Panhandle · Niceville
ASA school, charter, and rental operation at Bluewater Bay Marina on the north shore of Choctawhatchee Bay. J/80s for the fundamentals, cruisers to a Jeanneau 389 for the liveaboard courses, and a founder with a run of ASA Outstanding Instructor awards.
MidBay teaches from Bluewater Bay Marina on Rocky Bayou, the quiet north shore of central Choctawhatchee Bay: predictable winds, light traffic, and a mix of channel, shallow, and deep water that lets a course practice everything without a long transit. Classes run tiny, priced per boat for one to three students.
The boats are sportier than the Florida norm. Basic Keelboat (101) and Keelboat 2 (102) teach on J/80s, with a J/92 for variety; Basic Coastal Cruising (103) moves to a Beneteau 331 or Hunter 340, and Bareboat Cruising (104) runs three days and two nights living aboard a Jeanneau 389, with a four-day combined 103/104 cruise as the popular package. Coastal Navigation (105) and Cruising Catamaran (114) round out the list.
Founder Captain Brian Gwinnup has taken ASA’s Outstanding Instructor of the Year award multiple years running, and four more ASA-certified instructor-captains teach alongside him. The same fleet works after the course: certified sailors (ASA 103 or equivalent) can rent the cruisers bareboat, and the crewed side runs sunset, dolphin, and Crab Island trips on an Admiral 40 catamaran. Military veterans get a discount on classes.
Panhandle · Gulf Breeze
Pensacola Beach school built around live-aboard ASA classes for couples, families, and small groups, with extended at-sea time and the full coastal-cruising pathway.
Panhandle · Pensacola Beach
One-captain ASA school and charter operation at Sabine Marina on Pensacola Beach, teaching private lessons capped at two students aboard a 32-foot J Boat. No-test leisure lessons for vacationers alongside the full certification track.
Panhandle · Pensacola
Downtown Pensacola ASA school at Seville Harbour Marina, teaching since 2001 with a roster of USCG-licensed captains. Capri 22s for the fundamentals; the cruising courses run as multi-night liveaboards on a Beneteau 393, meals and bunks included.