I had a terrific experience sailing with Blue Pacific Yachting in Marina del Ray (recently acquired by West Coast Multihulls) as part of their 3-day ASA 104/114 class to Catalina. This class is generally offered once a month on dates that would not work for me in coming months, so I really appreciated that Ellie in the office put together an off-cycle class that worked for me. My goals were to get time on a catamaran and get some local knowledge of Catalina Island. Our instructor Lori was very knowledgeable about the basic maneuvering we were able to cover in the class, and it was obvious she is very experienced going to Catalina. She was patient and observant and provided specific feedback as I got used to using a twin screw moving around and docking in the marina, and anchoring and picking up a mooring at Catalina. One thing to be aware of, and this is not a criticism but a trade-off for this class, is that the trip to and from Catalina uses up a lot of time that might have been spent on additional docking practice (maybe add a day?). Further, on this particular trip due to winds we motored both to Catalina and back which limited the actual sailing time. For my purposes that was not an issue since I was focused on local knowledge and already had significant bigger boat experience on monohulls since receiving the US Sailing BBC rating years ago. We picked up time though since Lori made the decision to have sailors come provisioned and pick up additional stuff at Two Harbors, which I was really glad about since the syllabus seemed to suggest that we would use up valuable class time talking provisions and going shopping. I definitely recommend Blue Pacific, and Lori! read more

Experience of a lifetime. Booked the Sea of Cortez 101, 103, 104, 114 Certification BOOKING: 5 stars Guinevere is super communicative. Though we didn't have certain questions or requests answered, it made sense when we got there. Changes in port locations and boats happened but again, Guinevere contacted me right away to make sure we were good to go. PROVISIONS: 5 stars We were curious what provisions were provided and never got a list. The reason is that it's based on season and availability. The variety of food and beverages provided on the boat was excellent. The only critique I have is that I would portion everything out a little smaller. There were huge 2 lbs balls of frozen fish or shrimp. I was able to portion them all out to have multiple meals however. BOAT: 5 stars Though we were assigned to a smaller boat than I was hoping for, the Vada Louine was an excellent boat to learn on. She was very good to us. SAILING CLASS: 5 stars.... Students: 0 stars Ok, we suck. We did what we were told and got the books and read as much as we could before the class. But never having been on a sailboat ever, it was like reading a foreign language. The classes and certifications was like being fire hosed with information and terms. By the end of the class, though, the reading made more sense. And having the hands-on experience on the catamaran was not only helpful, but invaluable. CAPTAIN JIM (Instructor): 5 stars + 12 jars of crunchy garlic (inside joke) We couldn't ask for a better Captain and instructor. Not only was he a great instructor, but definitely a mentor, a role model, and a confidante. He not only taught us and supported us, he also "rode the waves" of emotions that we went though on this journey--the excitement, stress, fear, and joy. He shared his wisdom, experience, as well as provided us an adventure of a lifetime. I cannot express how great he is--a wonderful instructor and human being. All in all, what an amazing trip, learning experience, vacation. I have and will highly recommend West Coast Multihull to anyone interested in learning. I definitely want to do this class again. read more

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We had an amazing time this week chartering the Bali 4.3. Most people thought we were nuts, charting a vessel this big for just 2 people but we had the most relaxing, chill time out on the water. We weren't able to sail out to the Coronado Islands due to choppy waters and fear of sea sickness (as we are newbies) but we spent a great day sailing the San Diego and Coronado Bay, learned more about sailing in general (something that we wanted to do), and just really enjoyed the day. We were able to sail for a good portion of the day without motoring so that was pretty amazing. Our captain, Ryan was super awesome. He was friendly, informative, and really knew what he was doing. We'll definitely be chartering and if possible, will request Captain Ryan .. and will hopefully take up sailing lessons at some point as well. Money well spent and a lot of self-care, relaxation, and just "being" .. read more

West Coast Multihulls - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

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I took ASA 101 with West Coast Mutihulls. No forced memberships like some of the other places and the instructor RYAN was A- MAZING!!!!! thanks again for teaching me sooo much in such a short time. I wish i would have taken more classes though, i feel addicted to sailing and it was only my 4th time on the water read more

