NEWS FROM OFFSHORE SAILING SCHOOL
First Mates – Steve and Doris Colgate – Featured in June 2024 Gulfshore Life Magazine
Offshore Sailing School owners – Steve and Doris Colgate – told their story to writer Ronnie Koenig who featured the couple in a 7-page spread called First Mates. It’s all about the Colgates celebrating 60 years of their sailing school and love. A nice read!
The Faces of Southwest Florida Features SAILING
The 2024 issue of Gulfshore Life magazine’s annual Faces of Southwest Florida ran a full page feature called Faces of SAILING with the Colgates, Exec VP Dana Matthews and VP Beth Oliver front and center.
Toronto Star Journalist Enjoys Day with Offshore Sailing School in the BVI
Journalist Caroline Eubanks recently joined writers and the BVI Tourist Board aboard a yacht with our Caribbean Manager, Folkert “Dutch” Jongkind to set sail from Scrub Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands. Read article here.
Makes Waves Off Captiva Island, Florida, on ABC-7’s “More in the Morning” Broadcast
Offshore Sailing School’s Beth Oliver, VP, Director of Sales & Marketing, and US Regional Manager, Randon Finkelstein, recently appeared with reporter Rachel Anderson on ABC’7’s “More Explores” segments shot from the company’s new Captiva Island location, ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa. Watch videos.
Doris Colgate 
Inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame
In November 2022, Doris Colgate received the highest honor among sailors – induction into the National Sailing Hall of Fame. She joins husband, Steve Colgate, who was inducted in 2015, and a host of sailors who have excelled in boat design, international and national racing including Olympic medalists and America’s Cup winners; and those who have given back in major ways (as has Doris) to grow the sport and lifestyle of sailing. The ceremony was held at The Sailing Museum in Newport, RI. At the time, the Colgates were the only couple who were inducted separately for their individual accomplishments in sailing. Read more about Doris Colgate here.
Offshore Sailing School Receives SAM Registration
Offshore Sailing School has received its SAM registration from the US Federal Contractor Registration agency.
Offshore Sailing School Announces Growth Plans Following Hurricane Ian
Offshore Sailing School owners Steve and Doris Colgate announced big growth plans following the destruction of their HQ office of 35 years, and damage to boats in its fleet based in Southwest Florida. Read the article written by journalist Laura Layden that appeared in the Fort Myers News Press on February 5, 2023.
Offshore Sailing School In the News
Read previous articles about Offshore Sailing School here:
- Offshore Sailing School’s Director of Marketing, Beth Oliver, interviewed company President/CEO Doris Colgate for The Moorings’ Virtual Boat Show in October 2020. Watch here.
- WindCheck magazine features an article on our Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior in June 2020
Offshore Sailing School Logo Merchandise for Sale Through Lands End Online
We recently posted a story in our #DocksideChatswithSteve video series about how Steve Colgate’s work in sailing helped launch the first Lands End merchandise catalog. Many graduates ask about purchasing logo merchandise. Now you can! Just visit the dedicated Offshore Sailing School storefront on Lands End Business website, order any merchandise in inventory and add the Offshore Sailing School logo they have on file. Visit the online retail store.
Gasparilla Island Magazine Features Offshore Sailing School and Sailing in Southwest Florida
We hosted a creative team from Gasparilla Island magazine at our location on Captiva Island, Florida. The magazine’s publisher is an Offshore Sailing School grad and wanted to feature our company founders and owners Steve and Doris Colgate in a story for the magazine, to show why taking a sailing course is the perfect vacation activity. Read the article here . . .
The Colgates Biography Is Published
The biography of Steve and Doris Colgate, owners of Offshore Sailing School, dedicated to getting more people to enjoy the sailing lifestyle, was published in October 2021. OFFSHORE High here.
WindCheck Magazine Features Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruise in 
Croatia
In the January/February 2020 issue of WindCheck magazine you’ll find a four-page feature on Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruise in Croatia. Author, Heather Hild Atwater, and her husband Nate (pictured here) are the official cruise leaders for flotillas organized by Offshore Sailing School for its graduates and guests. Experienced sailors are also welcome. “These adventures are a great way to see the world under sail,” says Heather who writes a blog for each cruise shortly after they return. To read this fun article about our Croatia sailing trip in WindCheck click here. Check out upcoming cruises here.
888-454-7015 ♦ Sail@OffshoreSailing.com
Offshore Sailing School was a Supporting Sponsor of the Hobie 16 World Championships on Captiva Island, Florida
The Hobie 16 Worlds were held at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida November 1-16, 2019. It was the first time in 35 years that the Hobie 16 Worlds had been held in the United States! Steve and Doris Colgate had the pleasure of watching the Masters class (skipper must be 45 years or over) compete on November 3, 2019 from the event’s committee boat – the Lady Jane, a gorgeous Fontaine Pajot Helia 44 catamaran from Tierre Verde, FL provided by owner and captain, Kevin Moore.
