SailFit Laser & Sunfish Workshops

Fall 2023 Contact For Schedule

We are very pleased to continue to teach Laser sailors from beginner through advanced. With our many years of experience we have plenty of information to share and many new ideas and “secrets” that you will learn only from us. Our teaching style focuses on individual improvement no matter what level of sailor you are. If you are a beginner you will be working more on your large scale ability to handle the boat properly in a variety of drills and sailing conditions. If you are an advanced sailor, more on your technique, style and feel to improve your speed and recognize changes in the sailing conditions and tactical situation.

This outline shows what we cover during the seminar. Note the heavy emphasis on starting!

We hope you will join us for an excellent time sailing in the beautiful waters around Clearwater Beach! The seminar is held from the Clearwater Sailing Center on Sand Key: 1001 Gulf Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33761. You can check out their website at: Clearwater Community Sailing Center. The best airport to fly into is Tampa International. Click here for directions from Tampa airport to the Sailing Center: TPA to Sailing Center. Flights may also be available into Clearwater/ St. Pete, airport code PIE.

The number of sailors for this seminar is limited so please book your reservation early. The ability of the sailors is mixed. We normally have some beginner and advanced Laser Sailors. Full rig, radial and 4.7 sailors are welcome to attend.  We meet at 9:00 in the morning when the sailing center opens and finish around 4:30 or 5, and normally put 3 hours on the water. If the conditions are good we can sail in the Gulf of Mexico. Otherwise, we sail on Clearwater Bay, which is also beautiful sailing water. The seminar covers most everything about sailing and racing the Laser. We do many boat handling drills and have many races. During the briefings Coach Kurt covers the boat handling topics of the day, tactics, strategy, starting and Meka (Kurt’s wife) covers fitness, nutrition and injury prevention. We debrief in the afternoons by going over the video shot during the day.  On Sunday we normally do a racing drill with private coaching during the race.

This seminar is an excellent choice for any Laser Sailor that wants to improve their boat handling and racing skills. It is a great experience in a beautiful place and everyone learns a lot. Your sailing will improve significantly during the seminar and you will leave with a clear understanding of how to improve further.

For information and reservations please Contact Us. 

"I sailed competitively during high school in 420s, 470s and Finn.  When I took it up again after 27 years, Laser sailing was surprisingly hard.  During the seminar in November 2008 Kurt explained technique and speed specifically for Lasers.  Over the winter I watched the Sailfit video literally dozens of times.  When I stepped in the boat the first day of the seminar in March ’09, I noticed I had made real progress.  Thank you Kurt, for making me “untouchable” during some of the practice races." -Chris

"I sailed keel boats as a teenager in the Netherlands.  Then nothing for 30 years.  I was comfortable in my Radial but only in up to 1 knot.... Reaching in 15+ winds on Clearwater Bay in November ’08, with Kurt in the coach boat, took away the fear.  Over the winter I rode my bike to work because Meka said it would make me a better sailor.  It must have worked!  I tacked and gybed this time (March ’09) and hope to join in drills and races during our next Sailfit seminar.  Thanks Kurt and Meka for the inspiration."  -Gezina

"What a fabulous seminar! I had high expectations and you guys exceeded them all. Kurt, you were unbelievable and did not miss a trick for the four days. On point all the time from the great presentations to the individual attention on the water.In particular the boat handling tips and exercises will be helpful to me. Practice, practice and more practice!!!!!!!" -Doug