Whether you're local to San Diego or not - I can't recommend West Coast Multihulls + Anthony (The Happy Captain) enough. I completed my ASA 104/114 with West Coast + Anthony as the Instructor. I've taken courses at several sailing schools (BVIs, Panama, Los Angeles) and I learned more in the 3 days spent with Anthony as the instructor than I did any other course. Anthony's teaching style is empowering and allows you to teach other people to help you better understand "why" things are done. His passion for the sailing lifestyle is infectious and his 30+ years of on-the-water experience help him make more complicated subjects easy to understand to his students (e.g. for me it was Velocity Made Good). Only warning is after a weekend with West Coast + Anthony, you'll probably want to go buy that boat you've been dreaming about and set sail for the next year. :) read more

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We had a fantastic day on San Diego Bay! Thanks to Guinevere, Vicki, Kim, and especially our outstanding Captain Kyle . Chartering the Bali 43' catamaran was fun, relaxing, and made for a wonderful day read more

We have just returned from our 5 day trip in La Paz and I really can't say enough about how much we enjoyed it. Ryan was an amazing Captain. He consulted with us more then once a day about where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. He managed to find some wind so we could sail, which we really enjoyed. He also kept our glasses full, which seemed above and beyond! We felt completely safe at all times and in very good hands. And we were also extremely well fed! Chef Heather really outdid herself with our meals and snacks. We ate 5 times a day! She accommodated our vegetarian daughter beautifully. We enjoyed the food so much we are stealing some of her recipes and ideas to make ourselves. We cruised in Mexico for 5 years on our our boat and it was so much fun to go back and visit the places we had so enjoyed during our cruising days. It was like going home. It was as beautiful and peaceful as we remembered. We spent hours lounging, snorkeling, stand up paddle boarding, playing games and bonding as a family. It is very special when you can get your adult children somewhere that has no internet! They have to talk to you! It is truly priceless. But the best part was, unlike on our boat, we didn't have to worry about captaining the boat or making the food so it was a true vacation! We all really enjoyed that. I would recommend your company to anyone. It was a wonderful trip. Thank you so much for all you did to make it happen. And a big thank you to Ryan and Heather who were truly outstanding! read more

Wow!! We had the BEST time sailing with Captain Trevor Hinkey. I wish I could give this company & the captain 10 stars each. We were on the FP Mahe 36 Catamaran for an overnight adventure in the San Diego Bay. The boat was beautiful, super clean, with really comfy bunks. Trevor toured us around San Diego and took us out in the open water where we could really set sail. This trip has left me day dreaming about when we can do it all over again. Thanks West Coast Multihulls & Cpt. Trevor!! We'll see you soon :) read more

West Coast Multihulls - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

Man, this experience was everything I hoped it would be and more for my birthday dinner on a boat. First let's start with customer service. Guinevere was awesome, she was very friendly and accommodating, especially the day of as I was running around and I kept calling to ask questions. I will say though, it is better to call them than email or text. Now the boat... We rented the Bali 4.3 catamaran which held about 12 passengers, we only had 8 so there was plenty of room. The boats design, aesthetic and functionality was amazing! The kitchen/dining area was modern and had plenty of room for guest to eat a full dinner (which we really enjoyed) all together at the table. It had a full size fridge to house drinks and bday cake, and a full freezer. Nice sized sink, oven and microwave which all came in handy. Oh and it had two bathrooms for guest to freshen up. The outdoor deck had plenty of room for lounging, sun bathing, playing cards and just enjoying company. The cockpit if you will, had great room to learn how to drive the boat with the captain if you're lucky. The only negative thing I have to say about the actual boat was the speaker system, the sound quality wasn't great, probably should have plugged in the aux cord instead of going bluetooth lol. Other than that it was perfect. Finally the price... The price for the half-day was very affordable and competitive with other rental companies in the area. However, their full day price was probably the better option/way to go. Guinevere did mention this over the phone, but I wasn't sure if my guest wanted to be on the boat all day, boy was I WRONG. If you decide to treat yourself or do a couples trip for a multi-day charter to Mexico or Catalina, you will have a great/comfortable time. read more

