Bluewater Sail Training

Are you looking to take your sailing skills to the next level and learn the practical aspects of ocean sailing beyond that of traditional sailing schools? Or are you interested in getting a dose of the realities of cruising the world on a sailboat? Combine your Captain Geoff’s 20+ years of teaching experience with his experience sailing all over the world in both the recreational and commercial worlds and you get an educational experience you simply won’t find anywhere else. From simple weekend training sails to Catalina to week long voyages along the California Coast we are experts at creating custom tailored curriculums for sailors of all abilities.

What You’ll Learn

One of the fascinating things about sailing is the incredibly diverse set of skills and knowledge base required to navigate the vessel safely and manage the crew effectively. Sailing really is one of those things that you can develop an understanding and appreciation of in a week but will truly take a lifetime to master. This course is designed to offer you an experience to fully immerse yourself in the voyaging experience and expanding your skill set while having an incredible time doing it. Yes, fresh caught fish tacos, fresh scones, and sous vide tri-tip sandwiches are very much essential skills of sailing.

Alchemy has been set up as a true blue water passage maker and is the perfect platform for developing your offshore sailing and cruising skills. You will not have an ensuite head and showers will be solar. There is no push button in mast roller furling mainsail, you will learn how to clip into a harness and furl a mainsail from the mast with waves crashing over the bow.

We will be taking turns on anchor watch through the night so you will have to be ready to sacrifice a few hours of sleep to read a book under a star filled sky. You will get likely get cold and wet while standing watch for what might seem to be the longest four hours of your life but will all be worth it when we gather around the glow of the fireplace for an evening cocktail. on the contrary you might find yourself wishing that that your watch could go on for eternity.

At times you might get frightened or frustrated but will soon be overwhelmed by absolute bliss and serenity. You will not have room service or housekeeping, in fact you are actually paying to cook meals, clean, and do dishes. What a deal! Just to be clear, this trip is not for everyone but for those who it is could be a life changing experience. By the end of this voyage you will have gained a well rounded understanding of what real cruising is like while furthering your sailing skills to a level that traditional sailing schools are unable to reach.

Pre-departure vessel inspections and safety checklists
Provisioning meal planing and packing strategies
Weather forecasting and route planning
Watchstanding
Cooking at sea
Traditional navigation techniques and practice
Radar navigation & collision avoidance
Knots & line handling
Sail handling and reefing
Wind vane steering
VHF communication
Boat handling, anchoring, mooring, and docking
Safety drills (MOB, Fire, Abandon Ship)
Every voyage and crew is unique and we will focus our educational goals accordingly
Course size is limited to three students
You will receive a sea service letter and certificate of completion outlining the skills you have learned.

$3,000/person for Seven Days. Limit 3

Sample Itinerary

Following is an example of what you might expect on one of our week long ocean cruising training courses. As always, everything is dependent on the weather and the schedule and our destinations will be adjusted accordingly..

Pre Departure:

Before we go anywhere we will spend a day going over everything we need to do before stepping on a boat for a multi day voyage. From vessel inspections, route planning and weather forecasting, to provisioning, you’ll learn how to prepare for a voyage safely and effectively.

Day 1: Marina Del Rey to Catalina

Day one we’ll take it a little easy to get settled into into life at sea. We will depart the dock at 0900 in the morning and set a course to Catalina Island. This leg will be approximately 30 miles allowing us to get into the anchorage and even get ashore for a little stroll of the island. We will limit our intake of Buffalo Milks and keep the partying at bay as the next day will be a long one.

Day 2: Catalina to Santa Cruz Island

Today’s leg is approximately 60nm as a gull flies from Catalina to Santa Cruz Island. We will want to make landfall during daylight hours so we will need to be underway by 0600. We will sail around Santa Barbara Island and be approximately 40nm offshore. Depending on visibility we may be completely out of sight of land. We will practice basic navigation techniques such as dead reckoning, radar fixes, set and drift, etc. Upon arrival we will begin our anchoring practice. The Channel Islands can be very tricky anchorages and can be very exposed to weather. This is an excellent place to practice various anchoring techniques. I maintain that if you can anchor safely here, you can anchor most anywhere.

Day 3: Santa Cruz Island to Cojo

We will wake up again on the early side and cook up a nice breakfast on the hook at Smugglers Cove. over coffee and breakfast we will talk about various anchoring strategies and techniques that we will be practicing throughout the day. Our final destination of the day will be Cojo Anchorage, tucked just inside of the infamous Point Conception. On the way there however, we will pass a number of very cool little anchorages where we will utilize every opportunity to rotate making an approaches and practice setting anchors. Once we clear the West end of the Island we will sail upwind towards Cojo. Before settling down for an early night of sleep we will talk about weather and currents and the elements that have the ability to turn Point Conception into one of the most treacherous patches of water in the world.

Day 4: Cojo to Morro Bay

Weather permitting we will weigh anchor and get underway at 0200 in the morning in order to motor around Conception before the winds have a chance to pick up and turn the seas around the point into an unconsolidated mess. Our destination for the day will be Morro Bay. The entrance to Morro Bay is one of the most iconic on the coast and makes for a perfect training ground for learning how to navigate with RADAR. We will all take turns navigating the boat in and out of the harbor with nothing but their RADAR navigation skills. We’ll top off with fuel and water then go tie up at the hospitable Morro Bay Yacht Club and go grab a bite ashore. Maybe sip down a pint or two. After a long couple days at sea it’s nice to have a bit of relax time.

Day 5: Morro Bay to Monterrey

This is going to be a long leg (about 100nm) and one where you’re going to get some practice standing watches while practicing both traditional and electronic navigation techniques. Along the way we will be passing San Simeon and if circumstances permit we’ll use the excuse of practicing anchoring in a new cove to have a quick lunch in one of my favorite hidey hole anchorages. From there we’ll continue the upwind sail along the Big Sur coastline until we round Point Pinos into Monterrey Bay. Our approach to Monterrey will be under cover of darkness so you’ll get to experience the pucker factor of entering a new anchorage when you can hardly see a thing. Of course we spend time on the way up the coast learning about making night approaches unto unfamiliar waters will be thoroughly prepared. Still, its always a relief to finally get the hook set and be able to relax after a long day.

Day 6: Monterrey to Half Moon Bay

Today is much less ambitious in terms of mileage. Approximately 55nm from Monterrey to Half Moon Bay. We will depart Monterrey around sunrise and motor across the bay towards Santa Cruz. These waters are rich with sea life and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for whales, dolphins, otters, and sharks. This will be our last significant leg of the trip and will be a great time to go over any areas of study that you may feel you need more work on.

Day 7: Half Moon Bay to San Francisco

Our final leg will be a day sail from Half Moon Bay to San Francisco. This is a great opportunity to learn about tides and currents, traffic separation schemes, weather patterns contributing to the Bay’s unique wind and fog. If the fog decides to roll in, we might have the perfect opportunity to utilize our new Radar skills to navigate safely into the bay. We can use any remaining time in the day for some final practice or simply just enjoy the feeling of having made it to a new destination and having completed a voyage along the rugged California Coast. We’ll spend one more night on board and spend a bit of time in the evening or the next morning giving Alchemy and learning how to put a boat to bed the way a proper yacht deserves. Then we’ll get you on your way home or to wherever life might be taking you next.