OFFSHORE SAILING SCHOOL CELEBRATES 55TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SPECIAL SAILING COURSE PACKAGES AND SEVERAL SPECIAL EVENTS

Fort Myers, Fla (September 17, 2018) – Offshore Sailing School CEO and President, Doris Colgate, announced the company is heading into its 55^th Anniversary Year in 2019, launching course specials and exciting events and programs throughout 2019.
“Steve Colgate and I never imagined what began as an idea on the back of a cocktail napkin in 1964, to start a sailing school in City Island, New York, would thrive for 55 years, allowing us to teach more than 150,000 adults and families how to sail, race and charter on their own. And for all these years, the enthusiastic support and loyalty from our graduates and colleagues in the sailing industry, has enabled us to make our livelihood enjoying the sailing lifestyle, and sharing our passion with family and friends,” Doris Colgate said.
The Colgates recently hosted three generations of family members on a catamaran sailing vacation in the British Virgin Islands. Steve and Doris Colgate created the idea of flotilla sailing vacations decades ago, working with founders of The Moorings and have personally hosted over 100 Colgate Sailing Adventures™ trips to such exotic ports as Tonga, Spain, Greece and the like.
Offshore Sailing School just kicked off a year-long celebration with 15% savings through its Year End Sailing Special on Learn to Sail, Fast Track to Cruising®, and Live Aboard Cruising courses at three premier resort locations on Fort Myers Beach, Captiva Island, and in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla. The company offers certification course packages aboard its 48’ Leopard catamaran from the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village in Cape Coral, Fla. and training aboard Power Catamarans on Tortola, but those courses are not part of this special.
Next up will be Women’s Weeks in November 2018 and January 2019. These Fast Track to Cruising® courses are for women, taught by one of the company’s female instructors at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach, Fla. In December 2018, the company will host its 3^rd Annual Racing Clinic on Fort Myers Beach, Fla., featuring US Sailing National Coach of the Year and Olympic Sailing Team Coach, Morgan Reeser, among other winning coaches.
The company will hold a record six Colgate Sailing Adventures flotilla vacations in 2019, including the unique, behind-the-scenes “Insider’s Guide to the BVI,” hosted by Offshore Sailing’s popular Caribbean Manager, “Dutch” Jongkind. “Both of the company’s bases at The Moorings in Road Town, Tortola, and the Marriott Autograph Collection Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina, are operational, a credit to the resilience of the residents, workers and visiting tourists to the beautiful British Virgin Islands. The Caribbean islands are very popular cruising grounds for sailors from around the world,” Steve Colgate expressed. Five additional trips will embark from St. Lucia, Grenada, Spain, Agana and Dubrovnik, Croatia. These extraordinary, fun trips are hosted by husband and wife, Nate and Heather Atwater. Nate was the company’s manager in New York several years ago. The company’s flotilla trips in 2018 sold out in Belize, the Greek Islands, and Tahiti.
Also in April 2019 the company will host its 19^th Annual Performance Race Week on Captiva Island, Fla., in conjunction with North Sails’ NorthU.
The company’s 55^th Anniversary Year celebration culminates with its Supporting Sponsor role at the 22^nd Hobie 16 World Championship being held November 1-16, 2019 at one of Offshore Sailing School’s partner resorts, South Seas Island Resort, on Captiva Island, Florida.
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“What makes Offshore Sailing School unique is that we offer turn-key course packages for US Sailing Certification. That means that students receive textbooks in advance, classroom and on-water training by a US Sailing-certified instructor aboard a Colgate 26 (designed for training by Steve Colgate) or 40’-50’ cruising yachts and catamarans, resort accommodations with resort taxes and amenity fees, US Sailing certification, logbook and diploma, graduate lifetime discounts and benefits,” added Doris Colgate.
A full-time Fleet Maintenance Manager keeps Offshore Sailing’s fleet in tip-top shape in Florida, while charter company partners at The Moorings look after the BVI fleet.  The Fast Track to Live Aboard Cruising® course includes all provisions aboard the boat for the week, except two dinners ashore. The company’s most popular combination course provides three US Sailing certifications, Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, and Bareboat Charter Cruising, enabling one to skipper a boat up to 50’ upon completion.
In addition to US Sailing certification courses, other Offshore Sailing School activities include 2-hour sailing lessons for resort guests and the public, ‘Tweens & Teens family sailing packages where up to three children ages 7-17 can learn for free with two paid adult tuitions, and team building, leadership development sailing programs and group regattas.
Offshore Sailing School was founded in 1964 by Olympian, America’s Cup Sailor and National Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee, Steve Colgate. The school provides a full range of sailing and boating instruction with US Sailing & Powerboat certification – from beginning sailing to racing, advanced cruising, and passage making – at six locations in Florida and the British Virgin Islands. Offshore Sailing School continues its decades-long commitment to the national Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by supporting 40 Leukemia Cup Regattas across the country and LLS Fantasy Sail weekends. The company also supports several other philanthropic causes and organizations located in the areas where its employees live, work and play.
For more information and hi-res images, contact Beth Oliver, Director of Sales and Marketing at 239-985-7516.