Join Derek Escher for Annapolis Boat Show Seminar

As I look back on my “career” as a yacht broker, a few things always come back to me. I got into this business because I have loved sailing since I was a little kid, and I have been lucky enough to make a living out of it. While brokerage has been a better choice from a financial standpoint, teaching sailing, and sharing the joys of sailing has been the more rewarding byproduct.

There is no judgment here. Many, if not most catamaran buyers, buy cats first and foremost for the space, stability, and comfort that cruising cats offer. I totally get that, and I too love a week in the BVI on any cat, it hardly matters if the boat sails at all.

I do come from New England though. Here, there is still a thriving sailboat market. People here love to sail, and a good percentage go out sailing every weekend with the idea of no motors, just the quiet of a warm Sou’wester. The sailing itself is the fun part, not necessarily the destination (although that is fun too).

This year, I’ll be doing two seminars as part of the Annapolis boat show (October 15-18). I am excited about both of them and hope to share some of the joy of sailing with you. The two seminars are:

Couples performance sailing. This one will be specific to how to sail your boat better as a couple, with keeping the peace as a top priority. We’ll get into everything from signals, to determining who is doing what, to marriage savors (radio headsets). The main thing though, is we’ll share how our success racing our boat has taught us how to get the most out of her, how to tack and gybe without drama, and how sailing around buoys and islands for fun can enhance the ability to get the most from any boat. I am lucky enough to have my wife Ann doing this one with me. Ann is personable, and a terrific sailor, and her insight is bound to be ungalvanized and honest. She is a retired nurse, and a very accomplished racer.
Performance sailing for catamarans. This one will be more technical and will draw on audience discussion quite a bit. I’ll want to address what you are sailing, and how to get more out of it. This is not meant to be an infomercial for high performance daggerboard cats, but I will discuss how to get the most out of sailing your cat, whether it’s a 30-year-old Privilege, or a brand-new Gunboat. My objective is to encourage all cat owners who have a sailing cat to optimize that.