Sailing Stories

For Lizzy Randolph, sailing is in her blood. She is a 3rd generation sailor, even though her family has always lived in Montana, a landlocked state. “I started sailing with my family when I was very young,” Lizzy said.  “I love sailing.” While most of her sailing experience has been on Flathead Lake in northwest…

When you imagine learning to sail you may think of the beautiful waters, stunning views, incredible sea life, and unforgettable memories made aboard a yacht. But what about the food? Go Sail’s Captain Jalil wants to make sure every guest aboard Go Sail Virgin Island’s Learn To Sail courses walks away reminiscing about just how…

In college, Thomas Powars found himself lined up as a counselor for a summer camp in Massachusetts. As a kid, Thomas had never been to a summer camp so he didn’t exactly know what to expect but he certainly didn’t expect to find himself sailing.  “I didn’t know it was a sailing camp,” he laughed….

Many sailors start out young but how many sailors have you met that are already aboard a 44 foot yacht as teenagers? “It’s the best boat that I’ve ever been on because… I haven’t been on many boats,” 17 year-old Christian said about sailing with his step dad, Go Sail’s Captain Jalil, as first mate…

Sailing had long been a dream of Captain Jalil before it became a reality. “I had been dreaming of sailing my whole life,” he explained. “I built sailboat models as a kid in the basement.” It wasn’t a lack of interest stopping Captain Jalil from sailing the real life versions of those boat models he…

If you ask a sailor what they love most about sailing, you’ll often hear a story that features peace, quiet, and tranquility. What you’ll likely never hear, is a sailor professing their love for the smell of the diesel generator that powers everything onboard their boat.   For Waymon Arnold, his disdain for the smell of…

Waymon Arnold has been a long-time resident of the Virgin Islands. His kids were born here. Grew up here. Boated here. But sailing? Never. Not Waymon, or his wife, or his kids. “I never learned to sail that first go around when I lived here the first time.” Waymon explained.  “We were on boats all…

Sean Morgan started sailing young but it wasn’t exactly an enjoyable experience. “My brother and I absolutely hated it,” he said. “My dad thought it was hilarious to go out on the boat and flip it over. So my brother and I thought we were going to die.” For decades, sailing was a sport Sean…

Tom Granese is no stranger to the Virgin Islands. His in-laws own a home in the USVI and he and wife own property there. However, for the many times they had spent admiring the sailboats passing them by, they had never actually learned to sail one.  “We have a great view from the property. We…

Marc Gottlieb’s introduction to sailing came about less from a family love of sailing but more so from one particular family member’s hatred of engines. “I grew up sailing with my dad who was a very smart guy, genius level scientist— but hated motors and had no mechanical abilities whatsoever,” Marc laughed. “So he got…

Sailing is a passion that runs in Zander Nelson’s blood.  “I’ve actually been sailing pretty much my whole life. My father was a sailor and his father was a sailor,” he said. “It’s been a family tradition.” At age four, he was already sailing with his dad on a Sunfish. By 12, he was racing…

Edi Stan had a sailboat. He’d had a sailboat for 15 years. However, until he got a push from his daughter, he’d never taken his vintage 1970s Aquarius 23 out on the water. It was a good conversation starter and a subject of daydreaming but not more than that,” Edi said. “[My daughter] said your…

Sailors have had some odd sightings over the years, from mermaids to the Loch Ness Monster. But what about eerie sightings from above? Mark and Tina McHenry were on their first bareboat charter with their daughter when they spotted mysterious lights in the night sky. “At first I thought it was a car dealership with…

Todd Ferderer grew up in the landlocked state of North Dakota without much thought about sailing.   “I was never really introduced to sailing of any sort,” he said. “But boating— yes!” However, when he moved to Los Angeles in 1997 “with a love of water and warm weather” he  did eventually find his introduction to…

High school brought Rocky and Dana together when they were young. However, sailing became a major factor in bringing them back together 44 years later.  “We went on a hike and he pointed down to Lake Pend Oreille Lake,” Dana said about their first time meeting up in Idaho after all those years.  “I have…

2023 was a year full of amazing sailing stories for Go Sail Virgin Islands! Take a look back at some of the best moments and take-aways of the sailing year in the Virgin Islands according to our students’ reviews on Google and Tripadvisor: The Beginning of Many New Sailing Stories  Go Sail Virgin Islands saw…

Not all sailing stories are individual experiences— many are intertwined with another person’s journey to becoming a sailor. That is certainly the case for Cynthia Forsch, Captain Genevieve’s mom.   “My first big sail was when Genevieve was working in Belize and she invited several family members [on a sailing trip],” Cynthia said. “We rented the…

If there is one thing you need to know about Frankie Olivieri to understand his sailing story– it’s that he isn’t the type of person to sit around and wait for things to happen. Frankie is a true go-getter. This quality of Frankie’s is evident from the very start of his sailing story. His decision…

Sara was already a seasoned traveler before she found sailing. However, sailing appealed to her as a novel way to explore more places around the world.  “In a catamaran, you can basically go anywhere there is water,” she said. “and that’s the majority of the earth!” She booked a catamaran trip with friends in the…

Matt had never spent much time thinking about sailing. In fact, it wasn’t until a coworker brought it up to him that the sport had ever crossed his mind. However, after his coworker mentioned it, he felt somehow compelled to give it a whirl. And a “whirl” it was.  “After a few hours of classroom…