Tag Archives: trawler school review

New Year’s Eve on the Miami Mermaid

A vacation with an education!

Ahoy Captain Bob

What a great way to spend “New Years. This was our first time on a trawler so we were looking for one part learning, one part hands on training and the rest our vacation. As far as learning and hands on training & education went, Captain Bob provided everything we came to Trawler School for. We definitely have a better understanding of the trawler lifestyle now. As far as the vacation goes we spent 3 days 4 nights on the Miami Mermaid and saw terrific scenery… Islands, coves, dolphins, manatees, and many $$$$ mansions & boats.

News Years Eve was the best ever, watching 360 degrees fireworks at 12:00 from downtown Miami all the way to South Beach, and we had front row seats onboard the Mermaid. Pitbull was hosting Miami New Years, it all happened right in front of us, and we had a 25″ TV on the flybridge not to miss a thing. Happy New Years. Incredible night…. Midnight swim & blowing the LOUDEST horn in the harbor.

Very Memorable, Jim

Thanks for the wonderful cruise and the experience of a lifetime. I will always remember bringing in 2015 with a big smile on my face.

Happy New Years, Captain Bob,
Susan & Jim M.
El Paso, TX

We Thought We Knew A Lot

Sept. 24 – 29, 2014

Captain Bob we were researching trawlers for many months and thought we knew a lot about owning and buying a trawler. The wonderful experience with Captain Bob on the Miami Mermaid opened our eyes like we never imagined.

The beautiful anchorages, night maneuvers and extensive hands on training. Handling the Miami Mermaid on our own made our trawler school experience unforgettable and an exciting adventure.

Semper Fi
Chuck & MaryAnn C.
Dallas TX

Now I Don’t Feel Guilty About Not Reading Passagemaker

Captain Bob,

Thank you so much for an awesome trawler adventure! Our stops were beautiful, each in their own way. We feel we saw many different venues in such a short period of time. The food was not only delicious, but very healthy. I’d like to point out , the accommodations on the Miami Mermaid were clean and comfortable.

Captain Bob truly gave us a wealth of information that will help us with our future trawler plans. Now, after attending trawler school, I don’t feel guilty about not reading all the Passagemaker trawler magazines. This was our first time underway on a trawler, what a great learning experience!

We were very pleased with the exchange of ideas on the positive and negative aspects of the different models of trawlers to choose from. How to use the buying process, and find the right trawler was a subject that will save us time and money.

I think Captain Bob will always remember us because we left our car keys on board ,and when we landed and went to our car (oh oh) no keys. We had to take a train home that cost us another hour of our time. We called Captain Bob and he found the keys and over nighted them, we had our car for the next day. So if your reading this please don’t forget your keys on the Miami Mermaid.

Many Thanks
Cathleen & JB
Alpharetta Ga

Capt. Bob: Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Captain Bob,

We came to trawler school with many questions about trawlers, as former sailors we were wondering what life would be like on a trawler. We learned so much and all our questions have been answered. We have many new idea’s to think about. Thanks for your guidance and expertise, and your hospitality. We were so comfortable on the Miami Mermaid, and you were a wonderful chef!  As for a future as a comedian with all your fish jokes, my advise is please don’t give up your day job. Perhaps we will cruise again some day.

Tom & Doris R.
GA.

PS. Our trawlers name is going to be “Sea Nile” my husband middle name is Nile and by the time we find our trawler we will both be “senile”. Best of luck and God Bless.

Docking in High Wind Conditions

Captain Bob,

Thank you for such a wonderful voyage. You taught us the concepts and safety of running a Trawler. The confidence we gained is now going to allow us to move forward to purchase a trawler, the part you taught us about purchasing a trawler was worth the cost alone. The instructions on docking in high wind conditions and our night maneuvers experience were real confidence builders.

We enjoyed the anchorage at the Marina Stadium overlooking the million dollar view of the Miami Skyline. The food was delicious and the master stateroom wonderful to sleep in. More fish jokes, Please! We loved them all. Amazing tales. Good luck in the future, your friends always.

Monte & Susie Z.
Key Largo Fl

We Had Never Been on a Boat Before

2-19-2014     ——-      2-23-2014

Hello again Captain Bob

We came up from Idaho with the thought of learning about trawlers. Keep in mind, we had never been on a boat before. We were nervous about being on the water. From the beginning Captain Bob made us feel comfortable with step by step instruction and encouragement. Everything was made simple, even we could understand it! We brought books on the Diesel engine and marine electrical, boy were we confused! Captain Bob explained everything with simplicity. The food was excellent and the scenery was just beautiful. The anchorages were great. We saw dolphins, manatees, and raccoons. The Miami Skyline at night was breathtaking! The trawler purchasing class was invaluable. We are now confident to begin using our new found skills and enjoying the high seas.

