The best things come in small packages.
It’s an idiom that has the virtue of being true — not for the man who’s hung like a lightswitch, but for sailboats. These sailboats.
Introducing Marina Del Rey’s Open Sailing, a boat workshop and sailing school whose entire fleet belongs to the Mini Transat class – AKA the smallest operable vessel sanctioned for open-sea racing.
OS is the domain of Jerome Sammarcelli, a former Santa Monica Yachtsman of the Year and the only man who can lay claim to a successful California-to-Hawaii voyage aboard a Mini Transat.
He and his team of ASA-certified instructors offer one-on-one lessons aboard the same “Pogo 2” that they build (and sell) in-house.
They’ll teach you everything you need to know — from trimming sails to rigging a spinnaker to reading the wind with gull-like precision.
And despite its modest stature, the Pogo 2 packs a serious punch: you’ll hit speeds up to 22 knots – the same you’d find on a 60-to-80 foot boat.
But don’t take our word for it. This Saturday, Jerome and four other world-class sailors will be competing in the Mini 650 Pacific Challenge, the first ever single-handed race from Los Angeles to Hawaii (i.e., 2,200 miles – alone).
That’s one way to deliver a small package overseas.
More Like This
This article was featured in the InsideHook LA newsletter. Sign up now for more from the Southland.
