A private sailing vacation in the Sea of Cortez with hands-on instruction
Introducing Go Now™
The Go Now Instructional Charter program offers a true sailing vacation with hands-on instruction in a highly sought after destination: The Sea of Cortez. Get out on the water now to enjoy a sailing vacation while building real-world catamaran experience.
See what a week-long sailing adventure is really like.
Gain insights on what training or certification path makes the most sense.
Your captain is an expert instructor who knows what you want to know and has been where you want to go.
Captain Marc Hughston is an EDU-4 American National Standards sailing instructor and La Paz charter expert who personalizes the experience around your background and goals.
For sailors and boaters whose real goal is yacht chartering, Go Now is the ideal way to get started. Co-developed by NauticEd, and The Moorings, Go Now is designed to help you gain practical experience for future charters as you enjoy a sailing vacation in truly exceptional destinations. Santana Sailing, a NauticEd Flagship School in La Paz, implements Go Now with catamarans from The Moorings in La Paz.
The Catamaran Experience
Many aspiring sailors, and even experienced monhul sailors and racers are drawn to the catamaran’s unique combination of speed, stability, and comfort. With generous living space, smooth sailing, and a level of steadiness that keeps your drink right where you left it, a catamaran transforms an ordinary sailing holiday into an unforgettable experience.
Ready to explore a Go Now™ charter?
Tell us a little about your goals and trip ideas. We will follow up to help you explore the right fit. No commitment required.
A Go Now Instructional Charter is a full week on the Sea of Cortez with a highly rated professional sailing and cruising instructor, on a Moorings catamaran. The experience is designed for both new sailors and those with more advanced skills. Both sail and power cats are available.
If you’ve been on a captained charter but want to learn and participate more fully, this is a great way to do it. Relax. Learn something new. Enjoy.
We personalize the instruction according to your goals and experience. Here is a sampling of what participants typically learn about.
How the weather can affect the choice of destinations and anchorages.
How excursions and daily decisions shape the trip.
How to choose an anchorage given the expected weather conditions, and choose the best spot in the cove.
How to handle the dinghy for going ashore, snorkeling, and securing it for the night.
Adapting the itinerary to changing conditions.
How to use navigation tools, charts and guidebooks in unfamiliar cruising grounds.
How to plan meals and provision, check out the yacht and prepare for the trip.
How to manage the yacht and resources day by day — battery power, water, cooking aboard, plumbing, and troubleshooting.
Handling a much larger yacht than you may be used to.
New sailing and seamanship skills, with a professional instructor aboard.
Why Choose a Go Now™ Instructional Charter?
It’s simple. A bucket-list destination, ideal sailing conditions, and rewarding experience with expert instruction. You will advance your skills and see new possibilities open up.
For boaters that want to move toward catamaran charters, the LetsGo program is a practical way to gain valuable experience in chartering. You will build real-world experience in an exceptional destination on the kind of boat you want to charter in the future.
Experience what chartering is really like.
Take a more active role and learn how to handle a catamaran.
Learn seamanship techniques, tips, and tricks from an experienced NauticEd Instructional Captain.
Become more comfortable with the yacht and the rhythm of a weeklong charter.
Understand the decisions behind a successful charter vacation.
Build confidence as you gain experience.
WHY LA PAZ AND THE SEA OF CORTEZ?
A Top Sailing Destination
Easy travel, a peaceful city with a vibrant waterfront, ideal sailing conditions and the pristine coves and beaches of the Espíritu Santo Archipelago National Park have made La Paz and the Sea of Cortez our favorite place to be. See our Come Sail La Paz page.
A two-and-a-half-hour direct flight from LAX to La Paz International (LAP) makes it very accessible. The Moorings charter base has new boats in the best marina in La Paz, the Costa Baja at Puerta Cortes.
Conditions are ideal for an immersive instructional charter. Each night, we anchor out—giving you hands-on experience with one of the most essential skills for confident, self-sufficient cruising anywhere in the world. Training in a Level 3 Destination gives you a head start building more advanced skills and judgement.
Who Should Book a Go Now™ Charter?
Go Now is designed for anyone who has ever wanted to charter a catamaran.
Aspiring Charter Captains
Ideal for sailors who plan a bareboat charter someday and want to see how it actually works, while building confidence with family and friends.
First-Timers and Novices
Sailors and boaters looking for an approachable way to begin chartering will find this to be a natural starting point.
Day Sailors Moving to Week-long Charters
Ideal for those who want to learn how to plan a sailing vacation, see how to provision the boat, create a flexible itinerary, and learn the routines and flow of a week-long charter vacation.
Families, Couples, and Friends
Enjoy the sailing vacation together in a more engaging way, taking part in the experience while enjoying the destination.
Those Ready for a More Active Role
Take part and learn about how to sail, navigate, anchor, and enjoy the catamaran as an excellent platform for an adventurous vacation.
Boaters and Sailors New to Catamarans
Ideal for monohull sailors learning the sailing characteristics, systems, and routines of a cruising catamaran.
What Happens Next?
Explore whether Go Now™ is the right choice.
After you inquire, we will talk with you about your experience, goals, and the kind of charter vacation you want. From there, we help you determine the right fit, shape the charter plan and guide you through the next steps so you can arrive ready for a great trip.
There is no pressure, no commitment – just a practical conversation to help you explore your options.
Start by registering for a course date - or discuss your sailing goals with Santana Sailing
Contact Santana Sailing to register for a course, or discuss your sailing goals, past training and experience - so that we can tailor the training to you!
Begin the NauticEd online knowledge-theory courses immediately!
Online knowledge-theory courses have been proven in education and business to be more effective than traditional means, and NauticEd's online courses are best-in-class in sailing. A big advantage is that you can begin immediately, giving you more time to prepare and most importantly more time to train and sail on the water with Santana Sailing!
On-the-Water Sailing & Training
Santana Sailing's on-the-water training is focused on the application of knowledge-theory and skills building. The training is unique in that Santana Sailing's instruction is focused on developing competency and confidence, and approach that gives each student not only personalized attention but hands-on sailing experience in a variety of roles and responsibilities.
Assessment & Certification
Certification is optional and includes a thorough assessment of the students skills, safety and overall competence for each level - using a Rubrics system that keeps the assessment transparent and objective. Typically Santana Sailing assesses during the training and while instructing, but students can request to be assessed separately for any certification.
Training You Can Trust
Our Commitment to Your Sailing Competence: We really want you to have the skills - we know that you do too. So when you continue training with us through Skipper Large Keelboat level, you will be ready to charter a boat on your own or we’ll invite you back for more training, free of charge. That’s our commitment.
Our training methodology meets the U.S. Coast Guard's prescribed On-Water Recreational Boating Skills Standard – SAIL, the newly released 2017 American National Standard for on-water instruction in entry-level recreational sailboat operation.
Professional Sailing Instruction
Santana Sailing's instructors are extraordinarily well-qualified: experienced, mature, trained to American National and International Standards, and assessed to the highest standards and expectations in recreational sailing.
Santana Sailing offers fully-accredited NauticEd Training and Certification. NauticEd is the international leader in sailing education and certification, which affords our students the best educational resources and certification in the United States as well as abroad when sailing internationally.
