Women's
Sailing
Courses
gain knowledge & confidence in a
environment designed by and for women
Ready to invest in yourself?
Cruisers Academy’s All Women Sailing Courses create a unique and empowering space for women who want to build confidence and skill on the water. These courses are designed with women’s learning styles in mind, creating an inclusive environment that fosters hands-on learning, encourages all questions, and meets each sailor at her own level.
For women who have felt sidelined or hesitant in co-ed sailing situations, these courses provide a space where everyone is not only invited but truly supported through custom coaching.
Our hands-on curriculum and background in decades of teaching sailing bridge common learning gaps that can occur in traditional or partner-led instruction. Whether you are just starting your sailing journey, have spent lots of time on the water but are still struggling with the basics, or are experienced crew looking to level up to Skipper- Captain Heather Richards is a lifelong sailor and teacher that will get you to the next level in an engaging and fun environment.
This course is more than just a trip—it’s an investment in your safety, confidence, ability to be a valued crew member, enjoyment of future sailing experiences, and the best next step to reach your sailing goals and dreams...
And if you are sailing with your family or partner, it is also an investment in their success on the water too!
There is no better tool or equipment you can have on board than a well-trained crew.” ~Larry Pardey
AVAILABLE COURSES
Spend 6 days aboard SV Lintika with Captain Heather on a round trip sailing adventure in in the Baja Peninsula, flights in and out of Loreto (LTO).
JAN 7-12, 2025
JAN 15-20, 2025
JAN 23-28, 2025
JAN 31-FEB 5, 2025
$4,900 per person
(split across 2-4 payments)
Want to learn more? Keep reading to learn about the Captain, boat, curriculum, and to hear from past alumni!
What to Expect
The logistics of this course are easy, with round trip flights out of Loreto (LTO), a small, safe and vibrant town which is our favorite in all of Baja! You will board Lintika by 10am the first day the course begins and can leave any time the last day of the trip.
With only 2-4 students per leg, each participant receives highly personalized instruction in a supportive, hands-on environment. This course creates a dynamic learning environment where students can put any previous sailing knowledge to use while being coached through our sailing & cruising curriculum. You will be taking part in every role including learning to read the weather, hands on sailing and navigation skills, prioritizing safety, exploring Lintika's blue-water systems, mastering provisioning and cooking aboard, and more!
The itinerary, influenced by weather, combines theory with practical lessons, allowing time for relaxation, exploring beautiful islands, and experiencing the cruiser lifestyle in the beauty of baja!
Need more details!? Explore our FAQ section below or watch this boat tour of Lintika!
The captain
Captain Heather Richard is the real deal when it comes to female skippers. Her lifelong sailing career started at 8 years old. Since then, she has established her own norms as a female sailor and built serious sailing chops in a variety of settings: coaching races at the prestigious Saint Francis Yacht Club, designing a sailing program for the US Navy in Japan, Captaining the 100' Tall Ship Matthew Turner, and raising three kids aboard her sailboat!
But beyond being a sailor, her role as an artist, teacher, community organizer, woman, and mother have all played a role in making Captain Heather who she is today.
Her squeaky clean safety record, salty charm, and love for the ocean make Cruisers Academy’s Women's Sailing Courses in the Sea of Cortez something not to be missed.
Blue shares about why she is such an incredible asset to the team,"The coolest thing about Heather is that with all these accomplishments, there is no ego. Just a love for the ocean and the wind and a clear desire to lift others up. I have recently been asking a lot of women WHAT is holding them back from gaining the knowledge around sailing they clearly desire, and to my astonishment the resounding response is that they don’t feel like they deserve it. Spending time on a sailboat with Heather will 100% change that."
Celene
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"My husband and I have been sailing for a few years with intentions of living on our boat and cruising the world with our family within the next few years. I’ve never been a strong sailor and as much as my husband tries to teach me it usually ends up with him getting impatient and me getting defensive. I always knew I wanted to take a sailing course at some point so when I heard of the Women’s Sailing Course by Cruisers Academy, I signed up and I’m glad I did!
Captain Heather was extremely knowledgeable, patient, approachable, kind, and fun! She taught us what we wanted to learn which not only included sailing, but ended up being a lot about diesel mechanics, electrical systems, and boat safety - all critical things for living on a boat. And the best part was she made it interesting and easy to understand.
Not only did I learn a lot on the course, it was also a lot of fun and the Sea of Cortez was beautiful. The course was empowering and I feel much more confident on my own boat and feel I can contribute much more now! I highly recommend the Cruisers Academy Women's Sailing Course with Captain Heather!"
shari
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"Just did a women's sailing trip with Captain Heather Richard put on by Cruisers Academy. The 6-day island hoping out of Loreto in the Sea of Cortez was epic.
It was my first time doing the live aboard experience and I loved it! I previous did the CA-1 class at Lake Tahoe with Brady & Blue, but my crew mate in the Women's Course came in with no experience and did great. Really learned a lot about navigation and trip planning, reinforced everything I knew about sailing and learned much more. We had lessons each day and got practical experience. Lots of time at the helm.
In addition to everything on the boat, we got to free dive a shipwreck, snorkel in caves, hike on unusual landscapes, and experience pristine areas where we saw no other people or boats.
Also, the sisterhood of the women's trip was beyond what I expected. What beautiful souls I met and bonded with. It was incredible. I will definitely be joining them again next winter!
boat tour
Photo Carousel
the sailboat - SV LINTIKA
SV Lintika is Cruisers Academy's 1980 Passport 42', an incredibly well built and beautiful sailboat constucted in Taiwan by the reputable Passport Yachts. This classic sailboat, designed by Stan Huntingford, has gotten a massive refit over the last several years and is as modern as they come. As a cutter rigged sloop with a fin keel and skegged rudder, her canoe stern and additional sail set up allows her to sail incredibly close to the wind. With 20 tons, she also stays comfortable in downwind and in heavy conditions.
