Sailing Virgins Reviews 43

Just got back from a one-week, live-abord sailing school with Sailing Virgins out of Tortola and have only great things to say about them. From initial contact thru to course completion, SA was everything we had hoped for.
We met some of their group (and a few other schools) at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in 2023 and were impressed with their overall philosophy. After reaching out to several schools for available dates and class options for early 2024, SA were consistently the most responsive and informative, and had the dates and course we were looking for at similar prices to everyone else. We booked an ASA 101 & 103 live-aboard week in early March, which actually came under budget as we did not have to book additional lodging for the week. SA linked us (married couple) to 3 other classmates with similar experience and interests, and our instructor, and introduced us all online before the trip so we could learn a little bit about or crewmates before we got there. We all got along splendidly with zero conflicts and, I expect, some life-long friendships.
Our instructor, Liam, knew his stuff, knew how to teach it to a group of adults with different learning styles, and was great guy to hang out with all week. He helped make it fun, without any sacrifice to teaching us and getting us certified.
We flew in and out of St Thomas from NYC area and took the $60 , about 1-hour ferry to Road Town, Tortola which was all relatively simple. Everyone met up in town, went to the store to provision for the trip, and then shuttled it all to the docks where our larger-than-expected sailboat was waiting. The itinerary they set up allowed us to sail from one island to another every day: school (with some swimming and play) all day, then fun shore visits every evening. Even though it was some work, it was definitely still a vacation, and a great one at that. The boat they got for our group of 5+1 had ample room and comfort for all. It was a bit intimidating at first, but having learned on a bigger boat, our comfort level sailing any size boat is much higher than it would be. Again, everything went great from beginning to end, and i recommend them to anyone looking for a fun sailing adventure while getting your ASA certifications.

We LOVED our class! My wife and I did an intermediate sailing course and both got our ASA 101 and 103 certificates and I got my ASA 104, all in a week. James really came through, making this class happen even when there was a problem getting a boat at their usual location. Even though I’ve been sailing my whole life, I still learned a lot. Kirill and Adam were fantastic teachers.

We are so grateful we booked with Sailing Virgins for our sailing school/certification adventure. A special round of gratitude goes out to Katharina, Irene, and James, for rallying together and pivoting to a new plan when all the charter boats in BV were seized so we could keep these dates! I have always wanted to go to the French West Indies and Dutch Caribbean, and it happened. So Fabulous! More special thanks: our captain and primary educator was Kirill. There are not enough positive adjectives to express the true nature of Kirill, so all I can say is book your adventure and see for yourself! But, I can say Kirill was amazing and made everyone feel welcome and included. Skipper Adam was great as well, adding his own special approach to the learning process and the organizational flow on the boat. The actual sailing was exhilarating and empowering and the location was just over the top in deliciousness! Did I mention breathtaking? The temperature and color of the water, the marine life, the exotic birds everywhere, hiking, goats, dinners onshore- the list could just go on and on!
Everyone and everything was great! The other students were awesome and it created an instant community onboard. Al fresco dinners, group lessons and practical exercises, and camaraderie all added to the positive environment. We moored or anchored in several locations with Saba being the unexpected standout!
We can only comprehend all of this as possible because of Sailing Virgins!
We think the SV style that fosters an atmosphere of instant community of like-minded people combined with highly qualified (but not douchy) captain and crew, is the special sauce that brings it all together. We were huge SV fans on YouTube and now we are HUGE fans of the SV in-person courses. We will be back for more….
Thank you Sailing Virgins, we are grateful :)
And we got our advanced certifications, too!
Nancy G

For years I’ve been dreaming of bareboat chartering…Sailing Virgins helped me make that dream come true. Our instructor Ryan was great at making sure each of us on the boat was able to learn, and understand the course work regardless of each persons level of experience. It was not all work! We had a great balance of sailing, learning, relaxing, and partying.

I’m almost 40, and while I was one of the older guys on the boat, that didn’t matter to anyone, 6 strangers on a 42’ boat from the ages of 21-40, and we got on great. If you are on the fence, just do it, Happy Days!

My wife and I just spent a week in Tahiti doing the Sailing Virgins ASA Catamaran Course with instructors James and Kirill. Fantastic experience, and exactly what we were looking for.

I have taken ASA coursework from a couple of different schools, but the Sailing Virgins experience stands out for a number of reasons. First, enthusiasm for the sport and adventure of sailing was high. The instructors were expert sailors in their own rights, but they also took the time to enjoy the moment, the scenery, and the local culture. We saw firsthand what was possible in sailing. James and Kirill draw on years of experience with these adventures, and I gained as a skipper because of it.

Second, the adventure element of a Sailing Virgins course can not be understated. This is not a package tour, with experiences carefully prepared. It was more like we went in search of adventure, and it fell into our laps. Let me give some examples - We carefully worked our way into coral reef passages and had a swim with sharks and rays. We docked alongside a local guy's overwater bungalow to stop for coconuts. We brought the 52 foot cat in to drop off our crowd at a fancy French restaurant one night for dinner in Bora Bora. We got up early to make passages between islands. We freed an anchor that was caught on an old mooring ball in 10 meters of dark water. We caught mooring balls under sail. We biked around the island of Maupiti, and ate a full 3 course fish meal in a local woman's home. We flew drones, snorkeled around coral reefs, and free dove under the boat.