The crews changed boats three times, to avoid any “fast boat” advantages though all 60 Hobie 16s were brand new out of the container, rigged and set up on the beach just a few days before. Here’s a video that shows just a snippet of all the work that goes into a regatta like this.
What an event! The overall sponsor for the 22nd Hobie 16 Worlds were the Beaches of Ft. Myers and Sanibel, our Southwest Florida region’s very active and dedicated VCB (Visitor & Convention Bureau), with the support of South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island. Offshore Sailing School’s role as a Supporting Sponsor was to find and secure all the support vessels, with big thanks to members of the St. Charles Yacht Club and the Offshore team who lent the Hobie officials Offshore’s 19’ Grady White chase boat and 19’ Zodiac RHIB, plus Offshore Sailing’s racing marks.
888-454-7015 ♦ Sail@OffshoreSailing.com
Steve Colgate Featured in Gary Jobson’s new Legends of American Sailing Book
An accomplished America’s Cup sailor, author and Emmy-award winning sailing commentator, Gary Jobson has distilled more than 550 interviews into essays which are moving, jaw-dropping, and occasionally suspenseful. Offshore Sailing School’s founder, America’s Cup and Olympic sailor, and inductee into the National Sailing Hall of Fame, Steve Colgate, is profiled on page 41. Author Gary Jobson has dedicated 100% of the proceeds of the book to supporting the mission and programming of the National Sailing Hall of Fame in its new home in Newport, R.I. Read more here.
Elite Traveler Magazine Profiles Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina, BVI
Offshore Sailing School and our British Virgin Islands partners – Scrub Island Resort and The Moorings – shared the stage in the Summer 2019 edition of Elite Traveler Magazine. They think we’re all special, and so do we! Offshore Sailing School has been headquartered at the Scrub island Resort, Spa & Marina Marriott Autograph property since 2013. We have partnered with The Moorings to teach cruising courses on their spectacular fleet of monohulls and catamarans for over three decades! This triple whammy win-win-win combo can’t be beat. Take a look at the article in Elite Traveler and call to pick the best course for your sailing goals!
Canadian Yachting Magazine Features Offshore Sailing School
When an avid sailor (Clarity) falls in love with a NON-sailor (Dustin) who she really wants to turn on to sailing, she contacted Doris Colgate. “Solution,” said Doris, “I think the Fast Track to Cruising course is what you need.” So Clarity pitched the idea to Dustin, he said “yes” and the result? Well, you can find out here . . .
Offshore Sailing School’s President & CEO, Doris Colgate, Honored as a 2019 Grande Dame
Pace Center for Girls in Lee County (Florida) honored Doris Colgate as one of the organization’s 2019 Grande Dames. Doris was recognized on March 26th, with two others, at the Grande Dames Tea in Ft. Myers, Florida for her role in business, community and philanthropy. Watch the celebration here.
Offshore Sailing School — America’s #1 Sailing School — Will Celebrate 60 Years in 2024!
In November 1964, Steve Colgate formed a company he called Offshore Sailing School 
and began a legacy of providing the best and most expert sailing and boating instruction in the United States. At that time there were NO other sailing schools in the U.S. Since then the company has graduated more than 160,000 adults and their families in sail and power courses running the gamut from basic sailing to cruising, passage making and racing; has fulfilled a growing demand for special programs in leadership and team building for universities, corporations and private groups; and provided hundreds of flotilla cruising vacations all over the world for graduates and sailors who love to sail. Steve and Doris Colgate remain dedicated owners and leaders – at the helm and in the office every day except when on vacation somewhere on the water. Fun events and specials are in the works as the Company prepares for the next 60 years.
2023-2024 Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruises Announced
Coming up in 2023-2024 are three great cruises for Offshore grads and experienced sailors. In November, head to Grenada; then to Belize in January 2024 and Greece in June 2024. These adventure sailing holidays are for Offshore Sailing School graduates and other sailors with US Sailing or ASA Bareboat Charter certification. Guests who have some sailing experience are welcome on these inspiring, eye-opening cruises where you see the world under sail and unpack only once. For more information, click here.
Coastal Living Magazine Names Offshore Sailing School’s Learn to Sail Course as One of 5 Incredible Getaways
In an issue of Coastal Living’s digital and print magazines, Offshore Sailing School is featured as one of “5 Incredible Getaways Where You Can Learn Something New.” Click here to see a copy of both editions.
US Sailing Announces New Campaign with Leukemia Cup Regattas
Since 2009, Offshore Sailing School has raised and donated cash and in-kind support totaling over $175,000 to help LLS find the cures for blood cancers! Offshore Sailing School hosted the annual Leukemia Cup Regatta Fantasy Sail Celebration Weekend in December 2019 at the beautiful Pink Shell Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Offshore Sailing School’s Director of Marketing Beth Oliver recently discussed US Sailing’s new initiative with the organization’s Marketing Manager, Josh Toso, to assist Leukemia Cup Regatta teams raise more funds and help “put LLS out of business.”
