TESTIMONIALS

Dear Capt. Z, Tino and I want to thank you again for delivering Squisita to St. Pete from Miami. It was an exciting trip for us as it was our first sail in Florida. We were impressed by your knowledge, sailing experience and professionalism. Your enthusiasm for sailing and thoughtfulness made the trip an unforgettable experience. We will highly recommend your services to anyone, especially new owners. Hope to sail with you again in the near future!

Captain Z has not only become one of my closet friends, but over the last 20 years of sailing, racing and cruising together, has earned my utmost respect. I have entrusted my life and the lives of my family countless times in his capable hands. I have also observed first hand his passion for sailing, his devotion to his crew and seen the profound impact he has made on the lives of those who have hired him to sail them to distant shores, to teach them docking skills and to race to victory. As a professional yacht broker, I refer my clients to the captain without hesitation. I hold his ability to instruct and transfer knowledge in the highest regard. I know that he will take great care to meet each individual sailor's needs and provide the kind of support and instruction necessary to make their time on the water safe and FUN. Because after all, FUN is what it's all about!

Dear Capt. Z, When we boarded, our lives changed forever. Tales of wild adventures and exotic locations filled our heads. What we found was a captain that knows his vessel and the wind as well as his shipmates. Regardless of weather conditions, you were able to find that balance and give us a vacation of a lifetime!

In 2014, my husband and I bought a Catalina 445 sailing vessel. Exciting, except I had never sailed and didn't know the first thing about boats. However, I was determined to live the dream, so I looked for a captain who could teach me, well, everything. After a couple of false and discouraging starts with other captains, I was referred to Captain Z and I knew I had finally found someone who could teach me what I needed to know to become a sailor.

As I mentioned, I had a couple of false starts. What sold me initially on Capt. Z was that he operated with integrity. I immediately understood that I could trust him to take care that I didn't hurt myself or my boat. He quickly demonstrated boat handling skills that made me trust that he could get me out of whatever impending catastrophe I managed to get myself into! He was always well prepared and had a plan but would make adjustments appropriately, according to weather and wind. He taught by example to respect the sea and its conditions so sailing was FUN!

Throughout my experience, I have been impressed by the depth and breadth of the Captain's knowledge and his passion for life on the water. He shares his knowledge in a clear and concise manner with an intuitive understanding of how a person learns so each lesson builds both skills and confidence.

And the results? We started with the basics (the pointy end is the bow, by the way). I worked with the Captain for a solid month on docking, sailing and general boat knowledge. He taught me so well that I was able to challenge the ASA tests 101 and 103 and pass with flying colors. I also learned to dock my boat well enough for people watching to comment on my skill and I can plot a course using both paper and electronic methods. I am also capable of performing all preventive maintenance and understand all the systems on the boat.

To say Captain Z has had a huge impact on my sailing life is an understatement. The fact that I feel confident in my boat handling skills has enhanced both my husband's and my own enjoyment of our time spent on the water and we look forward to a life full of cruising adventures. And for that, I have to thank Captain Z.