My fiancée and I did a two day catamaran cruising course ASA 114 earlier this month in prep for a trip to the BVI later this summer. We could not have been more pleased with the communication prior to the course, quality of the instructor and course, and the provided vessel as well. My fiancée was nervous due to poor previous instruction in the past. Capt Andy our instructor completely removed that and was calm patient and thorough in course material. We had an incredible time learned all we could have hoped to and more. I highly recommend contacting this company either for a cruise or instruction in sailing especially if Multihulls are an interest to you. Thank a again to Mike for helping me get the class off scheduled times and Andy for your diligence patience and hard work. Great job guys !! read more

West Coast Multihulls - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

What an amazing experience! The captain was amazing! They made my Birthday experience unforgettable! Will charter with them again! Thank you @1happycaptain! read more

West Coast Multihulls - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

Dropped in for a 2 day ASA 114 certification and had a fantastic experience. Captain Anthony is a fantastic instructor, calm, explains things clearly, lets students learn hands on. He adjusted each day to match the weather and what the students wanted to practice. read more

We had a group of 12 and rented the Bali 43. Kyle Roberts was our Captain and he did an amazingly job! He was professional and curious and he knew exactly where to take us for a fantastic day on San Diego bay. West Coast Marine made the experience easy and convenient. The Cat was in great shape and provided a very comfortable space for our party of 12 to cut loose and have a great time. I highly recommend using West Coast Charters and Kyle Roberts as your Captain for a great experience on beautiful San Diego bay! Dave F. read more

We did our ASA103, 104 and 114 in a week long course with West Coast Multihulls. We did it as a family of 4, 2 adults with 2 kids tagging along for the ride. Captain Lance Botthof was amazing, and helped us juggle our kids with our learning. He was a wonder with our little ones. Vicky in the office helped us to pull this whole thing together and really went the extra mile when we hit a few hurdles. I can't say enough nice things about these guys - they rock. read more

My wife and I just completed the week long ASA 101, 103, 104, and 114 classes and had an unforgettable experience. The first two days were for the ASA 101 course taught by our instructor Steve. He was such a pro on the water, and an extremely patient and thorough instructor. He's spent over fifty years sailing and living on a boat, so he was able to answer every single question we could possibly think of as well as tell us some incredible stories about life on the ocean. We lucked out and didn't have anyone else with us for the whole week, so we got to do everything and practice everything twice as many times. By the end of the second day on the water, we were both really comfortable sailing the 21' Capri - successfully heaving-to, tacking, jibing, and docking. I highly recommend learning to sail in a busy area like the San Diego harbor because you'll have many opportunities to test your knowledge on right-of-way rules with all the traffic around. The next five days were aboard a Fontaine Pajot Lucia 40 catamaran with Captain Andy. He was also an excellent teacher! He was very patient with us, even when we had trouble remembering things. We will never forget the steps to raise a mainsail (clear the lazy Jack's, clear the topping lift, release the mainsheet)! I mentioned to him that I liked fishing, and he brought along gear so we could fish underway. He was fully prepared with different learning aids to help us, including a set of ropes so we could practice all the knots. By the end of our trip, we were both pros at tying all the required knots and then some! My wife got a little seasick part way through our journey, but Captain Andy had brought an electronic band that really helped her through it. We felt like we were in great hands with him as an instructor, and got to experience two days with 20+ knots of wind and two reefs in the mainsail. We saw dolphins, two submarines underway, and I caught a couple fish. Our route we took was from San Diego to Oceanside where we docked and took our dingy to go eat out at a great place (every place Captain Andy recommended was great). The next day, we went up to Dana Point and dropped the hook in a somewhat crowded anchorage and feasted on freshly caught bluefin tuna, yellowtail, and smoked salmon. The marina there was a great place for the two of us to practice driving the catamaran with the sticks. We were both docking like pros by the time we were done, and even got to practice ferrying back and forth between two docks. In the morning we took paddleboards out and did some exploring, then we took off for Avalon. When we reached Avalon, we picked up a mooring ball and had another amazing dinner. The next day, we spent at least 12 hours out sailing - we practiced several different MOB maneuvers, practiced picking up mooring pins, practiced heaving-to, reefing the sail, tacking, jibing, and anchoring. On the last day, we woke up early and set sail back to San Diego, having perfect wind for most of the sail so we could fly the spinnaker. This experience greatly exceeded my expectations. The only thing that took away from having a perfect experience was the head in this catamaran. It stunk. Bad. In fact, both of them smelled (one was electric, the other manual). We ran three times as much water through it as you should have, but there was just something about the design that caused it to smell. 10/10 would recommend West Coast Multihulls and Captains Steve and Andy read more

