I can't remember a better couple of hours in my life. The stable, peaceful ship moves along in…read moresilence with the wind -- magical. There are beautiful vistas everywhere and many species of birds to see in their various patterns of flying, and we got close enough to see the ugly baby ospreys in their nest and the diligent and beautiful parents going and returning. I saw blue crabs, lots of birds, jumping fish, and calming vistas. I learned so much from well-crafted, literature-quality family and personal stories that made real the global warming in the Bay, DDT in the ecosystem, the conflicts about how to bring back the oysters, what the big donation-seekers really are doing, and more. You have to wonder why the state won't just stop oyster fishing until they recover. It would save the watermen instead of destroying their industry and then turning a dead Bay over to corporations who finally may resurrect it out of self-interest. These narratives were inspiring and persuasive. I'm impressed with the watermen's insights into their industry and its decline. The ship is beautiful. Captain Murphy is a rare human being. And this trip is something I'd hate to have missed. We were a huge group, so I didn't get any fresh oyster, so I'll go again, hoping for a slow day. I can't imagine eating an oyster right out of the Bay, not just alive on ice but a living Bay oyster. There's so much to enjoy. Capt. Murphy even told us a great place to eat. A truly wonderful couple of hours.

Tilghman Island, MD. historic landmark skipjack. The oldest in US still in operation. Has a…read morecapacity of 49 but there were only 4 on board along with the captain - Captain Wade Murphy.. $30 per person for a 2 hour cruise in the bay. Captain Wade gave a big talk about the boat and the bay. He is hi.self a celebrity. His son is likely to take over the business from him. Good cruise but not much to see in terms of birds or shore scenery. Capt harvest oysters during the winter. Gave us a lot of information about the role oysters play in filtering the bay, how the over harvesting has reduced their population to 1% within about a decade. Gave us a demo by dredging a few oysters. My wife ate her first ever oyster, raw, without even lemon juice. Very enjoyable experience.

Fished with Wayne for two days this trip on our vacation in Marathon. Caught enough fish to last…read morefor the entire trip. He is very knowledgeable about the area; fishing spots, restaurants to have the fish cooked and best places for Happy Hour.

I have to begin by saying that this was my first experience taking customers or going on a fishing…read moretrip myself. I really had no idea of what to expect. Our experience was excellent. Wayne and his mate were very accommodating and helpful during the entire process from organizing the trip, while on the water, and cleaning the fish. Our trip was just this week and we caught our limit in 3 hours. All very nice stripers! He told us prior to leaving the dock that the group he took out that morning had caught their limit in just under 2 hours and he wasn't sure how we would do that afternoon. Wayne does have a fish finder, but like any sport: fishing, hunting, etc. it really can be unpredictable. We had an awesome day and my customers loved the experience. I know a lot of other sales reps that also utilize Wayne and his expertise to take their customers out fishing. I have never heard a single complaint or bad experience about Gatling Guide Service. Keep up the good work, Wayne! See you again soon!

I highly recommend the ASOS for the US Coast Guard Captain licenses. I have been boating…read morerecreationally for about 8 years. After recently retiring, I decided to pursue my captain's license, and to improve my overall seamanship skills. I ultimately upgraded to the Master 100 Tons, and successfully passed on the first attempt. Captains Matt and Joe are very effective and knowledgeable instructors. There is a substantial amount of information (Rules of the Road, navigation, etc.) that is required to pass the tests. Their teaching methods make the information digestible, retainable, and practical.

For the on sight OUPV course, Captains Karen "Ren" and Matt were very strong instructors who keep…read morethe class highly engaged and challenged in order to be prepared and test ready during the week of class time. The method they use is very impactful.

I just completed ASA 101 with the Maryland School and had a great time start to finish. The…read moreCaptain/Instructor was extremely knowledgeable and made the safety of the crew his main priority. I learned a great deal and plan on taking course with this school again in the future. Outstanding experience all the way around!

