International Sailing Academy - First Impressions

By Doug

With no one to train with in Dallas, I like to show up early for a Worlds event to watch the open guys and get in some training with the early birds who are usually the top master sailors. I stayed for one day at the host site Paradise Village (4.3 Google stars, discounted ILCA rate of $120 US) before heading to the International Sailing Academy in La Cruz - a town further up the bay - for a 4 day clinic.

It's been a pleasant surprise for several reasons. The supplied Lasers, rigging area, and sailing conditions are all first class. And rather than staying in a hotel, we're at a large home near the boat park. There's a large back yard and pool.

La Cruz has lots of local restaurants that serve good food at reasonable prices.

But there's little need because the food served by the Sailing Academy's Petra is even better.

The clinic participants are from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and all are serious sailors who make the on-the-water drills challenging. Perhaps I'm biased, but it seems a lot more civilized spending time with fellow sailors in a quiet setting than in a large hotel full of tourists.

If Pam and I were to come back just for a vacation, we'd prefer to stay at the Sailing Academy than at a hotel. The sailing is, of course, a bonus.