The Gratitude Sailing Institute

★★★★★Charles Matthews

Great 102 class, fine weather overcast and light rain kept us cooler than expected. Knowledgeable instructor and class mates made for informative exchanges. Location perfect. Boat the ideal size for feeling the effect of wind on sails while feeling safe in a freshening breeze

★★★★★James Erny

Captain Frank was a gentleman and a scholar! I enjoyed the intimate quarters, and the unannounced random man overboard drills when he threw a lifejacket in the water to make sure we knew how to save a person who had fallen into the water! Captain Frank is a gentle soul and a supportive instructor and even bought us dinner one night!

★★★★★Catherine Gundlach

I completed 101 and 103 with Captain Frank in 2022 so I had high expectations for the 102 and 104 classes in May 2025. Captain Frank and Gratitude did not disappoint. The book and curriculum materials were available well in advance with clear guidance on how to utilize these for success during the course. The instruction was well organized, had a logical flow and Captain Frank never wasted a teaching moment nor was any question ever too small. Captain Frank's knowledge and experience are vast and he truly enjoys mentoring newer sailors which made the whole class exceptional. We were fortunate to have mostly very fresh breezes which allowed for lots of practice with critical thinking and adapting to conditions for our sail plan each day. I found being able to learn from a master sailor like Captain Frank during gusty conditions was priceless and VERY helpful for my skill and overall confidence. I highly recommend Gratitude Sailing Institute for the individualized instruction from experts, always honest performance feedback and well honed logistics.

★★★★★Joseph McNeely

Gratitude Sailing Institute is exceptional in their precontract introductory material, the flexibility and customer orientation of their scheduling, the quality of on-site/onboard service and the delivery of instruction and onboard education. Unlike many websites and preliminary information for sailing schools, Gratitude provided a complete description of the curriculum by course, and clear methods. They reached out immediately by phone and quickly got to understand the unique needs of our group. Capt. Frank McKee is one of the most knowledgeable sailors I have encountered in 50 years of sailing. He has a gift for instruction, delivering a clear body of curriculum but relating it to the experience and background of the participating students. He sets high standards in a friendly way and provides the support to meet them. The Institute administrator and webmaster Kiki Mullen is well organized and provides timely and complete support to the Captain instructor and the students. The three of us participating in the class all had more than 40 years each of experience sailing, but were taking the preliminary ASA courses building toward 104 in the challenge format. You would think we had nothing to learn but polishing what we knew and unlearning the bad habits you pick up in years of experience. Yes, that was a big gain but we also learned both new theory and practices on the boat. I have a sense Capt. Frank can adjust to a complete novice but he certainly knew how to adjust basic sailing to improve the knowledge and skill of experienced sailors. Quite a gift!

★★★★★Bill Grabow

Learning how to sail has been something I have always wanted to do. I realized that the best way was to take lessons. At first I was nervous, but Captain Frank’s personality quickly put me at ease. I will say this - if you sail with Captain Frank you will become a competent and confident sailor. I needed these lesson so that I could feel more sure of myself and therefore have fun on the water. I sail single handed all of the time now because of Captain Frank’s lessons. I could not have done it without him. By the way - if you plan on getting your own sailboat I would strongly recommend taking the docking class. My fear of hitting another vessel kept me in my slip too many times. Once I took that class I felt much better about leaving and returning to my slip. Captain Frank will show you the techniques