Specialties
Offshore Sailing School is America's #1 Sailing School, having taught over 160,000 adults and families to sail or sail better for more than 60 years. In St. Petersburg, you will learn to sail from US Sailing-certified instructors. We teach 3, 5, 7 & 10-day sailing certification courses from Learn to Sail, Performance Sailing and Racing, to cruising courses where you may stay ashore or live aboard and learn on a 40-50' cruising yacht or catamaran. For sailors seeking intermediate and advanced skills, we offer Coastal Navigation and Passage Making. Our most popular course is our Fast Track to Cruising, where we take you from your couch to the captain's chair in a week, earning 3 certifications so you may charter a boat on your own in the future. We operate 4 sailing schools at premier resort locations on Florida's West coast and the British Virgin Islands, offering sailing vacation and learning packages. We also offer corporate team building and leadership development sailing programs. Our fleet includes Colgate 26 keelboats and 40-50' sailboats and catamarans.
History
Established in 1964.
Founded by Olympian and America's Cup sailor Steve Colgate in New York City in 1964, Offshore Sailing School now operates 5 sailing schools with US Sailing-certified instructors. Steve's wife, Doris Colgate, co-wrote the textbooks and curriculum used consistently at all 5 sailing schools. Doris founded the National Women's Sailing Association and Women's Sailing Foundation. Both Steve and Doris Colgate have been inducted to the National Sailing Hall of Fame for their tremendous contribution to sailing education around the world. The schools 3, 5, 7 and 10-day sailing certification courses, ranging from Learn to Sail, Performance Sailing and Racing, Bareboat and Live Aboard Cruising, to Coastal and Offshore Passage Making. The school's fleet includesColgate 26 keelboats and 40-50' sailboats and catamarans. Offshore Sailing School is the Official Sailing School of the Moorings, the world's largest boat charter company.
Meet the Business Owner: Steve C.
Steve Colgate is co-owner, founder and Chairman of Offshore Sailing School, one of the foremost racing sailors in the United States and the pre-eminent sailing educator worldwide. Since Steve's first TransAtlantic race, he has compted in two America's Cup Trials, 20 Newport-Bermuda Races, 8 more TransAtlantic races, 8 Fastnets including the 1979 buster, the Olympics, Pan American Games and numerous small boat and maxi-ocean race competitions. In January of 2007, Steve sailied "around" the Horn on Seal - a purpse-build charter boat - with Peter Nielsen (Editor of SAIL magazine) and the captain and mate of this 56 footer. A Yale graduate, Steve is a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Cruising Club of America, the Royal Ocean Racing Club and recipeint of the President's Award from US Sailing for his dedication to promoting the growth of sailing. Steve has authored or co-authored all of Offshore Sailing's textbooks and co-designed the Colgate 26 keelboat used for instruction.