Alisha Bube
Wake up early to ready your boat. Hear the sails flap as you race through the waves. Spot colorful fish poking around coral reefs. Relax in the evening on a beach under the stars. On this course, you’ll join a group of self-identified women to push your sailing skills and develop your leadership style. The course starts with the basics, making it a good fit for both experienced sailors and those who are new to sailing. You’ll learn to cruise Baja California’s stunning coastline in 22-foot Drascombe longboats. Skills you’ll learn along the way include navigating hazards, reading the wind, and finding a good anchorage for your boat. When you explore onshore, you’ll find shallow tide pools teeming with life as well as desert plants and animals. You might meet members of local fishing communities, an opportunity to practice Spanish language skills and gain a deeper understanding of the area’s history and culture.
Even more important than your sailing skills will be leadership development. On a NOLS course, leadership is learned from experience. One day, challenging weather might be a lesson in decision making; the next, you might learn about communication as you work through changing group dynamics. You’ll take on a different leadership role each day, continuing to develop your own leadership style. By the end of this course, you’ll be prepared with skills you can bring to any setting—start sailing today.
“I discovered and learned more about myself in 22 days then I had in 22 years. When you’re thrown into a new environment with new people, new surrounding, and a new skill you have to learn you discover the strengths inside yourself quickly and you find out how to ask and receive help from others. I had never even been on a sailboat before in my life and by the end of the trip I was captaining a boat filled with only other students.”