Lintika is equipped with a water maker and even a hot water heater for hot showers, a full galley for cooking delicious meals, cozy salon area with all new cushions, and a comfortable cockpit for enjoying your coffee at sunrise! She also has 820 watts of solar and 810 amp hours of lithium batteries that powers a Starlink internet system so you can easily stay in touch with family while on board.
She is fully kitted out for optimum safety at sea with sat-phone capabilities, a 6 person life raft, a MOM-8 device, EPIRB, AIS and brand new radar.
Available bunks/cabins, click through the photo carousal for pics or watch the boat tour:
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PRIVATE MAIN CABIN FOR TWO PEOPLE
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V-BERTH FOR ONE/TWO PEOPLE
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SEMI PRIVATE BUNK FOR ONE PERSON
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SALON BUNK FOR ONE PERSON
Hear from Captain heather
"Women came with more knowledge than they thought, and were hungry for more. There were “ah ha” moments for everyone—for those with experience sailing, for those that had never been on a boat before, and for those who had watched how to do something but had never actually done it themselves. These women didn’t just try to go through the motions of learning, they asked the 'why' behind everything."
"Learning from one another, knowing that they shared this drive for knowledge and empowerment, meant that much more. And it wasn’t just with sailing, it was with boat systems—the mechanics of electrical, plumbing, engines, and so on. All of their experiences amounted to a new found confidence that, individually, they could live offshore, disconnect, enjoy isolation in nature and address a problem with the boat—with the help of a manual or other tools—on their own. Teaching that, was incredibly rewarding."
FAQ's
Q: Is it safe to travel to Baja Mexico?
A: Yes, while certain parts of mainland Mexico have a bad reputation, the Baja Peninsula is very safe and quiet. Loreto, especially, is a tiny town with a tiny airport that is easy to walk around even as a solo female traveler.
Q: Is it easy to get to the boat?
A: Yes. Generally people fly into LTO the day before the trip starts, grab a taxi (15 mins north) to Loreto, stay the night and meet up with other crew for dinner/drinks, and all share a taxi the morning the trip begins to Puerto Escondio Marina (30 mins south). We can help pre-book taxis if you prefer!
Q: Is it easy to travel to Mexico if I don’t speak Spanish?
A: Yes, many Mexicans who work in the service industry speak enough english to communicate with customers but we also recommend downloading the ‘Google Translate’ app and downloading the Mexican dictionary offline before you go in case you do need it.
Q: What level of experience can I expect my fellow crew to have?
A: Crews tend to vary in experience level which works out great to assign people different roles & responsibilities. Our curriculum is designed to meet you where you are at, and Captain Heather will choose which lessons to focus on depending on the crew's skill level and interests. The curriculums are designed to continue acting as education tools even after the trip ends.
Q: Will I have my own bunk and privacy?
A: Be sure to check out the boat tour and or photo carousel of Lintika to get a better idea of her layout. One person will have the V-berth Cabin with a door, one to two people will have the Master Cabin with the door (friends coming on the trip can share this cabin for a 10% discount), and one person will have the Semi-Private Bunk which has no door but does have a privacy curtain and we offer a small discount for having a slightly smaller space.
Q: What is the toilet and shower situation? Can I blow-dry my hair, bring an electric toothbrush, and enjoy all my usual routines?
A: Lintika is equipped with a watermaker that allows for a short shower every day if you’d like, and we even have hot water! We can charge all electronics on board. Generally hair dryers are a massive power pull so we don’t recommend them and just rock hats and headbands! We are constantly hearing feedback from students that Lintika is much more comfortable than they expected.
Q: Is there wifi or reception onboard?
A: Yes, we have Starlink internet on board. One of the beauties of sailing is being offline and disconnected but it literally takes the flip of a switch to turn the internet on if you want to connect with your family or work while you’re aboard.
Q: Am I expected to purchase certain gear to bring with me?
A: Check out our recommended packing list.
Q: Is there enough space to store my luggage?
A: Yes, we just ask you to use collapsible suitcases instead of hardshell ones because we can’t store several of these at a time.
Q: Do I need to bring cash?
A: 99% of places in Mexico accept credit cards and also local ATMS will give you pesos. Just let your bank know you’ll be traveling internationally.
Q: Do I have to pay the full price at checkout?
A: No, we generally split the payment in two but are also flexible into splitting into multiple payments.
Q: Can my family or partner come with me or meet up after?
A: While we want to reserve the trips for just Women, your partner is welcome to meet up after!
Q: Can I talk to someone about this trip? Can I get help booking this trip?
A: Alex Blue is happy to hop on the phone to paint a better picture of the trip, even if you are nowhere near ready to commit, she has these calls with crew regularly to help explain what to expect!
women sailors: virtual Q&A and community hour
We’re on a mission to empower female sailors, and what better way to do that than by connecting with each other! We’ve been building a global community of women passionate about sailing, and even though we’re spread across the world, we want to strengthen that connection.
This Community Hour is open to all women—whether you're an experienced skipper with valuable insights, have never set foot on a sailboat, or someone who’s felt sidelined or hesitant in co-ed sailing environments. While future sessions will focus on specific topics, this first one will explore the unique experience of being a female sailor- the common challenges we face, and strategies to overcome them. Lead by Cruisers Academy Skippers Alex Blue & Heather Richard, who will share some of their own experiences and facilitate a Q&A session.
Join us on ZOOM👇
Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024
4pm (PT), 7pm (ET)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84525332764
Meeting ID: 845 2533 2764
