Listen to our show from 7/25/20 featuring Captain Jack Silver, and view the interview from 2017 with Voyage LA below.

Jack is the founder of the LA Sailing Club and School. (www.lasailingclub.com), which not only offers a great service to the community but also allows many to fulfill one of their dreams in life, learning to sail and having a boat to sail.

To give you a little background on Jack, his “customer service focused business philosophy” probably began with his Peace Corps service in Brazil. This was followed by years working in the not for profit world where he eventually became the Executive Director of the National Kidney Foundation. His for profit career started when he opened his first Staffing office in Northern Virginia. After almost twenty years in the “head hunting” and staffing business he sold his company and began his first effort at retirement.

However, his son Michael had moved to LA to pursue his career in acting. His need for a manager resulted in Jack moving to LA; getting into the entertainment business where he managed a number of actors and writers. Eventually Jack’s business interests began to focus more and more on the boating industry; working with an established broker he opened a boat brokerage, and more recently established the LA Sailing Club & School.

“The Club” provides a very innovative service for not only the experienced sailor but also for that individual who always had a dream to learn to sail and have their own sailboat. Members share in the use of a 36’ Hunter sailboat that is fully equipped and maintained for them and allows members to reserve the boat through an on-line calendar system. In fact, they can reserve the boat up to a year in advance.

For those wanting to learn to sail, “The School” utilizes state of the art on-line distant learning modules starting from beginner to International Certification. And just to demonstrate you are never too old for new adventures, just this year Jack passed the Coast Guard Exam and was awarded his Captain’s License. Now, he really is Captain Jack.

Were there challenges: of course . it is a twofold challenge. First no one needs a boat (well actually they do, but don’t realize it… as I used to tell my wife, it is cheaper than going to see a therapist and more fun… to say I am going sailing than I am going to see my shrink). It costs money. So it requires people with some level of disposable income. The next challenge is trying to identify a target market. It is not a clearly defined market because it can appeal to young, old, male, female, etc. And it is a niche.

IF you want to sail on a regular basis, not just a couple of times a year, there is no more cost effective way to accomplish it.

The lessons/school really came as a result of people wanting to become a member/partner on the bpoatl, but not knowing how to sail. So in order to get them to be able to take a boat out themselves, I had to teach them.

I can now say, after 8 years of doing this, that I can take a person who has NEVER sailed, and after 4 three hour lessons, they will be capable of getting the boat in and out of the slip (the scariest part of the whole process), understanding basic sail trim, and enjoying be the Captain of their boat. Over the years I have modified by training in two significant ways. First I have teamed up with what I think is the best (and really only) state of the art on line sailing instruction program, NauticEd.

This give you the theoretical/technical understanding of how it all works, terminology (which is a significant part of sailing) and the rules of the road. Second, while not an absolute, I encourage people to learn with a partner. It is the same cost and it provides a number of benefits. The learning is done on a 36′ boat with sophisticated equipment and electronics.

Once you know how to sail, you can choose to become a partner on the boat. this gives you use of a 36-foot sailboat that is professionally maintained, fully insured, and equipped with sophisticated electronics, chart plotter, radar, etc. It has an electric head; shower, refrigerator, one and cook top, microwave, two cabins and comfortable salon.

WOW…. lots…perhaps some of the most endearing involved horses. I grew up in Akron Ohio. When I was about 8 my dad went out and bought an old nag – Thunder – who we thought was just beautiful. over the years I was thrown, kicked, lots of riding across fields and thru the woods and competed in rodeo events, my favorite being barrel racing. Way too many stories and memories to list.

Pricing:

A partner on the 36′ boat (able to use regularly) is now $600/month.

The basic lessons -4 three hour sessions on the boat- for two people is $1450

Contact Info:

Address: Marina del Rey, CA

Website: www.lasailingclub.com

Phone: 310-889-7939

Email: jack@lasailingclub.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailingmarinadelrey/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-sailing-club-and-school-marina-del-rey