I wish I could give our experience 10 stars. 11 ladies took a morning 9-1pm cruise with Captain Ryan Craft. It was for my bachelorette, and it was the perfect laid back morning I was looking for. The boat was beyond amazing: plenty of lounge area, a big table for eating, a fridge to load everything into and speakers for jams. Ryan made sure I got my swim in, even though he thought I was crazy for jumping in in November. No one got sea sick, and everyone had the best time! read more

West Coast Multihulls - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

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Our experience with West Coast Multihulls was amazing! I reserved the Leopard 40-Rambling Rose for my party of 10 and it was absolutely perfect, clean and the most affordable in the area. Our captain, Kyle, knew exactly what he was doing and he went above and beyond. He even surprised us with a box of White Claws for our party! (Bachelorette) totally not expected but it goes to show how this business values it's costumers! I will definitely be back. read more

Super fun time with my family! Captain Chris was great! We all want to do a longer sail reip next time!

I just returned from a 3-day course with West Coast Multihulls: The ASA 104/114 combo class. I dealt with Mike Tolda for the signup details, and then Lance Botthof was my instructor for the weekend. I've taken a number of sailing courses over the past 10 years, and this was absolutely the best one yet. Everything was super easy to get set up thanks to Mike (and he was also a great guy to meet once I arrived for day one of my lessons), and Lance did a fantastic job as instructor all weekend long. Lance did not only cover everything we needed for the exams, but also imparted a ton of practical advice beyond what the course would technically require. He answered every question we had, and provided answers to questions we students did not think or know to ask. The boat we sailed on for all three days was the "Ocean Spirit", and it is the nicest charter boat I've ever been on, especially for a class. The instruments available on the boat were phenomenal, the boat was clean and extremely nice, and Lance did everything in his power to make sure that we had everything we needed to make us comfortable and happy for the whole weekend. I learned a ton, and had a great time. I would highly recommend West Coast Multihulls to anyone looking to learn to sail catamarans, and I look forward to sailing with them again and again! read more

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We planned our charter well before Covid for a nice night out on the water after our wedding. Covid happened but West Coast Multihulls was awesome and helped move the reservation almost 2 years from when we originally booked it. It was such a special and fun time to be out on the water with my wife. We had the best Captain, Ryan Craft, who made every moment amazing. We will 100% be booking another charter in the future! Also, do the wine and cheese package. The charcuterie board was awesome!!! read more

Our group enjoyed an epic day on the water thanks to West Coast Multihulls. They charter a nice selection of boats so it was easy to arrange one that fit our group. Very nice condition! And the staff from the office manager to the skipper were fabulous! They made it so easy for me to organize our adventure, and made sure all my friends had a wonderful time. We will definitely book again with this company! read more

West Coast Multihulls - Sailing San Diego Bay - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

Every couple of years we treat ourselves to a catamaran sail. It is always a bonding moment for my family and friends and so amazing. We make a good sailing mix of songs, a few drinks and crackers and cheese and the rest is just magical. Hair in the wind and you never want it to end. These boats are very nice. I have tried several ones and they all impress. Some boats have kayaks. Next time we will do an overnight. Captain Lance was really great as well as the office team. read more

