The Center for Wooden Boats — Attraction in Seattle

The sailing classes there are not good. The instructors are friendly. But there is one big issue of the sailing class there. For the beginner's session, there are 5 classes in total, but each class has a different instructor. And each instructor has his/her own sailing methods! As a result, their teaching is very confusing since I am sure whose methods I should follow.

Also sadly, in the last class (i.e., the exam), when the instructor asked me to do reefing, I even had no idea what reefing is, since no instructor taught me before! Also I even had no idea how to turn around the head of boat to cast it off, because no one taught me. Overall I did well in jibing, tacking, and docking. But I still failed the class due to "safety concerns" (since the instructor did not think I maneuvered the boat safely). Moreover, when I tried to do docking, the instructor kept telling me "it is time to turn", "do parallel" etc. Then after the class, I received feedback that I did not do well because he provided too much guidance. I feel disappointed, because I did not ask for guidance, and in my previous classes when the instructor did not talk much, I can do docking very well.

So my suggestion for this class is: (1) can you make sure that each student would have one fixed instructor assigned throughout the classes? I find other sailing school does much better in this. (2) Is it possible to not guide / talk too much when the student is operating (maybe starting from 3rd class)? Please only talk / guide when it is necessary or something dangerous...

4 Stars for Lessons, Minus 3 Stars for Rental

TLDR: Avoid renting here. Lessons are OK. You can do better elsewhere. It's not the only place to learn sailing or rent a boat in the area.

I took lessons here that were good, but their rental boat cost me $500.

The rental debacle took place after I took lessons and spent about 50 hours sailing my own boat. I decided to redeem my 1 hour free rental that came with my lessons and brought a friend. When I launched my boat, if found it disturbingly uncontrollable. I was blown into a nearby dock and crashed into a yacht. After the yacht owner telling me exactly where to position my rudder, I rounded up and crashed into it again. This happened several times with an experienced sailor telling me exactly what to do. When the CWB rescue boat came to get me, THE PERSON PILOTING THE CWB BOAT, pointed out that there were several bolts missing at the tiller / rudder connection to a second person on their boat. That is exactly the kind of thing that would make a boat un-steerable. I was so distressed and humiliated that I didn’t think to take a picture or make a fuss. I did however exchange info with the yacht owner and pay them $500 to buff out the scratches. Regarding the lessons. The were good but not great. 4 of the 5 instructors were fantastic. 1 of them was super over-reactive and made a beginner sailor feel like an idiot for making an accidental gybe…something that even experienced...

One person can ruin your experience. We only had one day in Seattle which happened to be on a Sunday so we decided to go to the CWB. Yes, they give free boat rides. You need to line up early to book your time and type of ride. Everything was fine until we got to the greeter (I'll call him greeter) who tells you what is available and asks which you prefer. He was so sarcastic and such a jerk. Not even a funny sarcastic! He didn't seem to be like that with the people before us even though they took a while to decide what they wanted, so apparently we rubbed him the wrong way. I felt so belittled by the end of the exchange. I wish I would have said something to him or at least asked for his name 😠 I know it's free, that's not the point. He is also probably volunteering, so he doesn't need to be there if he doesn't enjoy it. The lady inside was super nice though. Sadly, we left feeling upset about the guy and later found something else to do on the lake so we just skipped the boat...