island spirit sailing school
Planning your trip to Thailand
Which Sailing School Course to Start at
If you have done a bit of sailing, perhaps some racing with friends or perhaps you’ve chartered a yacht with a friend who skippered, its tempting to skip the Crew Course and dive right in at the Bareboat Skipper level and that may be the right way to go, however, there are a lot of things we cover in the Crew Course that we do not have time to address while we’re doing the Skipper Course, for instance:
- How the boat works, pumps, through hulls, diesel engine basics etc.
- Basic knots, how best to throw a dock line and the proper way to tie fenders and cleats.
- On board safety.
- Basic navigation.
- Basic Rules of the road or Collision Regulations.
So, if in doubt, its best to start at the Crew Course, its fun, you get out on the water and do some sailing and you’ll be sure you’ve not missed anything.
How to Book & Pay
Just send us an email from our Contact Page with your preferred course date, you can review the Course Schedule Page if you have not already done so. We’ll reply and let know if the course is available and provide you with payment instructions and a detailed information package on your specific course. If you’d prefer to call and talk about the course and your plans please do, you’ll see the many means of communication with us located on our Contacts Page.
To confirm your sailing school booking you will need to pay a 50% deposit. You’ll receive a Starter pack which, depending on the course you’ve chosen may include E-Copies of the tuition manuals. With that you’re done, the remainder of the school fee will be due 40 days prior to the commencement of your course.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
We understand that your schedule can change. Should a student cancel his enrollment before the course date, the deposit is non-refundable, but we are usually able to transfer your deposit payment to other more convenient dates without additional charge. Please give as much notice as possible so we can fill the vacancy.
Should a student “no show” or decide to not continue with the training program or event, for any reason, Island Spirit Thailand reserves the right to award a refund, either all, part or none of the payment received, on an individual basis.
In general, we try to be very flexible on deposit payments and refunds. We want to maintain a solid relationship with all of our students and potential students. Please contact us if you have any concerns in this matter.
Accommodation
Onshore accommodation is not included in the price of your course and you will need to stay ashore at some point no matter which course you are planning to take. Some courses have more overnight periods on the yacht than others so please check the course schedule for details to know exactly when to book you accommodation and for how long.
Recommended
Island Spirit recommend the below options as they are close, generally walking distance, to our location at Ocean Marina, however, there are literally hundreds of options ranging from 5 star spa resorts through to super low budget bungalows.
Away From The Marina
If you chose to stay away from the Marina please make plans for transport to and from the Marina, although Pattaya is a bustling tourist town taxis remain relatively complicated to arrange largely due to language issues and they can be expensive.
Travel Time
If you plan to stay Down-town in the thick of things also keep in mind distance and traffic, the Marina is located approximately 20km form the core down-town area of Pattaya and with morning traffic that can stretch out to an hour of driving time each way quite easily.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
This is Thailands primary International Airport and it is the closest of the two Bangkok International airports, so if you are flying into Bangkok and have the choice, this would be the one to choose. There are numerous ways to get from the airport to Pattaya but the two most popular options are private taxi, where you should expect to pay between 1000 and 2000 baht depending on exactly where you are traveling to in Pattaya.
The second option is the Airport bus, this operates hourly and has stops in several locations around the more popular locations in Jomthien and Pattaya. The Cost is between 200 and 300 Baht
Bangkok Don muang Airport
This is Thailand original airport, it now caters for many of the Budget Airlines so remains popular. Don Muang Airport is located on the opposite side of Bangkok compared to Pattaya so in order to travel to Pattaya you will need to pass through Bangkok, which can add several hours to the trip (can be fun too). By private taxi you would expect to pay between 2500 and 3000 baht to get to Pattaya, alternatively you can take a shuttle bus between the two airports and the on to Pattaya via the Airport bus as noted above.
WHAT TO BRING
Luggage
Only soft cases will be allowed onboard any of our yachts, this is because hard rigid cases easily damage the interior of the yacht.
Gear, Clothing And Footwear
We’re located in the tropics, so no cold winter days! It can however get quite cool when you’re out a on yacht overnight or battling through a rail squall, so best be prepared, we recommend the following:
- Sailing gloves (or Golf Gloves)
- Deck shoes, white or neutral color soles (barefoot also works).
- Flip flops (Thongs for the Aussies)
- Lightweight wet weather jacket, nothing fancy, just something to keep the wind and rain out)
- Swim gear
- Shorts & tee shirts
- Suncream
- Sun glasses
- Hat