Now We Know WHY Sailing Should Be Top of Your Wellness Program List
Offshore Sailing School is a longtime member of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) which promotes boating and sailing through its Discover Boating program. To better understand the impact boating has on minds and bodies, Discover Boating teamed up with one of the leading researchers on the health benefits of the water, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, marine biologist and author of Blue Mind, the bestselling book on the scientific connection between water and happiness. Offshore Sailing School has been preaching for years, that sailing reduces stress and gets you to relax. Now we know what we always believed, because “Boating triggers a restful state,” according to the Discover Boating collaboration with Dr. Nichols.
- Boating resets our brain
- Boating is meditate
- Boating is awe-inspiring
- Boating promotes play and induces creativity
- Boating appeals to our senses
“The effect of boating on our lives, and its fundamental connection to our planet’s waters, are well documented from an economic, ecological and educational perspective,” said Nichols. “But, the relationship of a boat to our health has been largely overlooked. We now know, thanks to science, that the mere sight and sound of water promotes wellness by lowering cortisol, increasing serotonin and inducing relaxation. It only makes sense that being on a boat is one of the best ways to access the wellness benefits of the water.” Amen! Sign up for a course with Offshore Sailing School and enjoy wellness adventures for life! Read more about why boating is so important here.
Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Participants Profiled in Canadian Yachting Magazine
Melanie and Allan Macdonald are Offshore Sailing School graduates of the Fast Track® to Cruising Course in St. Petersburg, FL. Living in Calgary, Canada they were landlocked and decided to participate in the 2017 Gulf Islands Flotilla Cruise organized by Offshore Sailing School. This fun article is about their participation in that flotilla cruise and more sailing adventures they have embarked on. Flotilla cruises are great for making friends, they say. Click here to read the article in Canadian Yachting magazine.
Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruise Leaders Profiled Again in WindCheck 
Magazine
Heather and Nate Atwater, who run Offshore Sailing School’s Colgate Sailing Adventures flotilla cruises, received well-deserved accolades in WindCheck’s On Watch section in June 2018. Take a look at this nice article and then you’ll wonder why you haven’t yet signed up for one of these fantastic flotilla sailboat vacations.
Employment Opportunities Available at Offshore Sailing School
America’s #1 Sailing School® is expanding, with positions open on the Company’s management, faculty and sales teams. Headquarters are in sunny Ft. Myers, Florida with branch locations in resort areas in Florida and the British Virgin Islands. Read more . . .
Doris Colgate Sailing Clinic & Cup at Edison Sailing Center, November 2016
Edison Sailing Center in Fort Myers, Florida, hosted the second annual Doris Colgate Jr. Women’s Clinic & Cup in 2016. Doris Colgate is President & CEO of Offshore Sailing School based in Fort Myers and is a leader in the sailing industry. The purpose of this annual event is to “train, empower and encourage girls and women to take the helm, and become comfortable competitors in the sailing world.” Read about last year’s event here . . .
Steve Colgate Inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame
On October 4, 2015 at the Bay Head Yacht Club in Bay Head, NJ, Offshore Sailing School’s founder and chairman was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame. He shared this honor with just five other members of sailing’s significant contributors, including two Olympic medalists. The primary mission of the National Sailing Hall of Fame is to preserve and share the legacy of passionate contributors to the sport.
Read more . . .
Cruising World Magazine Profiles Steve and Doris Colgate
“A Legacy of Learning” is the title of a four-page feature published in the October 2015 issue of Cruising World magazine, a long-time favorite of sailors worldwide. Writer Elaine Lembo, describes the Colgates as “a dynamic, youthful duo whose game-changing accomplishments, unique personal bests and diverse generosity would put them at the top of the Fortune 500 of Sailing, if such a list existed.”
Click here for the full story.
Offshore Sailing School, Steve and Doris Colgate Featured in Avenue Magazine
Steve and Doris Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School is featured in the February issue of Avenue Magazine. Learn more about their worldwide sailing adventures and why they enjoy still being at the helm of America’s #1 Sailing School®!
Doris Colgate Recommends a Tempting Sailing Book as a Great Gift
Convergence: A Voyage through French Polynesia, by Sally-Christine Rodgers is a beautifully illustrated travel narrative about a family’s journey to and around the South Seas. “This is a book that transports you to another world, one that you won’t be able to put down,” says Colgate.
More Sailboat News
Founded by Olympian and America’s Cup sailor, Steve Colgate, in 1964, Offshore Sailing School provides sailing instruction at all levels from Learn to Sail to racing sailboats to Offshore Passage Making, and power cruise lessons. The company has locations in Florida and the British Virgin Islands. For more information contact Beth Oliver, Director of Marketing at Boliver@OffshoreSailing.com or 239-985-7516.
