Join Us For Our Catamaran Ownership Seminars
Buying a catamaran is a big decision, whether for live aboard, charter management or setting your boat up as a business. Boat buyers are often not educated on ownership options and catamarans in general and the image of the “dream” boat sometimes overwhelms good reason.
That’s why we present you with this opportunity to get an in-depth look at the pros and cons of catamarans and boat ownership options. During our 2-day, 2 night live-aboard seminar you will not only enjoy the lifestyle but learn one-on-one, everything you need to know about catamarans in as well as the entire buying process.
This will help you make an informed decision, avoid costly mistakes, plan your exit strategy and get the most enjoyment from owning your yacht. We take the drama out of ownership and help make you an educated and infromed consumer!
Live-Aboard Catamaran Ownership Seminar On Our Lagoon 450S Includes
- Your own private en-suite cabin, fully catered-2 days / 2 nights
- Tips on how to choose the right catamaran: New vs Pre-Owned
- How to offset the cost of ownership: Boat as a Business, Charter Management and other options like Fractional Ownership
- Lessons on boat ownership, the entire buying process, catamaran insurance, boat financing, flagging & registry
- Exit Strategy: Buy right make this part of a comprehensive retirement strategy
- Operation of a catamaran & catamaran safety
- Catamaran Guru hats and shirts & access to community events like rallies and regattas
Welcome Aboard!
We are Stephen & Estelle Cockcroft, the fun-loving Catamaran Guru crew! We are ASA certified instructor examiners and is the recipient of the prestigious “Outstanding Instructor” award for the ASA. We have recently added the International Certificate of Competency (ICC) from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to our resume and have an endorsement from NauticEd, one of the most advanced online sailing educators.
We have consulted with hundreds of clients on the purchase of their yachts and have attended as many boat surveys. We have sailed over 65,000 NM, have done many ocean crossings and have been living aboard for the best part of 20 years. We have built our own boats, have owned and operated our own charter company, and have been closely involved in designing and building catamarans with world-renowned builders. During our years in the industry as professionals and cruisers, we have built strong yacht industry relationships to help you get the best deal and eliminate surprises, from building, cruising, racing, to selling, refitting and chartering catamarans.
Through our website, magazine articles, and cruising seminars, we share our experiences to help those dreaming of sailing away on their own boats. While choosing the right catamaran is a very personal thing, you avoid costly blunders or bad experiences by working with our team of experts.
SEMINAR LOCATION & DATESWe will stage the live-aboard seminars from Loggerhead Marina Hollywood, just a few minutes from Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale is famous for its beaches, arts, culture, and events. From shopping and dining on Las Olas Boulevard, to gondola rides on the canals, to a historic riverfront and famous white beaches. It is a fun city to visit and a great place to see and sail boats, from little dinghies all the way up to multi million dollar yachts of the rich and famous.
Available Dates
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?Detailed Itinerary: Buyers Education SeminarThis is an active participation seminar. Attendees are expected to help with the operation of the boat, meal prep, and generally be an active part of the crew. The boat is outfitted with modern electronic and communication technology, as well as different sail configurations and is fully geared up for ocean crossings. Friday afternoon / evening: Arrive Friday afternoon/evening for sleep aboard. Welcome briefing, orientation of the boat and accommodations.& Cocktails onboard and dinner ashore. Saturday:
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Sunday:
ACCOMMODATIONS?
You will live onboard with us for the two days on our personal 2016 Lagoon 450SporTop, in one of the two en-suite cabins. It is a 3 Cabin Layout, outfitted for bluewater sailing and long term cruising.  SEMINAR COSTSFor an all inclusive price of $1,400/couple including accommodations, meals and Catamaran Guru swag bag, you get a full action packed weekend and the knowledge to buy the right catamaran that will suit you and your family. This includes:
*If you do decide to buy a boat with our help, we will refund a portion of the seminar cost. CANCELLATION POLICYFULL REFUND (minus $250 cancellation fee per cabin booked) if we receive written notification of cancellation more than 30 days prior to departure date only if we are able to re-book your cabin. HOW DO YOU SIGN UP?1. An initial non-refundable deposit of $500 US is required to reserve your cabin.* Reservations are accepted on a first-paid first-served basis. |
Catamaran Seminar Testimonials
 Bruce & Holly from Connecticut: “Thank you Estelle and Stephen for an outstanding weekend of education, delicious food and great company. Although we arrived skeptical but open minded about the program, the clear and realistic explanation about the pros and cons of performance charter yacht ownership persuades us of the feasibility of doing it. The quality of the construction and finish to your boat Zuri convinced us of the value in a Lagoon 450s even though you both went to great lengths to present an unbiased review of the currently new and used catamarans in the marketplace. The easy conversations with you both and our weekend shipmates, made the evenings fly by even as most (but not all) of us agreed that the future is “going to be great”. Thank you again for the extensive resources you included with the weekend. Bruce & Holly
Jack & Reenie from Florida: We just want to write a quick note to thank you for a fantastic weekend at your Catamaran Ownership Seminar. Your warm, friendly atmosphere on board allowed us to relax with the other couple and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. The wine and meals were delicious and the preparation together was fun. Most importantly, we now have the support we need to move forward with our plans. Stephen was very Glenn & Kat from North Carolina: As a couple who have become interested in sailing later in life, we cannot recommend Stephen and Estelle Cockcroft’s Catamaran Ownership Seminar more highly. If you have not been around large catamaran sailboats all your life, the business of yacht purchase and ownership is a virtual black box made even more so by the few numbers of units bought and sold in a given year. Stephen and Estelle graciously host workshop attendees on their beautiful Lagoon 450 and proceed to illuminate all aspects of the “business” while tailoring their lessons to the individual desires of the attendees. They cover the full gamut of topics including boat selection, ownership options, provisioning, financing and purchase while demonstrating the systems and capabilities on their own yacht and serving up non-stop gourmet meals and a healthy dose of the cruising lifestyle. The materials they provide during the course are quantitative, comprehensive and followed up with any requested information like the recent asking and selling prices of desired catamaran models. Estelle and Stephen are the consummate professionals, great story tellers, fantastic hosts, accomplished sailors and sincere about helping others obtain the catamaran of their dreams. Try them you’ll like it. Adam and Lee, Santa Monica CA: “We are looking to buy a bluewater catamaran and really needed to get a hands on sense of managing and living aboard a cruising cat. While researching charters, we came across Catamaranguru.com and spoke with Stephen and Estelle. It was quickly apparent that their depth of knowledge and experience owning, cruising, and living aboard would offer better education and exposure than any standard charter could. We took their weekend catamaran intensive and felt it was an extremely valuable (and fun) experience that helped refine our plan and also established a long term relationship with open, friendly, trusted advisors.” |
honest and helpful regarding his suggestions for our boat options and we look forward to working with him soon. The material presented was comprehensive and the books we took home with usoffer a wealth of information. We left feeling we had made new friends and look forward to seeing them again. It’s going to be great! Thanks, Jack and Reenie
