Absolutely phenomenal ASA 101 experience with Pacific Sail! I had the pleasure of learning from Dylan and Darrel, and I couldn't have asked for a better team. Both instructors took the time to thoroughly cover the material--balancing hands-on learning with classroom-style instruction (Darrel even led lessons right in the hull of the boat!). We practiced tacking, jibing, tied a variety of useful knots, and learned all the parts of the boat in a way that was both fun and deeply informative. Even during wild weather (30+ knot gusts that caused racers to retire their boats!) and a brief engine hiccup, the experience was safe, empowering, and invaluable. I learned not just the textbook approach to handling situations like a man overboard, but also real-world knowledge--like how to troubleshoot engine issues (thanks, Dylan!) and who to call in a marine emergency (thanks, Darrel!). Dylan's patience and steady encouragement made sailing feel approachable, even when conditions were intense. Darrel brought humor, depth, and thoughtfulness to every moment--together, they're a truly outstanding teaching duo. I also had the chance to meet Kate, another instructor, who was all smiles and incredibly helpful, waving while passing up on her tow boat and then cracking jokes to Darrel when she prepared for her Chardonnay crew to take off. On land, Natalie and Ethan from the front desk were warm and welcoming. Natalie and Ethan even walked me over to the boat with my coffee in hand to make sure I didn't get lost. I left this course genuinely feeling like I have a solid foundation in sailing--both in skill and confidence. I highly recommend Pacific Sail to anyone looking to start their sailing journey. This team is the real deal! read more

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Just finished my asa 103 lessons. Dylan is a really great captain! He's very encouraging and patient for my tons of weird questions. There is nothing he doesn't know he even knows the best fresh restaurant in Santa Cruz! You should all try his lessons and start to love sailing in the blue ocean with beautiful creatures! read more

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I would like to compliment Pacific Sail on choosing Richard Jensen as an instructor. We learned so much on this class - Richard has a wealth of knowledge and experience, he was always able to answer our questions (of which we had many!), he simplifies complex topics to very practical approaches that are easy to remember and implement in practice, even under pressure, and he has a great sense of humor. It was a very positive and fun experience! read more

I completed the ASA101 certification class with Pacific Sail over the last two weekends - it was a wonderful experience. Both our instructors Richard and Jeff had decades of sailing wisdom and it was an incredible learning experience. If you are looking to get into sailing, I would highly recommend going with Pacific Sail - they have several options to get started. read more

My son and I completed the ASA 101 and 103 certification class at Pacific Sail last week. We had an absolutely outstanding experience. Our instructor Richard was a great teacher and a lot of fun to be around. Couldn't recommend this more program more. read more

Just finished up three weekends on the water with Bruce and Justin with Pacific Sail. Slightly different perspective, all extremely valuable. I have been sailing almost weekly for the past five years and still learned a ton of stuff and learned some new skills. read more

My husband, son, and I just completed 8 days ASA bare boat sailing certification course at Pacific Yachting and Sailing. We all loved it and had great experience! Marc Kraft is a very knowledgeable, helpful, and accommodating manager. We had a pleasure to learn how to sail in style from 4 excellent instructors - Steven, Chris, Chrysta, and Mark. We would highly recommend Pacific Yachting and Sailing! read more

Marc was great at making a short notice private / captain charter possible on April Fools =). Todd, our captain was amazing. I took took the helm right away as we left the harbor, as we started to raise the furling mainsail, it was well, jammed in the mast. It took about an hour or more to get the very stuck mainsail out - Todd during this time took great care and patients to keep us out of the way of other sailboats both big and small (there happened to be a small race going on that day). I cannot say enough about Todd, and how awesome he is as a teacher and captain. He really took the time to show/teach my girlfriend and I points of sail, trim, and even felt sorry that most of our trip was while he was trying to get us sailing in the first place.. At the end of our day, Todd mentioned he would talk with Marc to either get us 2 hours on the water at no cost, or take that time off of ASA classes (which my girlfriend and I intend to take the 8 day live-aboard classes). Very professional, easy going, informative, nice, I just can't say enough on how happy I was with the experience and I can't wait to see them again to start our classes. read more

