Florida Keys Sailing for Adults
Step away from the daily grind and head to the subtropical marine wilderness of Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico to explore by water – sailing, rowing and living on a traditional 30-foot open sailboat.
The Florida Keys’ turquoise waters, warm temperatures and prevailing easterly winds provide exceptional and memorable opportunities to reenergize and challenge yourself in new ways, discover new strengths and forge new friendships. Using a 30-foot open sailboat as both a home and a classroom, you’ll revitalize your outdoor enthusiasm as Instructors introduce you to beginning, intermediate and advanced skills in chart and compass navigation, small boat seamanship, weather observation and anchoring. Through living and working closely together, you will practice more than seamanship. Heading out into the waterways of Florida, you will learn to camp and travel simply, relying on your group, the supplies you have on hand, and the expertise you either have or acquire as you go. You’ll have time to sit on the shore, reflect on your progress and think about the journey that still lies ahead. Leadership responsibilities are shared so that every crew member is integral to planning the journey and discovering how to live and work closely together. The habits learned and strengthened through this sailing expedition will serve you long after you return home.
UPCOMING COURSES
This course is closed for the season.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
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This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
Traditional 30-foot sailboats encourage teamwork and leadership like no other classroom. On an open boat with no cabin and no engine, the group will live closely together using only wind and oars to power their way. As they rotate responsibilities during the expedition, students learn the crafts of maneuvering under sail, coastal navigation, rowing, and living aboard a small open boat. At night, students sleep on deck under a tarp, taking turns at anchor watch under brilliant night skies.
On this course, students:
- Adjust sails properly for sailing at different angles to the wind and execute sailing maneuvers like tacking and gybing, which turn the boat through the wind
- Navigate using a chart and compass to arrive accurately at the day’s destination, using techniques that include taking bearings, dead reckoning, triangulation and sounding.
- Move the boat under oars, coordinating all of the rowers' movements so that the oars splash as one, precisely maneuvering in and out of secluded anchorages
- Live (cook, eat, sleep, work and learn) as a team aboard a small open sailboat, contributing energy and ideas, sharing tasks and responsibilities and relying on each other.
Service projects are often incorporated into Outward Bound courses through coordination with local land managers, conservation groups and government or social service agencies. While on an expedition, students are encouraged to practice service to their team and the environment by sharing responsibilities and following Recreate Responsibly ethics throughout the course.
The Florida Keys, home to numerous birds and abundant marine life, is rich with the confluence of water flowing out of the Everglades into inner Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The waterways are shallow and intricate, providing an exciting cruising area for Outward Bound’s nimble shallow-draft sailboats. Winding channels through the backcountry offer challenging and exciting navigation and the opportunity to explore mangrove keys, grassy tidal flats and coral patch reefs. The Atlantic side offers open water sailing and, in calm weather, excellent snorkeling at the outer reefs. We plan our course routes based on course type, local conditions and logistics, and weather patterns. Whether you are on the Atlantic or Gulf side, you will have lots of opportunities to learn the skills it takes to sail and travel in our traditional sailboats, live in community with your teammates, be challenged and reap the rewards. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Seminole, Matecumbe, Cuchiyaga and Guarungumbe nations.
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Getting Started
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.