This review is late and long overdue as the business has now been since sold but I still need to express what a wonderful experience this was back in 2022 because it was truly life altering, mind bending and thee most exhilarating course with the perfect balance of relaxation. The lessons are condensed, precise and efficiently informative in all the crucially important aspects of buying, maintaining, learning the mechanics of and enjoying your trawler boat! We anchored in many beautiful spots including 10,000B.C. as well as thee most beautiful lighthouse in Boca Chica island with thee most gorgeously soft sand! Crystal clear blue waters so warm you could mistake it for Hawaii! Providing solitude and privacy unlike any place else. We learned how to navigate the open waters with captain know-it-all and we had quite a thrill with various tests that were meticulously spontaneously tossed in to keep our awareness and power of intention on our toes and at the forefront of our frontal lobe at all times. Captain Bob provided wonderfully cooked meals that were extremely clean and healthy with the clear taste of being made with love. He also took us out for a few lovely meals allowing us to swallow up some of the land scenery completing a full 360 experience. The boat 'Hurricane Hilda' turned 'Mermaid' is a lovely gem full of character and history that others would often take for granted or overlook - but it was like staying in a mini museum complete with everything the subconscious has silently been longing for. Captain Bob has a presence like no other, wisdom that has yet to be seen on this Earth and intuition that morphs every single customer to their own uniquely special experience regardless of schedule mostly remaining the same. It was an absolute dream and thee best memory of all my lives and I am so grateful I got the chance to learn alongside such a wonderful 1st mate Lisa that he perfectly paired me with! Our brains merged so beautifully and I couldn't imagine the trip with anyone else. It was a purely magical and informative transformation of the mind, body, soul & spirit that you cannot find anywhere else. I am blessed to have gotten there in the Knick of time. THANK YOU CAPTAIN BOB!! Love, Lauren Taylor Hamilton. read more

Captain Bob from Trawler Charter School knows his stuff. He is passionate about his craft and is a great mentor on how to do this right.

Julie and I had a great weekend with Captain Bob learning about how Trawlers operate with lots of hands on experience. We are both much more confident in looking into our own Trawler. read more

Captain Bob, You are both fun and entertaining guy to be around, not to mention the terrific learning experience. Being from Roswell I first learned to fly space ships, it was not as much fun as learning about trawlers it was out of this world. You are a great host, great cook (good healthy meals) and a great teacher. You have helped Sandi and me formulate some ideas as to where we are headed in the "cruising" lifestyle and whether we want to own or charter. Your thoughts, perspectives, and opinions are very helpful. The Miami Mermaid was very clean, well maintained & comfortable. Thank you for what you do. If you ever want to reach us, our address is "3rd rock from the sun." It was an intergalactic experience. Bill & Sandi D Roswell NM read more

We are all ready to buy a Trawler "NOW" and thought it would be a good idia to get a little schooling before we take the next big step. After searching the internet your trawler school was just what we were looking for. Thank you for taking us on such a short notice the 3 day 4 night package surpassed all our expections. We learned so much and are now heading in the right direction. Attending your Trawler school will save us time and money. Captain Bob you even got my sleeping husband up for all classes that is a big accomplishment. Thank You Mila & Ed Morristown, NJ aka Rip Van Winkel read more

Cap'n Bob is knowledgable, patient, funny, and a fine host. We knew virtually nothing about boating or navigation when we began, and by the end of the three day course, we were handling the boat mostly by ourselves. The accommodations were spacious and clean. Recommended highly. read more

My husband and I found Captain Bob's Trawler School educational and enjoyable. We started school with little knowledge of boating. We finished our course confident and ready to start our adventures. The scenic locations were amazing! The food healthy and delicious. We have recommended the course to a friend looking for knowledge on trawler travel. Thank you Captain Bob for making the course exactly what we needed. read more

