Meet NauticEd Instructor Daniel Jackson
“Boating led me to people, places, and a life I love.”
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m originally from the UK but got into sailing when i moved to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle). I began sailing with a small 23ft trailer sailor and then joined a local sailboat club, where I started to race on J24s, Capri 25s and Olson 25s.
My wife (Klaudia) and I have owned several cruising boats and have explored and sailed all over the West Coast of the USA and we now live full time in Florida where we are loving the Gulf and access to the Bahamas. We love to run Flotillas all over the world and have just returned from Tahiti with an amazing group of students.
Favorite Type of Boating?
Sailing.
What’s your “style” of boating?
Adventure (new destinations & experiences).
Favorite “type” of boating?
Coastal/Excursions.
What got you into Boating?
Upon arrival in Seattle, I looked out to the Gulf and San Juan Islands and asked my friends “How do you get out there?” of which the reply was “You’re gonna need a sailboat”…. I was instantly hooked
What does boating do (or has done) for you?
Boating has allowed me to meet thousands of amazing people, sail on hundreds of different boats and visit endless amounts of fantastic destinations.
Most memorable boating experience?
I think it was the first time we launched our very first trailer sailor, a NorthWind 7. I’ll never forget the feeling of the sails filling full of wind and started to heel the boat over and propel it forward. I thought, “that is just amazing.”
What are a couple of your favorite boating spots?
Locally, I’m loving Pine Island Sound, which is a beautiful protected body of water between the barrier islands of Sanibel, Captiva, and the Main Land of Florida. There are a whole bunch of smaller islands that are only accessible by boat (one in particular is Cabbage Key, which has an amazing restaurant ashore where I love to take my students).
Further afield, I would say that Bora Bora is especially special. The water is breathtaking, and the wildlife is spectacular. I love just hanging on the boat watching the Sharks and Rays come right up to the boat and check us out.
What’s your favorite part about teaching boating students?
I love the “Aaah Haaaa” moment when students put the things they have learnt into practice. The look on the face of students when they dock a boat perfectly for the first time after always worrying about it, or adjusting the sails with the knowledge they have learnt, and getting that extra couple of knots of speed.
What advice would you give a new student about boating? An experienced boater?
New Students – Just do it………
Experienced Students – There’s always something new to learn or a different way to do things!!!
What is a random fact about yourself?
I used to live in Monte Carlo and was in the Music Industry working with several well known bands!!!!
What’s on your boating ‘bucket list’?
French Polynesia was always on my bucker list and i just managed to check that off…. however, I had such an amazing experience that I’ve put it back on my bucket list to return ASAP!!!
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NauticEd is a fully recognized education and certification platform for sailing students combining online and on-the-water real instruction (and now VR). NauticEd offers +24 online courses, a free sailor's toolkit that includes 2 free courses, and six ranks of certification – all integrated into NauticEd’s proprietary platform. The USCG and NASBLA recognize NauticEd as having met the established American National Standards. Learn more at www.nauticed.org.
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