My fiancé and I we're planning my 40th birthday and decided to use West Coast because they were the only ones in the area that featured a Bali 4.3 at such an amazing price! We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the staff were simple fantastic! And the captain (Paul) was not only knowledgeable, but super friendly and cool! Definitely recommend this company! read more

I do not write many reviews. However, these guys are legit. My girlfriend and I recently completed the week long ASA Certification Courses as part of their Loreto, Mexico course offering. Mike did an excellent job setting things up for us. He really worked with us to set up our training. I looked at two competitors and they were both more expensive and not the least bit willing to work with us on schedule. Loreto (Puerto Escondido) was a excellent place to do the training. The port facilities were superb. Brand new, immaculate, and super safe. There was not too much boat traffic, so we were able to get the premium anchorages and just focus on having fun and learning. Captain Richard taught us a bunch and we feel prepared to really get out and safely sail on our own. If you are looking for a Catamaran live aboard course, look no further! read more

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Attended a 5 day chartered trip on a catamaran in Loreto, Mexico. Unprofessional Captain and staff. Captain drinking while undersail and not undersail. Captain and staff made some poor decisions that made me feel unsafe. I couldn't run fast enough off that boat when it returned to port. read more

It's rare that the experience you hope for, the little fantasy you have playing in your head prior to an event, is actually surpassed by the event itself. That is what West Coast Multihulls delivered for me. From the warm greeting by Guinevere, to the experience and laid-back, yet professional attitudes and instruction of both Captain Eddie, and Captain Lance, I could not have asked for more. I took ASA courses 101, 103, 104, and 114 over 7 days and although it is a large amount of information and hands-on instruction to get through in one week, they did a tremendous job. Both the couple I took the class with and I tried to find some sort of constructive criticism to give to Guinevere at the end of the course and the only thing we could come up with was: More Wind! :) Seriously, I can not recommend West Coast Multihulls enough, the people are genuine and caring, the instruction is first class, and the experience is beyond amazing. Stop reading this and go make a reservation! read more

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Great trip sailing the beautiful Southern California waters with Captain Trevor! Trevor displayed so much confidence and expertise sailing the Mahe 36' Catamaran that we all had such an enjoyable, relaxing time. I'm already longing for another adventure with West Coast Multihulls and Captain Trevor. read more

Amazing service and beautiful boat!!!! We were treated like king and queens during our stay. Michael Toda was amazing and was full of great advice on what to do in San Diego! Captain Murphy was so accommodating during our sunset cruise and even took amazing photos of us!!! Will definitely be using their services again and cannot wait to come back!!! Showers and bathrooms off shore were clean and very comfortable! read more

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Wife and I took courses ASA-101,103,104 and 114 West Coast Multihull. Basically jumped into the deep end of the pool. We read the material before arriving, that's pretty key, but a lot of things will not make sense until you get hands on. Our Capt/Instructor Anthony Austin "Happy Capt", absolutely nailed the courses. His knowledge was extremely deep, and his ability to instruct was shear mastery. The weather conditions for ASA-103 was 12 foot seas, blowing at 25, gusting 30 knots. He showed us double reef on mainsail and jib, our Leopard Catamaran 44' eased into the Pacific. The learning and adventure was set. It was complete wow, we did Man Over Board (MOB) drills until we could handle that vessel, not the vessel handling us to get into position for saving life, quickly! We went from knowing squat, to confidence at the helm in any situation. We had instructor inputs as we grew in knowledge, for example, GPS failures, Power loss, Auto pilot failures. Happy Capt intensified our experience as we grew in knowledge and demonstrated performance, never making us feel "out of control". The ending of the course was gaining experience at approaching, docking and basically being able to completely control an extremely expensive vessel. I had to put the corner edge of the starboard stern step off, onto a cleat between a multi-million dollar yacht and another catamaran with the wind blowing at 10 knots. Wasn't even a thought, only control and execution. Two thumbs up! Class act, Thanks Happy Capt, well done sir. West Coast Multihull has excellent instructors and believe me, they delivered. We flew from the east coast to experience this training, money well spent. read more