My wife and I had very little boating experience before attending trawler school, but were interested in learning about the option of living on a boat like a trawler for short periods of time. Captain Bob was an excellent instructor, it was a very fun experience, and we learned a lot through hands on experience you can't get from a book. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great boating experience, no matter what your experience level. I would do it again! John W. read more

if you are thinking about buying a trawler or in my case, moving from a sailboat to a trawler, this course will be the best money you spend. capt bob is a mentor and not a trawler salesman. he answered every single question I had, then showed me how. . after this course I know what kind of trawler to look for and about how much to pay. read more

From the moment we arrived at Dania Beach Marina and were enthusiastically greeted by Captain Bob, aboard a beautiful blue and white 40' sun deck trawler. Inside the maintained salon, galley, bedroom and bathroom all decorated in Oceana motif and well maintained. I knew our decision to take a training/adventure/vacation was an excellent choice. I booked this trip as a surprise for my husband and wanted everything to be perfect, so far so Great!!! Captain Bob showed us around, the galley ( told us to feel free to eat and drink what we wanted). Many of our favorite food, drinks and snacks were stocked as Captain Bob inquired what our likes and dislikes were prior to arrival . We tend to focus on mostly healthy choices, but enjoy a few not so healthy choices, such a little wine, which we opened, poured a glass and went on deck to enjoy the view. Captain Bob excused himself, gave us privacy and we had the trawler to ourselves for the entire night, it was a wonderful, romantic night just the two of us. Captain Bob always knew when to be present and when to give us our privacy. Your web-site although lovely and informative does not give enough justice to the true beauty of our time aboard. There is so much, too much to say, but I will always have the most fond memories of delicious food, great drinks, funny stories, laughter, jokes, romantic time, sunrises, sunsets, manatees, dolphins, private beaches, private islands, swimming, snorkeling, running, Miami sky-line, the historical Marine stadium graffiti site, Biscayne skyline, Virginia Key, viewing the mansions and dreaming how lucky we are to be aboard a trawler being treated like a queen and king, thank you Captain Bob for the best surprise gift I could ever given my husband. It was so, so much more than I ever anticipated, I do not remember my husband being this happy since the day our last child was born. And, I haven't even begun to talk about why I wanted to attend trawler school charter: the main reason was to learn all we could about a dream we have to one day own and live aboard a trawler. You are an excellent trainer, patient and very knowledgeable, all your years of experience on the sea, in trawler sales, purchasing and fixing up used trawlers, living aboard, maintaining and navigating a trawler were translated to us in an easy to understand manner through talking and " hands on experience" which is the only way my husband and I can truly learn anything, we can listen, we can read, but we must touch, see and perform tasks to learn, we did all these things during our hands on training. We both feel so confident I know we could navigate a trawler on our own and cruise the seven seas. read more

I recently had the pleasure of riding the high sea' s with Capt. Bob of the Miami Mermaid. My sister had purchased this cruise for both, my wife and myself as a 30th wedding anniversary gift. I mentioned I may be buying a boat, my sister who worries about me, was not sure if this was a midlife crisis desision, so with that she decided to purchase a anniversary gift in which we can totally enjoy and at the same time get educated on the abc's of owning a trawler. We were so impressed from the minute we stepped aboard until the final moments of having to end our vayage at sea. The cruz involved the mechanics of a boat, navigation, how to buy a boat, how to be prepared for an emergency and much more..I will say I am more confident now buying a boat which we will be doing this year. It was so informative as well as enjoyable. My sister feels like, "I gave them a cruz they will never forget"....and that is the memory of very cozy, comfortable cruz, n the memories of all the knowledge we gained, this will always be a part of our lives, especially now that we are going to tackle the sea's on our own. So for my sister it was well worth it, she definately "killed two birds with one stone". great gift of pleasure n education, at the same time. Capt. Bob knows his stuff n is able to answer all ur questions, while at all times providing a very cozy and personable time at sea. I highly recommend this for a comfort cruz as well as a pre-requesite for future boat owners. THANX SIS had a great time!! read more