Sep 05 2009
One Year Sailing Membership Affords 100 Sailing Days!
One of our Members just celebrated his one year anniversary with us here at SailTime Channel Islands. But what Steve Van Hook was most proud of was that he definitely made the best of those 365 days by sailing 100 of them here in Southern California. You might think Steve is one of those retired guys but in fact he is a very busy professor who also teaches at not one, but two colleges!
Photo by: Mike Ruel – Steve takes a boat load of international students for a sail
Steve tells his story like this. “Once I had my ASA certificates in hand, I checked into various options to maximize my days on the sea while minimizing the costs. It could easily run some $300 a day to charter a boat counting fees and extras. At most, I’d be able to afford one or two sails a month. Owning a boat, with the high costs of a bank note, slip fees, insurance, maintenance and all the other extras that get sucked into a ‘hole in the water’ was definitely not an option for me. Fortunately I discovered SailTime on an internet search. Now I’m sailing four-times as much as I hoped on a beautifully-maintained SailTime Hunter sailboat. Instead of paying $30,000 for 100 sails over the last year, I’ve only paid a small fraction of that. I reserve time with a simple click on the SailTime page, knowing the boat is ready to go with just 15 minutes prep, and my sailing days are spent having fun, not dealing with paperwork and charter hassles. There’s no better way to sail for less, for sure!”
One of Steve’s secrets to sailing as much or perhaps much more than an individual sailboat owner is that he lives near bye and teaches most of his classes in the evenings. “I prep for my classes when I get up in the morning. Then I go for a sail. Then I go to work. It works for me.” He takes his students, many of them from other parts of the world, on his sailing outings. He also meets business associates on the boat instead of at an office. He uses just about any excuse he can get to go to sea!
Steve’s words of wisdom to others seeking a way to go sailing affordably? “Life goes by so fast. Remember to make time for the things you really enjoy!”
I’d stay it would be a deal at even twice the money if it wouldn’t be tempting a rate increase (that never comes!)
Thank you for the WONDERFUL blogsite-I love the pctures! It’s so great to be able to see when you can’t get there yourself-Francis http://www.geothermalguestions.net