Welcome to Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School at Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda

If you want to learn to sail the right way, then Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School is the sailing school for you.  We will make your sailing dreams come true!
Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School is the ASA certified sailing academy of Yachting Vacations, the premier sailboat charter company in southwest Florida.

Yachting Vacations offers sailboat charter, yacht brokerage and yacht management services, while Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School will concentrate on ASA sailing programs. The phone numbers for Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School are the same as for Yachting Vacations but the school has its own web site, www.gulfcoastsailingschool.com.  Our e-mail address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School has seven ASA certified instructors on staff, who are all U.S. Coast Guard licensed captains or masters.  The school uses the meticulously maintained yachts of Yachting Vacations for instruction and our graduates receive 10% discounts on future charters booked with Yachting Vacations.

Gulfcoast Sailing and Cruising School offers all major certification from the American Sailing Association, such as Basic Keelboating (101), Basic Coastal Navigation (103), Bareboat Charter and Coastal Cruising (104), Multihull Certification (114), Advanced Coastal Navigation (105), Advanced Coastal Cruising (106) and the docking Endorsement (118).

Apart from these regular programs offered at our base in Punta Gorda, FL, we also offer coastal passages along the Gulf Coast and the Bahamas as well as flotillas and sailing training in Croatia.

Call us at (800) 447-0080 and let us help you reach your sailing goals.

Fair Winds!

Capt. Jean “John” De Keyser