Sailing Story: Claire DeDeckere

Claire DeDeckere had never stepped foot on a sailboat before her boyfriend, Jalil, invited her down to see him at work in the Virgin Islands. 

“I hadn’t ever been sailing as a kid. I grew up in Michigan,” she said. “The sailing culture there is more racers— and powerboats. Mostly powerboats in Michigan.”

At first, Claire was a bit nervous of the prospect of getting on a sailboat but she quickly realized meeting Jalil in the Virgin Islands and hopping aboard the catamaran was a great decision. 

“As soon as I was on I was like ‘oh I get why people really love this’,” she said. “Even though you’re not going super fast you feel like it because you are so much more exposed than you would be on a cruise ship or river boat. You are more at one with the elements.”

That was it— Claire was hooked. 

“The next time out was actually when I moved down here to give it a go,” she laughed. “It’s all been pretty quick but I immediately fell in love with it.”

She said she quickly understood why students loved Jalil so much as an instructor and she found herself feeling the same way about his teaching style.

“He’s such a kind and patient teacher so I thought oh I can actually do this,” she said. “Even my first week out I remember helping pick up moorings and helping them with some of the lines.”

While Claire doesn’t have much experience out at sea, she thanks the sport for already growing her self-confidence.   

“It felt cool because it was really empowering. I had no idea I had the capability or had it in me,” she said. 

Claire will now be joining Go Sail Virgin Island’s team as Jalil’s first mate and also hopes to somewhat follow in his career footsteps. 

“I really do think I want to get my own captain’s license,” she said about her future goals. “It’s the perfect marriage of all my talents.”

For now, Claire will be working on her own ASA certifications while also making trips even more enjoyable for Go Sail students. 

“Genevieve [Go Sail’s owner] has been kind enough to let me come along for the ride,” she said. “It takes a lot of pressure off Jalil doing the hosting. He can focus more on the instructing.”

Claire says she has already started on tasks like making pancakes for the guests when they wake up in the morning and making sure to adapt hers and Jalil’s recipes to meet the dietary restrictions of the ASA sailing students. 

“We are a good team on it, to make sure there are good options and people are really enjoying what they are getting from us,” she said. 

Get to know more about Claire and experience the fun of sailing with her and Jalil by signing up for ASA courses with Go Sail Virgin Islands!