West Coast Multihulls - Anthony Austin legendary "Happy Capt" - Boat Charters Near Me - San Diego, California

West Coast Multihulls is *great*. Our instructor, Steve, was a fantastic teacher, thoughtful and insightful, but really let you learn while keeping you safe. Highly suggest them to teach 101! read more

Kim, Kurt, Guinevere and the entire team at West Coast Multihulls are nothing short of AMAZING!! Professional, Passionate, Detail Orientated along with having great Boats. A special shout out to Capitans Richard & Andy. Richard was our Capitan on a 5 day Catalina Charter. Extremely knowledgable and a ton of Fun. Recently I took a day class with Andy and I learned more than some of my multi-day classes and just like Richard; massive depth of sailing knowledge and made sure we had a great time while learning. I am looking forward to my Bareboat Charter in August. I would highly recommend West Coast Multihulls for lessons, day or extended charters. read more

Kurt, Thanks for responding to my 8/16/2014 post on 10/29/2015, over a year later. You could have called me. You could have responded earlier. Those actions would feel like amazing service. From the beginning, I was told there were multiple people going on this boat, and had only one berth available. I paid for one, just me, and was told if you found a way to take two people in that one berth, then you'd take their money over mine, and i wouldn't be able to go. I said that was fine. You didn't find two people, and then looked into my request. I told Mike FROM THE BEGINNING that if my request could not be honored, i could not go for medical reasons. I would not have reserved the berth if i knew that my request could not be honored. You are correct I did receive a full refund. But that wasn't your idea. Mike maintained that wasn't possible, so I followed up the credit card company, and the credit card company said since WCM had not delivered what they charged me for, WCM could not enforce its cancellation policy. I think you choose to refund me the money to save your own skin with your credit card processing bank, probably because they don't take well to what they considered a fraudulent charge. "Great service" looks like WCM saying "hey, sorry we can't accommodate you, here's a full refund, and we'll try again next time. I paid in good faith we'd work it out, and Mike didn't honor that. So I talked to the credit card company, and they agreed with me. As to my actions forcing you to cancel a boat and a caption - if you would have found out whether my request could be honored BEFORE you took my money [BTW, that is also what great service looks like], booked the boat, found a captain, well, a great deal of this could have been avoided. I still wonder about a large cat not having even moderate battery capacity. But I think you didn't bother, because you thought you'd find two folks to take my berth, and collect twice what you collected from me. But in the words of Mike, "hey, ok, have it your way." read more

Just had an amazing experience looking at the Helia 44. I was worried that because my plan is to buy a boat in two or three years they wouldn't want to show me boats. I had no need to be worried. Kurt went above and beyond answering my questions and letting me really get a feel for the boat. Kurt Thank You! I am so happy I finally was able to step foot on the boat I think I want and see how it feels with my 6 foot 6 stature walking through it. read more

I called twice, leaving a week between calls, to get information about their 105/106 certifications and never received a call back. Business must be amazing that they don't have time to return a phone call... read more

We have run the table with WCM. We were students, chartered boats, purchased a boat and now have it in the charter fleet that WCM manages. I must say every experience has been a class act with no stone left unturned to assure we were happy with the process. I cannot recommend the more!! read more

Three of us completed the 7 day ASA 101, 103, 104, 114 course. It started off a little rocky as the office had us scheduled for coming aboard the following day. But Mike more than made up for the little inconvenience. He provide free parking for the week and an excellent bottle of wine. Our first instructor, Ed, for the first two days was absolutely fantastic. He was extremely patient, knowledgeable and friendly. He spent more time with us that we were scheduled for and made the entire class a learning and fun experience. Our 2nd instructor although not quite to Ed's standard was extremely knowledgeable although not quite as patient. I think he was a little tire of students asking and doing the same dumb things repeatedly. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate as expected or desired but the entire 5 days were educational and fun. He spent a great deal of time on the areas were we all needed the extra experience. I would highly recommend this school for sailing instruction. We all plan on taking more advanced courses from them in the near future. read more