Offshore Sailing School and Hunter Marine Renew Partnership

Fort Myers, FL, February 06, 2011 --(PR.com)-- With three new Hunter yachts coming into the Offshore Sailing School U.S. fleet, Offshore Sailing School and Hunter Marine are moving into high gear with their long association and dedication to growing the ranks of skilled cruising sailors.

A brand new Hunter 45 DS is arriving at Offshore’s St. Petersburg, FL campus this week, and in June two brand new Hunter 50s will join the school’s Captiva Island, FL and St. Michaels, MD fleets.

“All of these new cruising boats will raise the bar in sail-training for new sailors who want to gain skills and confidence to start chartering and cruising in 2011,” explains Steve Colgate, founder and co-owner of the 47-year old institution.

According to Colgate, the new Hunter yachts will be integral platforms for the school’s popular Fast Track to Cruising® course which starts with two days of basic training on a Colgate 26 and continues with five days of live-aboard education on a large cruising yacht. Sailors who already have basic skills equivalent to Offshore's Learn to Sail course may take the cruising course without the initial training on the Colgate 26.

“Our customers tend to have very strong goals and expectations,” continues Colgate. “We designed the Colgate 26 for training first, with high performance and sophistication usually found on larger boats. It has since become popular in club and institutional racing. Working with Hunter Marine, we are able to give our clients the transition they seek from learning the necessary basics on an open cockpit tiller-driven daysailer, to handling well a new, state-of-the-art cruising yacht in just seven days of instruction.”

Cruising instruction on Hunter Yachts at Offshore Sailing School is available in two formats: learning while living aboard, or staying at a destination resort while sailing during the day. Regardless of which schedule is chosen, the maximum number of adult students taught per week per boat and instructor is four with one exception: Cruising course programs for family units (two parents and up to four offspring ages 7-17) are also available during summer months.

“Each schedule has its particular appeal,” says Colgate. “Some people prefer to take the course combined with other activities during their vacation and therefore, opt for the ‘stay-ashore’ plan; others seek immediate cruising immersion, learning while moving from one overnight stop to another and living aboard throughout.”

John Peterson, President of Hunter Marine, says they’ve seen enthusiastic buyers come out of the Offshore/Hunter program over more than 12 years of partnering with Offshore. “They tend to choose yachts in the size range they learn on,” he states, “and there’s no better way to get people hooked on cruising right out of the gate, than combining a great teaching platform like our 45 and 50 footers with expert instruction from Offshore’s dedicated instructors.” Colgate describes that "aha" moment when his students cast off from the dock on their test sail on the last day of the course, without the instructor aboard. “Some may have a few trepidations about going off alone on such a big yacht, but the smiles are huge and very gratifying when they return the boat neatly into its berth 24-hours later. You can see ‘confidence’ written all over their faces.”

With Hunter’s support, Offshore is also running a six-month contest which ends in May 2011 for graduates of Offshore Sailing School’s Learn to Sail and Cruising courses. The prize is a brand new Hunter 15 with trailer, “great for getting out on the water just about anywhere you travel by car, when not out cruising on our yachts,” says Peterson.

Hunter Marine Corporation is a leading manufacturer of sailboats from 15’ to 50’ with distribution through its dealer/distributor network in 43 countries around the world. Located in Alachua, Florida, USA, Hunter Marine, which started in 1973, is part of the Luhrs Marine Group made up of Silverton Yachts, Luhrs fishing boats, and Mainship trawlers.

Offshore Sailing School has graduated more than 115,000 adults since it was started by Steve Colgate 47 years ago in New York City. With seven locations in Florida, the Caribbean, Chesapeake Bay, New York and New Jersey, Offshore Sailing School teaches beginner through advanced cruising and racing courses.

For more information, contact Doris Colgate at Doris@OffshoreSailing.com or 239-985-7511. Media inquiries: Photos available upon request.

###