Capt. Dan's Sail Channel Islands

Captain Dan is not only incredibly resourceful and insightful but most importantly -- accurate! Before embarking upon my latest trip to the Channel Islands, I tapped into Captain Dan's vast knowledge base of that area and felt confident (with my weak seamanship abilities) to venture up north from Marina del Rey! He's a legend -- someone I'll never hesitate to contact when prepping for my next trip! Captain Dan -- YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

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We had a great overnight sail with Capt.Dan. We had never been sailing before so it was an adventure. We enjoyed seeing the dolphins and sea lions. My husband went kayaking and I read a book. The food was good and Dan and Dennis were great company. I couldn't have asked for a better anniversary.

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I took ASA 101 and 103 back to back with Capt. Dan. On day 1, I didnt know the difference between a jib and a jibe, but on day 6, I was commanding Wiley, a Catalina 36, around platform Gina.

Captain Dan is an amicable guy, whom you can't help but like from the get-go. But he is also demanding, which is a good thing. Weve all had warm, fuzzy, coddling instructors with whom the learning is minimal. No so with Dan. You WILL learn to sail, and youll learn the right way and the safe way.

After one week Im still a neophyte, but if you were to place me aboard a 30 foot sailboat offshore, I'd get her home. Not with an abundance of aplomb or finesse, but I'd damn sure get her back to the dock. Perhaps with one qualification though: I'd need my new sailing buddy Beverly aboard, a pleasant and capable lady with whom Dan hooked me up for ASA 103.

So if you really want to learn to sail, Capt. Dan is the man.

Randy Bush & Beverly Kurz

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Capt. Dan made learning to sail an extremely enjoyable experience. We couldn't have asked for a more knowledgable instructor. He was patient with a fantastic sense of humor and made learning fun.!
Susan and Nick

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Capt Dan is a great teacher. We (husband and wife) went through ASA101 and 103 back-to-back over about 2 mo and came out feeling comfortable sailing on our own. We cant imagine accomplishing the same level of competency in a group lesson setting offering less hands-on and individualized training.

Dan is patient and demanding (in a good way) at the same time. If you go brain dead on a concept, he keeps at it until the light bulb goes on.
At no point did either of us feel we were moving too quickly through skill development just to get done, but came away confident that we firmly understood the basics of sailing. One other point worth mentioning; Dans obvious success as a sailing teacher has not led to an oversized ego. He is comfortable using examples of his own learning experiences in the past as teaching tools, an approach that helps the student be at ease with an occasional misstep along the way.

And finally, Dan is just a plain nice guy. Hes fun, articulate, and full interesting stories. The experience of working with him was worth every penny, and we recommend Capt Dan as a sailing instructor to anyone who really wants to learn to sail.

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As most of you reading this know, now-a-days it seems like there is never enough time to sit back, relax and enjoy life. Well, My wife decided for our 20th wedding anniversary that her little workaholic needed to step away from email, constant travel and the Blackberry and spend some quality time, just us two, enjoying ourselves. That's where Captain Dan Ryder and Sail Channel Islands comes in.

Never in a million years did we dream how truly relaxing and enjoyable sailing the Channel Islands would be. The majestic views coupled with the calm waters and beautiful weather made this a trip to remember. It was without a doubt one of the best gifts she's given me, I just wish she hadn't waited until our 20th anniversary to do it. She has promised me it won't be that long next time.

The sailboat was amazing. The craftsmanship and lines were incredible and we constantly marveled at how every detail was taken care of for us. There was nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy!

Captain Dan and Dennis have my sincere thanks for the opportunity to leave work, stress and maybe most notably, the kids behind and spend some quality time with my wife. We can't wait until we have the opportunity to go out with them again! I would also be remiss if I didn't compliment Dennis' wife on some outstanding food. If seamen eat like that all the time I should have joined the Navy years ago!

I can't say enough good things about our weekend with Captain Dan and Dennis. I look forward to our next booking, heck, we may even let the kids come :-)

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