Third, instruction was excellent and in the moment. James and Kirill modeled good seamanship, problem solving, and practice. They pushed us to do route planning, to navigate without the electronics, and to perfect our knots. Everyone on board took turns at the helm, at the lines, and at down in the engine rooms. I felt confident behind the wheel and learned the unique skills associated with running the sails and two engines of a large catamaran.

We looked at this trip as a vacation, but also an opportunity to see a different part of the world and consider our options for future cruising. It was all those things. We slept well, we ate well, we saw AMAZING scenery and met some awesome people. I'll be honest - I am a careful sailor with a few charters under my belt. James and Kirill gave me the confidence to go and do this again on my own.

Not only are the instructors knowledgeable and experienced, they really know how to make Sailing fun!

Along with the standard ASA curriculum, instructors insights come with extremely useful tidbits of information accumulated through years of charter cruising.

If you are interested in learning more, check out their YouTube channel with top quality content!

An amazing way to learn to sail. Relaxed and fun instruction on a lovely yacht with an experienced and knowledgable captain.

The balance between training and relaxing made this a perfect learning holiday.

The entire support team are friendly and always helpful.

I’ll be returning to learn more with Sailing Virgins and will definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking to learn how to sail.

I would highly recommend Sailing Virgins! I had the privilege of taking part in the 2020/2021 Christmas/NYE trip in the US Virgin Islands with Captain Wouts. Even amid a global pandemic, everything about the trip was amazing and I am happy to report that this time next week, the rest of the crew and I from that trip are reconnecting in the Bahamas to charter a boat of our own. I have been refreshing my knowledge by watching your YouTube videos and I could not be more excited to cast the lines and set sail again with the friends I made on Libertas. I am eager someday to buy a boat of my own and create a life-based in sailing, but the first step was to jump in with both feet to my first Sailing Virgins adventure. Thank you for helping to make this happen, I look forward to many more days on the water. FOLLOW UP: The trip was a smashing success, we had a blast, but most importantly we looked good the whole time!

Outstanding week on the Short Island Adventure trip (Caribbean) with Sailing Virgins. Instructors Wouts and Charlotte were great teachers, very knowledgeable about the area, and a blast to be around. Highly recommend Sailing Virgins for anyone looking to improve their sailing skills while in a fun, laid-back atmosphere.

We started talking about our next sailing trip almost as soon as we got off SV Andrea. We went down for a learning vacation before our honeymoon, but it soon became apparent that sailing with Sailing Virgins was to be the “buddymoon” portion of our trip.
Bucket list items were checked and life long friends were made. Go sailing with these people, it’s amazing. 👌🏻⛵️⛵️
Skipper/Instructor credit goes out to James Kell (legend)

Education:
We chose NauticEd as the platform to use for our certifications. We competed the Intermediate Course with Sailing Virgins. For comparison, the certification will be closely equivalent to ASA104/105, according to NauticEd.

instructors accurately determined each students level of course comprehension and was able to increase their confidence level. My wife & I were able to leave the classes with retained knowledge resulting in great respect for boat handling, basic sailing systems and technique along with a thirst for future experience. We will continue our studies, charter our own sailboats in safe conditions and use all that we learned from Rupert, John and James.

Thank you Sailing Virgins. Our life has been enhanced by your classes, your patience and kindness. I never smiled so much!

We would like to thank you James for an extra ordinary experience. We expected to walk away with more skills to help us to be more confident to live on the ocean with our baby Sky. However we took away so much more, life skills, sailing skills, new friends not to mention all the laughs a good times.

We honestly could not recommend sailing virgins highly enough, it was an experience we could not of had anywhere else.

You had us from the moment we met!!!

Thank you for being so accommodating to our 3 month old baby Sky, it was so amazing to have you apart of her first sailing experience. Nothing was a problem and we felt so extremely comfortable and safe.

To watch you adapt everyday to her needs and bond with her was very special and will always be remembered.

Your calmness out at sea is beautiful Not to mention your experience and simple explanations that just make sense and so much easier to understand.

Learning with you was so much fun and such an adventure.

Thank you our new friend,

much love

Tomas Candice & baby Sky.

Jack was the course instructor for my week. The trip was everything I hoped it would be and way way more. It was the perfect combination of hands on learning and fun in the sun/ nightlife on the islands.

I would recommend this course for any individual our couple that is serious about learning how to sail but also wants to have a vacation week in the BVI.

I know I got a great education because I've taken several continuing courses in the New England area and my instructors are always blown away by how advanced I got with just one week of courses with Sailing Virgins.

10/10 would do again!!!!

Once in a lifetime experiences! Kirill was AWESOME. I couldn't have been happier with the experience. He was so knowledgeable about everything relating to sailing. We always felt like we were in great hands with him as the Captain. He was also incredibly fun. I'm definitely looking forward to joining another course in the future. Thank you!!