These are people who love sailing and love to share it.. Marc and his crew are all interesting characters in their own right, and I loved hearing stories of their sailing adventures from around the world as much as I valued their technical instruction. If you're reading this review, it's probably because you're interested in learning to sail: stop clicking around and delaying your decision. Call Marc, book a class, and get on the water. Live the dream. (if you're reading this because you're looking to charter a boat: ol' Pacific Spirit is one of the finest ships afloat) read more

We took the Private 8 Day Bareboat course, and could not be happier with the experience. Marc, the owner, was easy work with and very helpful. He promptly mailed us the ASA books, and was alway quick to respond to our questions. We had taken the time to study the course materials prior to arriving, which definitely helped a lot. We were able to sail in several different wind conditions, that will be a normal occurrence for this, and the SF Bay area. Our Instructor, Todd Johnson, was patient and knowledgable, and had an excellent disposition. He was very supportive and challenged us, as our sailing ability developed/improved. Staying on the sailboats over night was a great bonus, and there are many fantastic restaurants right within easy walking distance from the marina. Our personal favorite was Johnny's Harborside! We also enjoyed eating our lunch at anchor, as well as docking for lunch. We look forward to returning to Pacific Sail soon! read more

Pacific Yachting and Sailing is the best for sailing classes, and chartering. I took a basic sailing class a few years ago with another outfit so I have something to compare to and PY&S is by far the better experience. The instructors are all different but are friendly, and are more than competent. They are not professional instructors but some have great experience and will give you valuable insight into sailing and sailboats, in addition to the class material. And, if you really like sailing you can get on the crew list and will be notified via email when someone needs a crew member. Marc Kraft, the owner, does his best to make sure you have a memorable and enjoyable experience. read more

I took my team of 80+ people here for an offsite. Marc (the President) put together a sailing/regatta package that was fantastic and very reasonably priced. The group divided up into 13 boats of 6 people and spent part of the morning learning their way around a sailboat and then staged a race. The only issue was that there wasn't enough wind to really fly. I would recommend trying to pick a time of year when there is stronger wind (we went in August). However, even without a strong wind, it was still a blast. My group had a fantastic time and it provided a natural, organic, and non-contrived team-building experience. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great activity for their teams. read more

Just did the 2-day basic sailing and seamanship training and the experience has been amazing. Shannon (our instructor) was great - took his time to walk us through all aspects of sailing and had some great experiences & stories to share. We were given the full control of the boat both the days and got a chance to play all the parts of a sailing crew. We'll probably complete the 8-day course sometime soon and get ourselves certified to rent a boat the next time! Recommended. read more

Still the best! The experience that started with Mark and his team has taken us far!

Took a sunset cruise last weekend on the Chardonnay II. The staff were helpful and friendly. And the snacks were quite yummy. Loved the free flowing wine!! Would love to do it again if I am ever in the area. read more

Marc and the team at Pacific Yachting ran a Corporate Team Building Challenge for my group at work. We had a fantastic day, everyone had a great time. it was the perfect balance of fun and competition. I recommend it highly! read more

Marc and his instructors are knowledgeable and friendly, and made getting my ASA Bareboat certification a blast! The boats are well taken care of. I'm already recommending Pacific Yachting and Sailing to any of my friends who have the sailing bug. read more

