Tampa Bay · Punta Gorda
Charlotte Harbor ASA school running the full pathway from Basic Keelboat through Advanced Coastal on an unsinkable Etap 32, with liveaboard 104 and 106 courses and a Mediterranean flotilla arm sailing out of Greece since 2009.
Whitecaps sails Charlotte Harbor on Promise, an Etap 32, one of the Belgian-built double-hulled boats that stay afloat even holed, which is a comforting piece of naval architecture to learn on. Captains Jean “John” De Keyser, a Belgian USCG 100-ton Master, and Mila ran a Punta Gorda charter and sailing operation from 2007 to 2015 before re-establishing the school, and the instructor bench includes Captain Joe Cetner, a fifteen-year ASA instructor and four-time ASA Outstanding Instructor honoree.
The pathway runs complete: Basic Keelboat (101) over three days, Basic Coastal Cruising (103), then Bareboat Cruising (104) and Advanced Coastal Cruising (106) as three-day liveaboards, with Coastal Navigation (105), Cruising Catamaran (114), and docking (118) filling out the list. Combo packages run up to a seven-day 101-through-104 sequence, non-liveaboard students can bunk aboard for a nightly rate, and ladies-only classes run on the calendar.
The second act is Mediterranean: the school keeps a branch in Volos, Greece, teaching the core ASA courses and running flotillas through Greek, Croatian, and Turkish waters since 2009. For a Charlotte Harbor student, the pitch writes itself: certify at home, then meet the school in the Aegean. Veterans get ten percent off the 101.
Featured Tampa Bay · Sarasota
Founded by Olympian Steve Colgate in 1964 and relaunched in 2026 under Seaworthy Academy, teaching from the Quay in Sarasota and the Vinoy Marina in St. Petersburg. NauticEd pathway from Learn to Sail to Bareboat Charter Master, on 40 to 48 foot monohulls and catamarans.
Tampa Bay · Fort Myers Beach
Small instructor-led NauticEd school sailing from Matanzas Pass at Fort Myers Beach on a Beneteau 323. Certify locally through Bareboat Charter Master and the SLC license, then apply it on the school's week-long international flotillas.
Tampa Bay · Punta Gorda
US Sailing-certified school out of Burnt Store Marina on Charlotte Harbor, running coastal cruising, liveaboard, and offshore courses on a fleet that includes Beneteau Oceanis monohulls and Excess catamarans.