Lake St. Clair Sailing School & Sail Club

Lake St. Clair Sailing School & Sail Club

Lake St. Clair Sailing School & Sail Club
4.5
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
Sunset sailing, Moonrise Sailing, Sailing Classes, Sailing Adventure, Sailing Instructors, Learn to Sail. Enjoy a day sailing Lake St. Clair, a romantic Sunset Cruise or a certified ASA sailing class. Lake St. Clair Sailing School & Sail Club has been getting people out on the water for over 30 years. With the areas top instructors and Captains you will enjoy a great day on the water on one of our well maintained and clean sailboats.
Saint Clair Shores, Michigan

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles8 reviews
Excellent
7
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1

Brian M
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023
I recently took the combination class for ASA 101 and 103. Spent 2 days on the lake with Captain Bill. Excellent instructor, very patient with us.
I greatly enjoyed the time I spent on the water and would recommend the school to anyone interested in learning to sail or needing a refresher.
Written August 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you.
Written May 9, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Evan N
Rochester Hills, MI18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
My somewhat unusual request was met with, "I will make it happen." Now there is someone who understands customer service. The two-day course was a perfect balance of classroom instruction and practical experience. My mistakes were corrected in a manner that reinforced the reason(s) why things should be done a certain way; not in a demeaning fashion. In short, two fun and informative days on the water!
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Terrie J
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
We have had a fantastic time with Lake St. Clair Sailing School. We spent a few evenings this summer enjoying the sunset cruises. Recently completed ASA 101 and are very excited to return for more fun and education. Highly recommended! :)
Written September 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you. We look forward to having you back for more sailing experience.
Written October 1, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sharon F
Ann Arbor, MI1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
We had a wonderful sunset cruise with the Lake St. Clair Sailing School! We felt very safe with Captain Bob + crew. Lake St. Clair was beautiful!! We are just learning to sail and Captain Bob gave us one thing to do to help us with the learning process. We had a lot of fun, and we are looking forward to the basic sailing class that we will be taking soon!!
Written June 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tom D
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Solo
I took the basic sailing class and had a wonderful experience. Captain Joe was awesome! He was patient and took time to explain and demonstrate everything to me (a new sailor) and the rest of our small group. I learned a lot and had a great time. Highly recommend!
Written June 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tom H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
I attended the ASA 101/103 Combo course in October 2022 with Captain Joe. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.

I decided to begin taking the ASA sailing courses in the Summer of 2022 and found limited class openings in Michigan and Ohio as it was late in the season. I found the sailing school’s real-time course scheduling to be very efficient compared to the other schools in the region where you needed to call/email for scheduling.

I found the communication from the school timely, frequent, and responsive.

The students in our class had a wide range of sailing experience from limited to extensive. Captain Joe thoroughly covered the course material both in discussion/presentation format and on-the-water. He was very patient and engaging with each student to accommodate their individual learning pace.
Written October 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

First
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
We are not rating the instructors, and from what we have read they are good; nor the experience we were not afforded. Our rating is entirely about the owner, ergo the business as a whole. The owner sent the following message that was buried within a booking confirmation e-mail the night before our 09:00 class:

"I am emailing you because [name redacted] who is supposed to give you the sailing class tomorrow has tested positive for COVID. ... I have tried to find another captain but they were all had previous commitments. Would the following date be ok with you? 10/8/2022 Saturday and Sunday"

We booked the two-day classes weeks in advance; arranged for time off work, and invested in the required/recommended clothing and equipment. The weather forecast for our classes was 9-10 knots and mid 80s. In my mind this was perfect sailing weather. The October 8th-9th classes were already on the school's schedule; and the forecast for those days was in the 40s, which would have been a very unenjoyable experience for us.

Unforeseen events happen, and the instructor should focus on their health. I do not think anyone could reasonably argue otherwise.

There are myriad reasons why an instructor may become unavailable; but the owner did not plan for a very common contingency, and did not care to uphold their side of the bargain.

Who doesn't call their customer when they have to cancel something at the eleventh hour? This owner.

Who doesn't make the slightest effort to try to find a mutually acceptable solution? This owner.

The booking confirmation includes the following exact copy:

"Cancellations:
Full refund when you inform us by email 7 days before the class starts.
50% Refund when you inform us 3 days before the class starts.
No Refund when you inform us 48 days before the class.
Customers will also receive a full refund or credit in case of operator cancellation due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances."

Should the owner have apologized? It would have demonstrated some consideration.

In conclusion: we received a full refund, but caveat emptor with Lake St. Clair Sailing School.
Written September 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It seems that you have made it as a personal problem between you and the business owner. This is apparently one of our competition trying to destroy our reputation.
Written November 16, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Cheryl R
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
The sailing school was excellent. The instructor was very patient and knowledgeable. I was amazed by how much I learned in two days.
Written July 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Cheryl
Written August 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lake St. Clair Sailing School & Sail Club - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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