Pacific Sail - S/V Letting Go enjoying the humpbacks - Boating Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Highly Recommended Provider. I've been sailing for a long time - first as a kid on sunfish boats at summer camp, then as an adult on charters in California, the Med, the Caribbean. I finally decided to get my ASA Bareboat Charter License and checked out different providers in the Bay Area. Really glad we chose Pacific Yachting and Sailing. The equipment was in excellent shape and our three family member gang got lots of helm time and a deep understanding of how to manage the boat in tight quarters with every possible docking situation covered including port, starboard, reverse, spring off and taking on fuel. Our teacher, Chris, was remarkably patient and his style helped every member of our family develop real confidence about every aspect required for competent bare boat chartering from sail management, to marina navigation, anchoring, man overboard and radio communications. I've had lots of technical training over the years (private pilot) and all I can say is Chris is a gifted, natural instructor who imparts confidence and owns a depth of knowledge that makes it possible for him to connect with every learning style. Looking forward to becoming a Pacific Yachting and Sailing member and spending lots of time out on Monterrey Bay with the family. read more

Amazing experience with these guys. Marc is extremely professional, responsive and accommodating. We had Captain Frank for two all day lessons as a couple. He is knowledgeable, experienced, thorough and above all extremely patient. He really gave us the opportunity to get a feel for the boat rather than just text book steps in completing the sailing drills. From turning a 32 ft sail boat on a dime, docking it, anchoring, sailing all points, jibing, tacking picking up a man over board and heaving to; Frank takes you through everything step by step and you practice until you get it. He gives you a feel for the wind, the waves and installs confidence that you can be safe in stronger breezes and higher seas. Excellent experience! read more

I love Marc and his company! I completed the Bare Boat Certification Classes and now I am certified as a skipper to charter a bare boat. It was an amazing and intense experience and one that I wouldn't trade for the world! All of the Captains were professional and wonderful to work with. I encourage anyone who has wanted to learn to sail to take the classes offered and full fill your dream as I did! read more

Took the basic sailing and seamanship class with my daughter last weekend and it was great. Our instructor Tim was very knowledgeable and his approach to teaching was to focus on a hands on experience which was great for beginners. We really enjoyed the 2 day class and recommend it to anyone looking to get into sailing. We'll definitely be back. read more

We chartered our sailing tour and were lucky to have Richard Jensen as our captain. He is awesome ! Had a great time and look forward to doing it again. read more

I did the 8-day training course for the bareboat chartering license and I had a great time and learned an awful lot about sailing in those 8 days! All of us stayed on the boats over night and that was free of charge. We had three different instructors that were very experienced and knowledgeable sailors, who were great teachers. If you want to learn how to sail, these guys are just the best! read more

We just finished our Coastal Cruising certification. Marc, the owner, was great to work with in setting everything up to making sure we worked our way through the requirements. Bruce, our instructor, was terrific. He is a very experienced sailor as well as a great teacher. He patiently guided us through all the things we needed to learn and certify on. It was a great experience and we accomplished what we came for. There may be other good sailing schools but frankly I think Pacific is the best. read more

This place is great. My brother and I learned how to sail here. The owner, Marc, is really nice and runs this company great. We took three weekends of sailing lessons and then took a practical test where you take an instructor out who yells out instructions and you have to perform the tasks without any help. He then scores your performance and that is what comprises of your practical sailing test. I have never been sailing before until I came here and I had a blast learning how to do it. Sailing is extremely fun and a great way to be out on the water. One of the times we were out we saw a bunch of whales up close and it was awesome. We had three instructors throughout our time there and I would highly recommend Joe. He is very laid back and makes learning how to sail fun. Our last instructor was Frank and he took a more no non-sense approach. It was good that he was our last instructor because he really drove the points home and helped me bring together my entire learning experience. We have gone back a couple times and rented boats through Marc and he has been a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend anyone looking to learn how to sail to go here, you wont be disappointed. read more

Four friends and I chartered a 3-hour tour around Santa Cruz Saturday and had a fantastic time. Captain Richard made us all feel safe and was keen on making sure that we got exactly what we wanted out of our time on the water. The wind was great for sailing (which also meant that I had on lots of layers!) and we spent time going faster out in the open water as well as taking it easy inland around the harbor and beach boardwalk. He allowed us to steer the boat as well as help with the sails, teaching us about how everything worked along the way. We brought some drinks and light snacks out with us and enjoyed a great time out on the water! read more

