SAILFIT Seminars

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 situations.

Check out what some of our past seminar graduates have to say!

"meka and kurt, thks for a great two weekends of training. I learnt a lot at the seminar and I think I came away a faster sailor plus I feel I now know exactly what to work on during the rest of the season to improve further. I also felt that the seminar was just great fun, a nice change to racing for anyone who enjoys sailing - I'll recommend the seminar to my friends as a great way to spend a long weekend, learning new skills in a fun environment with like minded people.
 
I also thought Kurt did a great job of adjusting his coaching to the various standings within our group - we had all standards from people who were fairly new to laser sailing to race winners on the masters circuit - everyone came away with lessons learnt - overall a great event!" -Mike

"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

Dear Meka & Kurt-

Just a quick note to thank both of you for making the charter process so easy. Daniel had a great time at Mid Winters! He enjoyed the clinic with Kurt and only wished he could sail more often in the Gulf.

Conditions were insane on Friday, and he had no experience in 4 - 6 ft. swells. He learned quickly.....All of your advice on where to say etc... was valuable to me, and I truly appreciate the time you took to speak with me. I would recommend Sailfit to others without hesitation!

Seminar Video - One on One Coaching

Seminar Video - Practice Start

"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

"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

This outline shows what we cover during the seminar.
We practice a variety of drills to improve your sailing ability on all points of sail.
Note the heavy emphasis on starting!

SAILFIT Seminar,

March 4-7, 2010 and March 11-14, 2010

Clearwater, FL

Kurt & Meka Taulbee, instructors

Day 1:	Discussion:	Boat handling
	Drills:	Rigging & Launching, Tacking, Gibing and Rounding Marks
Day 2:	Discussion:	Starting, Style & Technique
	Drills:	Starting, Upwind, Downwind and Crosswind Speed
Day 3:	Discussion:	Tactics & Strategy, Sailing Fitness
	Drills:	Feel sailing, Starting, Races
Day 4:	Discussion:	Putting it all together, Graduation
	Drills:	Starting, Races
Notes: We expect to sail 3 to 5 hours per day
We have the option of Bay or Gulf of Mexico sailing
We debrief at the end of each day with video
Please bring water, food and extra gear for the coach boat
Day 4 is completed by 3 PM

We hope you will join us for an excellent time sailing in the beautiful waters near 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: http://www.clearwatercommunitysailing.org/. 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 who are mostly adults but we normally have several junior sailors too. Full rig, radial and 4.7 sailors are welcome to attend and we will also consider Sunfish sailors.

Video: Big Breeze in Clearwater Pass

Video: Wipeout!

We meet at 9:00 in the morning when the sailing center opens and finish around 4:30 or 5, and normally put 4 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 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 both Saturday and Sunday some members of the Clearwater Sailing Team also participate. This brings the group to a larger number and amplifies the work on starts and racing. On Sunday we 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.  

The seminar fee is $500. This includes the launching fee, a video DVD of your seminar, and a SAILFIT shirt or hat. The fee to charter a Laser (if you need one) is $400.

For information and reservations please email Meka@sailfit.com.