Bottom line up front: the school was difficult to work with, unresponsive at times, incredibly…read morerude, and the ASA 106 course was cancelled about halfway through due to boat problems. They get two stars versus one because at least they had the decency to provide a full refund. I will never do business with them again, which is a shame as I live nearby and I'm now flying to other schools to continue my sailing education. Details: Last year my wife and I signed up for an ASA 106 course which was a DelMarVa circumnavigation. My wife had to cancel her participation due to a cancer diagnosis (she is now in full remission). Rita, the office manager, treated this as a serious inconvenience to her, rather than a situation to be empathetic about. In email exchanges, she stated that I "pressured her" on the phone to provide a partial refund, when in fact I NEVER SPOKE TO HER on the phone, because she never answered. She also wasn't terribly responsive on email, but she did eventually respond to things, sometimes weeks after we sent a message. I pushed back on her characterization that I pressured her. She did apologize and write "My apologies on the characterization and use of the word pressured. I do tend to take things personally and this season has been overwhelming." But this is just one indication of how poorly Rita treated us throughout the whole process. Let's just say customer services is NOT this school's strong suit. Rita is the daughter of the owner, Tom Tursi. I mention this only because if I ran the school, I would not tolerate this, but I can see why Tom would. Perhaps Rita is overwhelmed and they need office help. Or perhaps Rita isn't cut out for this kind of work, but the customer service element of the school is about as bad as it can get. On to the cancellation of the course. While in the middle of a marina, the engine shaft on the boat disengaged. This created a potentially dangerous situation, which was mitigated by the quick action of the crew/students. We ended up tying up to another vessel with fenders out while waiting for repairs. The vessel was repaired, but we lost a day stuck in a marina. Once underway again, we made it out into the Delaware Bay, where the same issue occurred. We needed to be towed in to a harbor in Delaware. I kept asking the captain and other instructor "what is happening next? What is the plan?" They had no answers. This is simply poor leadership. I ended up leaving and deciding that I was done with the course regardless of what they wanted to do. My wife, who just had chemo, drove out to pick me and another student up in Delaware. The fact that I was willing to abandon a $3K course in the middle of it is telling of how I felt at the time. I understand that things breaking at inopportune times is part of sailing. However, if I were the owner of the school, I would have driven out to where the boat was, addressed the students in person, apologized, provided refunds on the spot, and offered appropriate ground transportation to the students. Not doing so is just poor leadership. Providing strong leadership and decisive action in key scenarios is an important part of being a captain. The fact that this was not done in this scenario makes me question the leadership of the school. The fact that the engine shaft failed twice in three days also makes me question how they maintain their vessels and their choice of vessels in the first place. Ultimately the refund was provided, but there was no apology or explanation. Overall, the experience was negative from start to finish, from booking, logistics, dealing with my wife's health issues, the course itself, the boat problems, the aftermath, all of it. I suppose the instructors were knowledgeable and nice enough, but that was overshadowed by all of the other problems. The only redeeming quality is that at least they were honorable enough to provide a full refund to everyone except my wife, who could participate due to her cancer diagnosis. I ended up completing my 106 with another school and I'm currently enrolled in ASA 108 with BOSS - the Barefoot Offshore Sailing School.

I would give Captain Darrell more stars if I could. My friends and I had a fantastic time. The boat…read morewas very clean, even the bathrooms (which we lady's appreciated). His mate Tay was great and very helpful. Capt. took us where the fish were. Definitely recommend the Miss Violet. I hope to go again.

I took my son out with Capt Darrell on the Miss Violet for a half day fishing trip. Capt Darrell…read moredid not waste any time and put us on fish. My 10yr old son was reeling them in, having the time of his life! Capt Darrell and the first mate was super friendly and professional. The boat was clean and well kept. I will for sure be fishing with Capt Darrell again!

Excellent Captain and mate. Definitely will book again for our families annual fishing trip in…read moreSeptember!

Keith at GPS has been a boaters best friend!!!! He has fixed props, re-welded a hardtop strut, and…read morehas maintained my boat for the last 8 yrs. very dependable, and reasonable too!!!

Went fishing today with Captain Ed and first mate Jim on the Becky D. Our daughters (10 and 13…read moreyears old) and ourselves caught our limit in rockfish within the first 1 1/2 hour and then caught plenty of perch and other fish on top. A fantastic day of fishing guided by a great crew. I cannot recommend Becky D enough.

Just went fishing with capt Ed yesterday with my husband and four little ones. What an adventure!…read more We all had such a good time and Capt Ed was soo good at helping and teaching my kids. We caught a 30 in rockfish and 12 perches. Capt said that was a slow fishing day but we loved every minute of it. This will now be our end of summer family tradition. Another big bonus was having First Mate Jim clean and prepare our fish for us to take home. Love not having to do that part.