My wife and I took the 8 day bareboat sailing ASA classes. We had an amazing experience. It was so much fun. We have since began chartering boats from Marc as often as we can get out there. We went from knowing little about sailing to being comfortable taking boats out in most day time conditions you would encounter on the bay. The instructors had diverse knowledge, and teaching styles which compounded in a well rounded education. It was very clear that all of the instructors we're very knowledgeable in all aspects of sailing. We had shopped around and quoted out all the sailing schools in the Bay Area. Pacific Yachting and Sailing was the best deal we were able to find, for a complete set of sailing classes. I really feel though that we got an excellent education. Marc is a great guy. Very easy going, knowledgeable and helpful. I am also really confident that if I have a question, or request I will get a quick response from him. Truly a great customer service experience! I've also shopped around for chartering out yachts for short day trips. With the membership from Pacific Yachting and Sailing, the cost of chartering is extremely reasonable. I'm not normally a yelper, but when you come across great service, friendly staff, at reasonable prices I think it's worth yelping about; especially because I see several threads on the internet asking where the best place to take sailing classes are. We highly recommend Pacific Yachting and Sailing to anyone who is interested in chartering or taking sailing classes. read more

i took the 8-day course over 4 weekends. it was the most cost-effective ASA course in the area. we had a different instructor every weekend, and every instructor was friendly, knowledgeable and possessed many years of experience in sailing and teaching sailing. i feel that i am now competent at sailing and i can charter a boat and go out sailing (with other qualified crew) confidently. i charter vessels about once a month or so, and i've never had an issue with any of the boats i've taken out. marc is a really nice guy that does all he can to help get you out on the water. read more

With no prior sailing experience (but always loving the water), I woke up one morning (at age 56) and decided maybe I should take up sailing. I went on line. Based on the 5 star Yelp reviews you are reading right now I signed up with Marc Kraft's Pacific Sailing school. The result? Every outstanding review you are reading here is spot on. At the hands of Marc's outstanding instructors I learned to captain 30' sailboats on the Monterey Bay over the course of four delightful weekends. I have been out on the water, in one of the beautiful boats in Marc's charter program, every weekend since (tides and winds permitting). I've found a new passion, I've made wonderful new friends, and I've found new horizons for travel and adventure. read more

Booked a 3 hour team building "race" for over 50 folks in my company. Everyone LOVED it and can't wait to do it again next year. Marc, the owner, was awesome to deal with - answered all of may questions and made everything easy - I looked like a rock start to my team for booking this team building event. We had 6 folks on 9 different boats and all 9 captains were great. Wonderful fun for the inexperienced and experienced sailors both. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS! read more

Pacific Yachting and Sailing is a top notch sailing school. My wife and I took Basic Coastal, Intermediate Coastal, and Bareboat Chartering with three different instructors, all of whom were top notch professionals and really nice people. We took our last class and checkout on a 46 foot Beneteau (at our request and for an extra fee) in winds up to 15 mph and left PY&S feeling very confident and safe on the water. Marc Kraft and his crew of instructors were very supportive of and attentive to our sailing goals. His fleet of vessels are beautiful and in A#1 condition. Santa Cruz Harbor was a great place to take our lessons; we learned how to safely maneuver a large sailboat around tight quarters and feel confident of our ability to perform the task independently. The instructors gave us plenty of time to practice and built our confidence. We were drilled in "man overboard" exercises, anchoring, picking up a mooring, points of sail, and navigation in the beautiful Monterey Bay. On our first day of classes we had dolphins swimming at the bow of our yacht and on our last day of classes we saw a whale while we were sailing to Capitola, it was so cool! We became members of PY&S - with a membership (1 per family) the classes and charters are discounted. Our goal was to feel confident about bareboat sailing in the British Virgin Islands, a dream I have had all of my adult life. Not only do I feel confident, but Marc booked the trip for us, and helped us select the yacht! I look forward to sailing Monterey Bay in the future, and also to taking more classes through PY&S. I highly recommend this company. read more

