitive, wise, capable and caring. We had so much fun and felt safe with him, and something about the way he keeps things simple encourages you to just be there, in the present. Without Captain Joe, it would have just been a boat. With him, it's one of the best days you'll have. read more

Took the boat out for the sunset cruise and had a great time! Captain Joe was great and very caring to us! Felt safe and had a lot of fun! Would highly recommend! read more

We were recommended Captain Joe and the charter by a family friend and are so happy we signed up. We had the BEST time and like all the reviews say, Captain Joe is amazing! We had two kids in our party (6 & 8) and everyone loved it. We will definitely be booking again in the very near future. It's perfect for a day away from life or a special event like birthday or anniversary. Being on the water is other worldly especially on a beautiful LA day. Highly recommend and we are already looking at dates to book a trip with Captain Joe again very soon. Beautiful boat and great time! Also the name of the boat is bar none. read more

Joe is absolutely wonderful from planning to booking through sailing. Very responsive and professional. He made our sailing experience very fun and easy going. His sailboat is beautiful and very well maintained. A small group of girls and I went for my birthday this past weekend and it was perfect. We are already talking about how much we'd like to sail with Joe again. Highly recommend. Wish could give more than 5 stars! read more

Captain Joe is the best. Very knowledgable and professional. He made us feel safe and welcome. We will definitely use his services again.

Had such a great experience with captain Joe. We celebrated my husband's birthday today on the boat. Everything was perfect. Captain Joe made the ride very enjoyable and smooth. The boat was big, clean and very comfortable! There were 6 of us and we had lots of space. I definitely recommend booking! read more

LA Sailing Charter - Boating Near Me - Marina Del Rey, California

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Great sail with Capt Joe, super responsive to my questions. Took us out of Marina Del Rey and to Santa Monica. Beautiful day out on the ocean. Thank you Capt Joe for a great sail!! Would recommend and would sail again! read more

My mother and I travelled out to LA to celebrate our shared birthdays, and stumbled upon LA Sailing Charters. We ended up taking a sunset sail with Captain Joe and it was a highlight of the trip. Captain Joe is a gentleman, unshakable sailor and obviously loves what he does! Hope to re-board, "Medium Pimpin", in the near future. read more

Had a wonderful sunset sail on board medium pimpin with captain Joe. He was knowledgeable about cityscape we passed along from marina del Rey towards Malibu and back. I would definitely recommend chartering him and hope to do so again soon. read more

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Loved everything about this experience! I went last year for my birthday. My friends and I cant wait to do it again this summer!

Captain Joe is great. I had such a great time with my friends. highly recommend it. Great experience sailing across the southern California cost! read more

Captain Joe was fantastic! The 47'+ Beneteau sailboat was perfect for our family of 6! Capt. Joe was very accommodating and very friendly...We had many great memories of the sailing trip off the Malibu coastline. Highly recommend for any family looking for a professional adventure in Marian Del Rey on a wonderful boat! Thanks again Capt. Joe we will be back to visit! read more

I recently spent the afternoon with Captain Joe and friends sailing, LA Sailing Charter definitely deserves all 5 stars! The boat is beautiful, the view was fantastic, the highlights Joe pointed our where interesting and we felt safe. To top it off we had a great time listening to music while enjoying wine and appetizers. I have been sailing numerous times, however there was something special and comfortable on this day! I highly recommend LA Sailing Charter and Captain Joe, we had such a terrific time! read more

Joe is great! Loved the sail and loved the experience. There was 6 of us on the boat and there was space for at least 4 more. Joe is very easy going and he let us do our thing as long as we didn't litter or endanger ourselves and others. Great experience. read more

My boyfriend booked the sunset cruise for my birthday last month. I had gone sailing once before and it was terrifying. My opinion on sailing changed with Captain Joe. He was so calm and pleasant, and we always felt confident that he knew what he was doing. We fully enjoyed our time on the water, and Joe pointed out interesting things along the way. We will definitely book a longer trip with him soon! read more

Just went on an afternoon charter in Marina Del Rey with Captain Joe. Everything was FANTASTIC! What a great way to spend a sunny afternoon in Southern California! I visited the Los Angeles area to be with friends and to do something fun and different (than just movies and the bar scene), This was definitely the right ticket. Joe is charming, knowledgeable and well-skilled. He made the whole adventure fun, affordable and gave me a memory for a lifetime. Thank you Joe. read more

Great affordable sailing cruise. Captain Joe from the start was very welcoming and informative. The Sail boat itself I believe is newer, well kept up, big, and very clean. Great for romantic date with a loved one or just hang out with friends and family. Captain Joe lets you take on board your own drinks/food which is a plus, and definitely will book in the future again! read more

We had an amazing sunset cruise. Captain Joe was the best at accommodating us, informing us and treating us to a beautiful sunset. I highly recommend it. read more

Had a great time sailing out of the marina. We brought some food and wine along for the sunset sail and it was such a great experience. The Captain was so kind and was very much like a tour guide as well. He was very experienced and we all felt safe and so much fun. Would be great for a romantic night out or with a bunch of friends. read more

By far the best experience I've ever had with a boat. Perfect for anniversaries. Thanks Captain Joe.