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San Carlos Sailing School

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Who we Are

The Mission of the San Carlos Sailing School is to provide fun, safe

and exciting educational sailing experiences.

We accomplish our mission by having patient, skilled and experienced staff and instructors and by teaching a progressive, comprehensive and proven ASA Sailing curriculum.

  All of our courses provide  "hands on" learning,   in the beautiful and dynamic environments of the Sea of Cortez and the Sonoran Desert!

Our staff make each trip a unique and wonderful experience.

....let's meet them....

Hi, I am David Baraff, Director of the San Carlos Sailing School. Outdoor adventure and education is my life. Since graduating from the University of Arizona in 1989, I have worked in some incredible places and have met some fascinating people. From Alaska, to Arizona, to Baja and to Belize, I have hiked, biked, climbed and sailed with folks from ages 7 to 70. As a senior field instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) http://www.nols.edu/ for over 10 years, I learned to appreciate the outdoors as a place to learn, a place to have fun and a place that needs cared for. NOLS has been the biggest influence on my life and my career. I now try to bring that same professionalism, patience and positive learning environment to the San Carlos Sailing School and to teaching the ASA curriculum. I have sailed the Sea of Cortez for over 10 years and have come to love the stark beauty, the challenges and the fun provided by this extremely unique area of the world. I live in San Carlos with my wife Zaira and our 8 yr old daughter Paola. We all hope you come and join us on one of our great trips! Thanks!

Donald Gray is the founding partner of the San Carlos Sailing School. Since moving from Tucson, AZ to San Carlos in 1995, Don has explored the Sea of Cortez from Cabo to Kino bay. His vast knowledge of sailing skills, boat systems and Mexican History combined with his patient teaching style and humorous demeanor make Don an extremely experienced and fun instructor. Don's other interests also keep him on the water. He is a seasoned Kiteboarder and Windsurfer. You can check out more info about Don on his blog at http://kiteboard-mexico.blogspot.com/

Erick Meza has been with the San Carlos Sailing School for over a year now.  Erick is our right hand man!  While he helps us with all the preparation with the sailing school,  he is also an outdoor guide for San Carlos Adventures too  http://sancarlosadventures.com/  ...Erick spends a great deal of time on the water and in the desert.  He has a vast knowledge of local history, flora and fauna, and has a wonderful demeanor.  Erick is studying Tourism Administration at ITSON too!

Testimonials

We have had a lot of really great courses at the SCSS. Some of our students want to let you know what they think and what they experienced. They come from all over and fall in love with this area......we are sure you will too!

Here is what students say about us....

We spent three intensive days on board the "Free Spirit" with David, gaining the sailing experience we needed to qualify for our basic keelboat and coastal cruising certifications. David was an extremely knowledgeable instructor whose laid back personality helped to make it an enjoyable and rewarding experience. He gave us the encouragement and confidence to practice the sailing fundamentals in a relaxed yet focused environment. We had a great time and made a new friend - good weather, wonderful memories and we mastered the skills needed to succeed as novice sailors.

British Columbia, Canada

After looking at a number of schools both within and outside the USA to get my ASA certifications, I decided to take my courses with MexicoSailing in San Carlos. They offered the best value and I feel I got my money's worth and more. San Carlos itself is the perfect getaway especially in the winter, retaining much of its old world charm. It's hard to believe that someplace so beautiful and so near by remains virtually unknown. David made sure both of us were well practiced in every aspect of the course lessons. I can't imagine getting more at-the-helm experience under ideal sailing conditions. David was not only a patient and competent instructor, his knowledge of the plants and animals both on the land and in the sea in addition to his knowledge of the local history and customs, made for a comprehensive and fun learning experience. I came away from the experience feeling competent in the knowledge and skills I had gained. Next year, I plan on taking my entire family sailing in San Carlos.

Eric Berube, PhD

Bakersfield, CA

Dear David, Thank you for making our Cruising Fundamentals course such a success and a pleasure! I was more than a little nervous about sailing, but you gave me clear information and plenty of encouragement to take things at my own pace. That's what I needed. By the second day, I was sailing that triangular course and even doing the "Man Overboard" figure-eight drill with ease. By the third day it was starting to feel like second nature. Instead of thinking about how to manage the boat, I was just sailing, just going with the boat and the breeze and the sea. So THIS is why people love sailing! Thanks again for your patience and expertise, David. We'll be back soon!

Laurel Pollard - http://laurelpollard.com/

Tucson, AZ

We have taken three courses with David and Rodolfo. Both are very good instructors with a special knack for teaching. Both have infinite patience and are very personable. We not only learned a lot about sailing, but had a great time as well. We got our money's worth and more.
Jibe Ho!

Marshall and Cathy Giesy
Fiesta Tours International - http://www.fiestatoursint.com/
Tubac AZ

or check out this web site from Will and Sara.....http://will.sitch.org/fun/sailing/sancarlos/

Sailing San Carlos
Sara and I, having bought a 27' ericson for sailing around SF bay, needed to learn how to sail out in the ocean. We looked around and found the Sailing San Carlos website. We signed up a few weeks later for a five-day trip in the first week of 2006.

The trip was fantastic; we had a great time sailing and we also got engaged. This page covers the sailing portion, there's a whole other page with sunset pictures and other engagement details.........

For anyone looking for a real life sailing experience and an education at the same time I would definitely recommend San Carlos Sailing School. I truly enjoyed the real learning conditions that our instructor David was able to offer. I am a hands on learner and Davids course provided exactly what I was looking for. My purpose for gaining my Bare Boat Cert. is so that one day I may be able to Cruise Mexico. Davids course allowed me to do exactly that while learning!

Kirk Lance cruisingkirk@yahoo.com

FW BROWN Check out this wonderfull story by Dr. Fred Brown....Three Kookie Psychiatrists from San Antonio came down for an 8 day combo course....luckily, having a degree in Psychology myself (a degree my wife says I never use...), I could keep these guys from having too much fun! ...thanks guys for the great time...... read on...

JON PEARLMAN My friend and I hatched a plan to get our ASA certification while on vacation. We searched for school which had combined overnight sailing and ASA certification classes, and emailed several of them throughout the world (focusing on Mexico, and a bit in Europe). Dave at San Carlos Sailing School was the most responsive and worked with us to find a date that would fit into our vacation schedules, and also their training schedule... read on...

feel free to contact me with any questions

jpear99@yahoo.com

After three years of research for the best sail training area and school I chose San Carlos Sailing School ASA with David Baraff as my instructor. I took Basic Keelboat thru Bareboat, I found David to be a very experienced + competent teacher, I recommend San Carlos Sailing to all of my sailing friends. Four months after receiving my BAREBOAT Certificate I bought a 36 foot Islander Sloop set up for cruising at San Carlos Yachts, in short order I provisioned, checked the weather, filed afloat plan, then sailed out of the harbor into the beautiful Sea of Cortez. My wife and I sailed for days, we had a fantastic time, my dream come true, we are now sailing 2 months a year in the Sea of Cortez until I retire then it will be 7 months a year at least, thanks David and ASA---------------------------ASA member# 200600115-----------Baja Bush Pilot #2032b------

Kenneth J Morton----- Islandersancar@aol.com phone # 406-580-3139

Hey guys.......thanks for all the nice things you said about us.... It was easy......

...You guys did all the Sailing!