Took the eight day class and loved it. The sleep on the boat option was very nice too for people not close by. The instructors I had were very good and a huge wealth of information about all things boating. Highly recommend. read more

The best!! Highly recommend for chartering and the school. Could not have been an easier experience. The instructors and Marc are all great to work with. read more

Took ASA 104 bareboat charter course. Instructor was super knowledgable and very calm. By far the best sailing instructor I have ever had. This made it a fantastic learning experience. We covered all essential aspects of docking, motoring, and sailing in two days. The boat was very well equipped and the harbor in Santa Cruz is conveniently located to get out onto the pacific. In the summer wind is calm in the morning which is perfect to practice docking and picks up a lot in the afternoon which is great for sailing. There is convenient parking. All in all a fantastic experience for a very reasonable price. I would go back here any time for more lessons or to charter. read more

Pacific Yachting and Sailing is a great sailing school. Marc is very professional, helpful and accommodating. We took the 8 day BCC classes in 4 weekends, but we couldn't do it in consecutive weeks. Marc was very flexible and accommodated our schedule over 1.5 month. We had three instructors, Chris, Todd, Dan, they are all very nice people and very experienced/skilled. Their instructions are accurate, calm, and patient. I can feel that we were improving after each classes with more confidences. I can't wait to charter boats at Pacific Yachting and Sailing school. Marc does require an intermediate sailing experience as the first mate for bareboat, one of my biggest challenge is to find an experienced crew who is available to sail together now :-) read more

My wife and I just completed the 8 day bareboat course and ASA certification. We took a group class comprised of four students with varying degrees of sailing experience (almost no time on a boat to experienced crew). At the end of the 8 days, we were all confident in our abilities, and comfortable on the boats, so it was a complete success. Both instructors were highly professional, patient and capable, so it was a very pleasant experience. read more

Mark Kraft has organized a talented group of instructors and some quality sailboats for chartering and course taking. Two new friends and I took the 8 day ASA course during the last week and learned more than I thought it would be possible to learn in that period of time. High quality boats in Mark's fleet that operated flawlessly added to the quality of the experience, and I would recommend Pacific Yachting and Sailing to anyone interested in a quality instruction or chartering experience. Frank and Jeff were my two favorite instructors as well. read more

I just took the 8 day course with Pacific yachting and Sailing and loved every moment of it. The instructors are professional (we sailed with Captain Todd and Captain Dillon) accurate, calm and patient. This completele new adventure was fun and interactive, covered all of the topics in the ASA exam, and most importantly gave me the life skills to take a sail on the water and be confident about chartering a boat for the upcoming weekend. It was my vacation and what a treat that was! Mark was amazing on explaining all of the details of the course and was extremely supportive. I am looking forward to continuing my further certifications with Mark and chartering boats (which are in great condition) from Pacific Yachting and Sailing. read more

I had a fantastic experience with a four hour chartered sail. Everything about the company is first rate. Marc (the owner) communicates well and responds in a timely way. The boats are all well maintained and clean. The captains have all been great. We went out with Courtney last week, and could not have had a better sail. She answered all my many questions, and let me do as much of the sailing as I wanted. I got a ton of instruction and practical advice. I would recommend the company in general and Courtney specifically. Well worth it. read more

Took the 8 day certification course over 4 weekends. All 3 instructors were seasoned captains. Course covered practical aspects of safe sailing including basic navigation, rules, and docking practice. You can take just the first course if you think you might like sailing, but are not sure. After certification, you can bareboat charter one of 12 boats available right in the Santa Cruz Harbor. Recommend both for students new to sailing, and those who just want to brush up their skills. read more