Thanks for everything!

John & Leah M
Kuna ID

Night Maneuvers and the Coast Guard

Trawler School Charters Review       Jan 23 2014

Captain Bob what a wonderful trip!  After eating a great meal, the next thing we know, we are at the helm going on night maneuver’s, how cool was that. It was pitch black out and we were on look out for any lights from other boats on the water, that’s when it all happened, all of a sudden, out of nowhere lights and sirens pounded us from 20 feet off our port swim platform we jumped a mile, talk about a slight heart attack, that was the moment. It turned out to be the Coast Guard doing there own night maneuver’s and they did there job real good. They asked us a few questions, shut off their lights and went off into the night looking for some drug runners & trust me that 28′ USCG boat and it’s crew owns the night “good job”. That incident made our trip one not to be forgotten, we are still talking about it.

We have read many Trawler books, navigation from A to Z,  it all seemed so complicated, well after just one day we learned to keeping it simple and use common boating sense. In no time at all, we acquired the skills to navigate on our own for the next two days, that’s right all by ourselves at the helm. “Big man” (Captain) your insight and wisdom made our trip a fantastic, fun and knowledgeable experience. Captain you gave us the confidence so we can now start to pursue our Trawler dreams.

One subject Trawler school charters offered that no other school had to offer was Captain Bob’s past brokerage experience. He taught us the in’s & out’s how to find, buy the different models to chose from Sundeck, Trunk, sedan or pilot house, what size will work for us, contracts & negotiations and everything you need to know about buying or chartering a trawler. We now are very knowledgeable buyers and able to buy the right trawler and save thousand’s of dollars just on this subject alone.

Captain, we will never forget all the stories about ghosts and songs from Franky, Dino & Bing. Let’s not forget about Mr. B. Ha Ha

We highly recommend Captain Bob and Trawler School Charters if you are thinking about buying a trawler now or in the future.

Thanks for everything…….

Rob & Juliet
NY, NY.

No Boating Experience? No Problem!

Captain Bob

We came to trawler school with no boating experience. The only boats we have owned in the last 30 years are two 9′ plastic kayaks. We wanted to try trawler school to see if we liked this type of life style and if so, to gain enough expertise to be able to bareboat a trawler charter on our next adventure by ourselves. The answer is “YES”, we can and we had a great time cruising these beautiful waters of the Florida Keys with Captain Bob.

Yes we learned enough about handling the trawler and getting from here-to-there, and also dealing with all the boat traffic. We will definitely consider a self-charter vacation in the future.

Many thanks to Captain Bob…
He is knowledgeable, funny, organized and a fine shipboard chef. The guest quarters are spacious and very comfortable aboard the Miami Mermaid. There was plenty of time at the lovely anchorage to enjoy and a laid back boating experience.

Peter & Judy
Chelsea, MI

Docking the Boat, Blindfolded

Hi Captain

Wow, what a wonderful 4 days learning new skills. My wife and I feel a lot more confident chart plotting and over all boat handling. Betty was even able to dock the boat blindfolded and made it look easy after only 3 tries. We learned about buying a trawler and the use of a broker and financing a boat. We both feel like we are one step closer to buying a trawler. The scenery was fabulous and it was very relaxing being anchored out at several locations. Captain Bob was an excellent cook and really exceeded all our expectations.

Thank you
Ron & Betty
Greenwood, MS

Trawler School was a roll of the dice for us

We went from Trawler School to purchasing our first boat — a 36′ Mainship – and we wouldn’t have dared without building our skills with Cap’n Bob.

Trawler School was a roll of the dice for us — and we rolled a winner. We loved Bob’s approach to teaching; we found his meals inspired, and the boat a great way for us to get a true sense of what it would be like to function in that space. I had hoped Trawler School would put my husband’s dreams of a boat to rest. Alas – we’re now through our first trawler season on the Hudson River and looking forward to many more. Cap’n Bob’s patience and focus gave us the confidence to take the leap. There wasn’t a day of our first boating season where we didn’t repeat some of Cap’n Bob’s instructions. He gave us the foundation to dream bigger while showing us some amazing sites like Boca Chita Key.

We experienced it all — wind, rain, currents — all in our Trawler School session — and it was worth every penny. From the homework assignment prior to school (charts! navigation!) to our return trip up the Intercoastal – we learned, we worked, we enjoyed, and it was all an unexpected delight. We’re realists — so if you’re looking to be waited on, this trip is not for you. But if you’re looking for what it might be like to learn and spend boating time at a comfortable pace – the time and money invested here would be well spent.

Date: 12/01/2013 6:16pm