I've just completed the beginner course with Sailing Virgins and James (the founder of the company) and maaaan, I'm so so happy I did!

a) James is a true legend! He's a great, laid-back teacher, very humble and extremely nice! Most of all, he's not only there for the curriculum (which he knows better than the back of his hand), he's also there for all sorts of fun! James will totally make sure you know everything you want to know and more AND have a blast learning it!
b) All of the course structure is very tailored to people actually taking it. As is the route - that's the adventure part - go where you want to go, do what you feel like doing - no hard boundaries as in traditional sailing schools. That was totally my vibe, as this is a fresh breath in the world of old and boring teaching models. I had absolutely no previous experience in sailing but loved every minute of it, thanks to the instructor and laid-back approach.
c) All the other SV employees I have come in contact with are great! There is a tutorial, or a blog post, or a phone call to answer any and all of your questions, and there's always someone to resolve your problem. Sailing Virgins is a client oriented company in the best sense of these words!
d) I, of course, totally recommend Sailing Virgins. Can't go wrong with these guys!
e) See "a)" - James IS a legend! I don't want to take away from other guys (that I haven't met), but most of my amazing experience is due to his personality and approach.

Absolutely awesome experience. I had James and Jack as instructors and they were amazing. Both have are extremely knowledgable and have a very positive way of teaching sailing skills. I learned so much about sailing and gained a lot of confidence in handling a 40ft boat in all sorts of different situations. The co-students I met were all fantastic people and the location we sailed in makes you speechless. Wherever you point your camera to it is a postcard shot. I will be back 100% sure.

Where do I even start?!!!!

I had taken ASA 101, 103, and 104 in 2016 with a company from the Seattle area, and it was like night and day with the incredible experience I had with Sailing Virgins. I felt like I learned and retained so much more with my instructors Rupert Covell and Jack Karger. Every day was a new exciting challenge that put into motion what we read, and the stuff that didn't make was explained and demonstrated in an expert fashion. The group of students and instructors were all a younger and fun bunch that I got to learn and explore the beauty of the BVIs throughout the week with. I couldn't have asked for a better time.

On another note, I bought a yacht in Martinique with two other buddies with even less sailing experience, and we were able to make it to the BVIs for the course safety somehow. I feel SO much more comfortable handling my yacht now, and the tips from the instructors combined years of experience went well beyond the scope of the course and will help us in our future endeavors. Big thanks again from S/V Full Send Gents!!!

One of the best trips of my life. From the pre-course and arrival coordination (clear, concise but thorough), to getting to know the boat (Libbie, I love you) and stocking up (Yeti cooler!), everything was smooth. The instruction was amazing, Jack is incomparable as an instructor - giving us the theory and skills we needed to get behind the helm as soon as possible, then coaching us and letting us learn through doing. His steady demeanor and depth of knowledge gave me tons of confidence to step a bit outside my comfort zone (sailing off a mooring ball in a dense anchorage, or rafting the yacht up with The Yacht Week) and I learned more in a week than I thought possible. On top of that, we had amazing free diving, dinners, and one or two beers. I can't wait for another adventure with Sailing Virgins and I can't recommend it enough.

Me and my wife took a week for ASA 105 and 106 certification. We, not only got what we expected in terms of learning, but had a lot of fun.

Jack, our instructor, is a great guy. Excellent teacher but, most important, excellent person.

All went as scheduled, no hassles, no worries, all smooth.

Without a doubt in our minds, we recommend Sailing Virgins.

Just had an amazing adventure with Sailing Virgins.

I don't even remember how i found them but the vibe of the company from the webpage/insta/youtube was pretty spot on for the entire week. A relaxed, beautiful, learn-while-having-a-good-time and generally laid back experience is what I saw and it is exactly what I got. The boat always had good music on. There was also some exercise, meditation and breathing exercises in the morning if that's your thing. I personally found that enjoyable and a nice way to start the day and really relax on vacation.

I really got a good sense of the boat, and while James was fast to correct my errors, he let me learn from my mistakes and walked me through the areas where i was a little behind. I did a week with the 101/103 classes and I really feel like I wouldn't be intimidated to help crew a boat in the future.

From the get go, James, our instructor, was amazing. He was communicative and helpful in the booking process and called to talk to me on the phone and was clear about the expectations and needs to get me prepared for the trip. I'd never sailed before and he made sure I got the necessary information to succeed on this trip.

One of the things i loved about the trip is the ability for the group to make a decision and James to go along with it. If we didn't like what we were doing, we could do something else and it wasn't a big deal. Nothing seemed to be so strictly planned that we couldn't decide what we wanted to do as a group. There were definitely some rough plans regarding where we were going to teach skills and make progress towards our final destination but still enough room to be like 'hey lets go check out this island over there' or 'let's go freedive this wreck in the morning'. As someone who largely doesn't take structured trips, this was great.

The food on board was good and portions were generous. I was never hungry and James did a great job cooking. His wraps make for a legendary lunch. Although i'm not veggie, we did eat veggie on the boat the entire time. We had our fill of fish on land when we stopped by a few places for the night.

I'm already looking forward to doing another adventure with sailing virgins and looking to convince my wife to join me.

In summary, if you made it this far, just go book. They're legendary and you won't regret it.