Catch the wind with the Pensacola Sailing Academy
By Alice Crann Good / Photos by Kate Treick Photography
It’s an azure-sky scene on a late Tuesday morning at Pensacola Sailing Academy. The cheerfulness spreads inside and resonates in the small reception area with photos of dolphins and a lighthouse, a miniature wood sailboat on a table and aqua-striped pillows on blue-cushioned furniture.
Sitting at table in her floating business at Seville Harbor Marina, accomplished sailing captain and instructor Kathy Struchen opines about her natural world of waves, wind and sails — a world she shares with many.
As owner of Pensacola Sailing Academy, Struchen lives to sail and teach others.
“We have literally taught thousands of people to sail,” Struchen said. “The business impact is substantial because many of our students come from out of town and get to experience Pensacola and all it has to offer. Some have even moved here because they love the area so much. For those that already live here, the classes and Buccaneer Sailing Club really add to their overall enjoyment of the community.”
Pensacola Sailing Academy instructors have been teaching people to sail for more than 20 years, and they take education seriously.
“Our instructors have won American Sailing Association Instructor of the Year awards nine times,” Struchen shared with one of her irresistible smiles.
Married for 37 years, it’s been quite the ride for Struchen, who hails from south Florida, and her husband, John Struchen, who comes from Minnesota. The couple met in Atlanta when they were both involved in teaching various aspects of theatre. They traveled extensively to exotic locales where they enjoyed scuba diving and eventually learned together how to sail in 1989. The Struchens moved to Pensacola in 2000 when John’s mother retired here. They opened Pensacola Sailing Academy in 2001, and John Struchen retired last year.
Today, the business provides a wide range of offerings, including classes and certifications, sailboat rentals, history and ecology tours, private sunset sails, special events, a sailing club, exclusive sailing trips, and more. For instance, the Struchens and club members are going to sail the Amalfi Coast this year.
And everyone is going with a sailing education.
Pensacola Sailing Academy uses curriculum based on American Sailing Association curriculum for all levels. One of its most popular learn-to-sail courses is the Basic Keelboat Certification course (ASA101) that is taught on 22-foot Capri sailboats. Topics include sailboat parts, terms and rigging; points of sail; heavy weather sailing; tacking and jibing; docking and mooring; sailors’ knots; basic navigation; rules and safety at sea.
Classes (group and private) mean eight-hour sessions that include classwork, dockside and on-the-water instruction. Sixteen is the minimum age (with a parent). Overall, students range in age from 20s to mid-60s.
You can also take Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA103) and Bareboat Cruising Certification (ASA104) instruction. This cruise-and-learn adventure is a six-day, five-night, live-aboard class where you gain skills and knowledge to “feel capable and comfortable” at the wheel of a cruising yacht (charter boats up to 45 feet.)
Struchen said she has nothing against motorboats but prefers sailboats for various reasons.
“I have always been drawn to the water, and I love to travel,” she said. “Sailing allows you to experience those things in a totally different way. It forces you to be fully present, and you are moving at a speed that enables you to really take everything in. Whether it is seeing dolphins and pelicans on Pensacola Bay, or visiting exotic locations to experience different cultures, people and food, there is always something to feed the soul. I have been sailing in this bay for over 20 years, and every time I go out, it is something different.
“Sailing also teaches people to be self-sufficient and to pay attention,” she added. “What you experience on the water is different every time you sail because of different wind direction and wind conditions. It can be exhilarating on some days and peaceful on other days.”
And some people prefer to sail solo on the 22-foot Capri while others like a more social experience on a Beneteau 393 with more people, five to six, Struchen said.
Whatever your preference, Pensacola Sailing Academy has you covered, she said.
“Part of what we have always wanted is to make sailing accessible to everyone,” Struchen said. “And you don’t have to have your own boat … that’s one of the benefits of the sailing club.”
Struchen laughs at a memory of when she was a 19-year-old college student sailing for the first time in Panama City with friends, tipping over and needing to be rescued.
“A lot has changed since then!” she quipped.
LESSONS FOR LANDLUBBERS
Pensacola Sailing Academy owner, sailing captain and instructor Kathy Struchen said a surefire way to let sailors know you are a landlubber is to call sailing lines “ropes.” To help you get your sea legs, she offers up “Boat Speak.”
Bow: Front part of boat (when you bow you lean forward)
Stern: Back part of boat
Port: Left side of boat
Starboard: Right side of boat
Beam: Widest part of boat
Mast: Long, stationary, vertical pole that holds the sail
Boom: Shorter, moving, horizontal pole that holds the sail
Mainsail: Main source of power, attached to mast and boom
Headsail: Additional source of power at the front end of the boat There are various options based on size (jib, smaller; Genoa, bigger; spinnaker, lightweight and balloon-like for sailing downwind)
Winch: round piece of hardware that helps pulling force on lines
Winch handle: Helps turn winch (don’t leave it in the winch)
Halyards: Lines that raise the sails
Sheets: Lines that control the sails in and out
Tacking: When you turn the boat, and the bow passes through the wind
Gybing (or jibing): When you turn the boat and stern passes through the wind
Windward: Side closest to the wind
Leeward: Side farthest away from the wind
Helmsman: Person steering the boat
Skipper (or Captain): Person who’s in charge of the boat
Crew: All the people who help sail the boat
For more information, visit pensacolasail.com or call 850-432-3199. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
