Learning to sail is a bucket list item for many people but learning to sail with your significant other is a twist on doing things to strengthen your relationship. This month’s featured school, Reef Runner Sailing does just that. A husband and wife team sharing their love of the ocean with potential cruisers. If you ever considered leaving your life and cruising with your mate, this sailing school can help you achieve your dreams.
Our school primarily operates out of Panama City Florida and part-time in Friendship Maine during the summer months. We go from Emerald Green waters and pristine white, sandy beaches of our uninhabited barrier islands littering the forgotten Gulf Coast to the rugged awe-inspiring rocky shorelines of the Maine coast.
What They Teach
We teach ASA 101/103/104/105/106/114/118 but our forte teaches cruising couples how to safely operate a sailboat as a functional team. My wife, Capt Erica, and I offer couples teaching couples courses for aspiring cruisers.
Meet Their Instructors
We’re a small school with myself, Capt Jeremy, doing the majority of the teaching. My wife has earned her captain’s license and left her career as a college librarian to help manage the school full-time. We have another Capt, Capt Jon, that helps handle the summer charter workload and the day-to-day demands of sailing.
Their Programs
Our specialty is bringing new sailors to the world of sailing. We build on their dreams and desires to open up a whole new world. Showing students how to progress into the sport of sailing or the cruising lifestyle has been the most satisfying aspect of teaching. Watching our students grow from complete novice boaters to competent sailors voyaging to all corners of the planet is rewarding, albeit quite motivating for us to keep exploring.
Their Story
Our niche in the world of sailing schools is our ability to stay small, stay humble, and stay patient. As sailors that found this lifestyle rather than being born into it, we remember what it’s like to be new, nervous, and uncertain. With those feelings still in the back of our minds, we’re able to break down complicated topics of physics and aerodynamics and translate that into real-life knowledge and hands-on training. It allows us to be patient and understanding. It allows us to grow our students’ confidence without pressure or embarrassment or shame.
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