WHITECAPS SAILING Your Destination American Sailing School
Comprehensive, personalized and fun sailing instruction!
WHITECAPS SAILING Your Destination American Sailing School
Comprehensive, personalized and fun sailing instruction!
Your Sailing Adventure Starts here...
If you want to learn to sail or you just want to improve your sailing skills or even if you want to experience exhilarating sailing adventures, you have come to the right place!
Our Mission
ASA Certified School
ASA Certified School
To share our passion for sailing while helping our students obtain the expertise and skills to fulfill their sailing dreams and goals, whether it is to acquire enough knowledge to leisurely enjoy a day sail or to become competent charterers or liveaboards.
ASA Certified School
ASA Certified School
ASA Certified School
Whitecaps Sailing, an ASA-certified sailing school of Med Sailing Adventures. ASA ensures that our instructors are highly trained and follow nationally recognized standards, providing with the highest quality sailing education..
Locations
ASA Certified School
Locations
Sailing classes are offered on Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda, Florida, from December to May and during some of our flotillas in the Mediterranean, like in Croatia, Greece, and Turkey, from May through September.
Our instructors
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Capt. Jean (John) De Keyser is a native of Belgium, a USCG 100T Master and sailing instructor for ASA 101, 103, 104, 105, 114, and 118.
Jean has sailed on Lake Michigan, the Adriatic, the Mediterranean, the Florida Gulf and has done offshore deliveries.
Jean teaches in Punta Gorda, FL as well as on the Mediterranean.
Capt. Belen Castro
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Belen is a native of Spain. She has spent half of her life traveling from one shore of the Mediterranean to the other studying every hidden detail of its culture as a linguist, archeologist, and sailor.
Belen is an ASA certified sailing instructor and holds a RYA Coastal Skipper License as well as GR Offshore Skipper License, she has expe
Belen is a native of Spain. She has spent half of her life traveling from one shore of the Mediterranean to the other studying every hidden detail of its culture as a linguist, archeologist, and sailor.
Belen is an ASA certified sailing instructor and holds a RYA Coastal Skipper License as well as GR Offshore Skipper License, she has experience doing deliveries from the Med to the Atlantic Coast and she is our instructor and charter captain in Greece, Spain and Italy.
Capt. Lee Collins
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Capt. Lee Collins
Lee is a seasoned maritime professional with over 30 years of experience commanding both sail and power-driven vessels. He holds a USCG OUPV license with a sailing endorsement and has extensive certifications from the American Sailing Association, ranging from basic sail training to advanced cruising and navigation. With a background as a
Lee is a seasoned maritime professional with over 30 years of experience commanding both sail and power-driven vessels. He holds a USCG OUPV license with a sailing endorsement and has extensive certifications from the American Sailing Association, ranging from basic sail training to advanced cruising and navigation. With a background as a former airline pilot and navigation expert, Captain Collins is a skilled instructor dedicated to helping students master their sailing skills. He splits his time between Key West and Punta Gorda, Florida, along with his wife Michelle and their French Bulldog, Winston.
Capt. Joe Cetner
Capt. Jean "John" De Keyser
Capt. Lee Collins
Joe, a former high school teacher in Illinois, has been an ASA sailing instructor for 15 years. He holds a USCG 100T Master for over 25 years.
With countless deliveries from the US and the Caribbean he brings firsthand knowledge to those wanting to gain offshore experience and training.
His laid-back approach makes classes stress free and
Joe, a former high school teacher in Illinois, has been an ASA sailing instructor for 15 years. He holds a USCG 100T Master for over 25 years.
With countless deliveries from the US and the Caribbean he brings firsthand knowledge to those wanting to gain offshore experience and training.
His laid-back approach makes classes stress free and fun. Joe has been named an Outstanding
Instructor by ASA 4 times.
Captain Jean and "Admiral" Mila, owned a successful charter business and ASA sailing school in Punta Gorda, Florida, from 2007 to 2015. After selling the business to explore other ventures, they continued their passion for sailing by organizing annual ASA flotillas in the Mediterranean. Since 2009, they have expanded their flotilla offerings from Croatia to Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and other destinations like the Seychelles and Brazil.
In addition to organizing and leading these flotillas, Captain Jean continued teaching for other sailing schools. Recently, he and Mila re-established their own sailing school, **Whitecaps Sailing**, in Punta Gorda, Florida. The name **Whitecaps Sailing** reflects their love for being on the water when the whitecaps signal great sailing conditions ahead.
