The Story
The Sea of Cortez is the reason I teach.
Years ago, I came here simply as a sailor. I spent a week hopping between the desert islands north of La Paz, surrounded by deep blue water and red rock cliffs. Jacques Cousteau famously called this place "The Aquarium of the World," and he wasn't exaggerating. I arrived looking for a beautiful vacation, but I left with a mission.
This water is the ultimate training ground for real skippering. The island distances are short, but the sailing is highly dynamic. From December through April, the region is dominated by "El Norte" winds: strong, heavy northerlies that demand sharp tactical decisions. By the end of my first week here, sailing stopped being a holiday hobby. I realized I wanted to teach people how to confidently command a sailing vessel.
We built this school step by step. We launched our winter liveaboard program in Grenada and spent last year perfecting our courses in the Bahamas. We stripped away the high-stress shouting environments of old-school instruction, replacing them with the calm, supportive coaching you need to reach your sailing goals faster.
Now, the loop is complete. Our team is ready to sail with you in the Sea of Cortez for our Winter 2026/27 (December to April) season.
- Fair Winds
Your Crew
Every course is led by a Sail Canada certified instructor.
Choose an instructor to read their story.
Instructor for Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Cruising. Ken holds a Catamaran Endorsement and ASA certifications 101 to 104. He brings extensive cruising experience across monohulls and catamarans in the Great Lakes, coastal US, and Caribbean, with a strong emphasis on seamanship, systems knowledge, and offshore preparation.
Gavin has been sailing and racing for 50 years. Years as a flying instructor gave him a patient teaching style and a talent for building student confidence. He instructs Basic and Intermediate Cruising and races at Nepean Sailing Club.
Why This Destination
Twenty miles north of La Paz sits Isla Espíritu Santo, a UNESCO-protected desert island ringed with deep, sheltered coves. This is your classroom for the week. You will be training aboard an offshore monohull or catamaran alongside a Sail Canada instructor and a tight crew of up to four students.
The geography here builds skills quickly. Protected passages inside the islands offer excellent training with minimal seas, afternoon breezes are highly reliable, and the winter El Norte fronts provide genuine opportunities to practice heavy-weather seamanship.
The comfort is the part people do not expect. Winter days sit at 25°C to 27°C under clear skies, and the desert cools off at night to around 13°C to 15°C, so you sleep under a blanket. The air is dry, which means no stuffy cabin and no damp bedding, just warm days and cool, quiet nights at anchor.
The islands north of La Paz sit inside a protected national marine park, and the Sea of Cortez is home to one of the richest concentrations of marine life anywhere. You may see resident sea lions sunbathing on the rocks, rays and dolphins schooling through the channels, and whale sharks passing through in season.
While we cannot promise you wildlife sightings on any given week, we recommend you arrive a couple of days early and book a tour with one of the local operators in La Paz, who do it properly. Our week is a sailing vacation first, and what you see from the boat is a bonus!
La Paz is the main port on Baja California Sur, the long Mexican peninsula that forms the western shore of the Sea of Cortez. This stretch has no massive bareboat rental fleets, so it runs far more low key than other, more popular sailing destinations. You will still have neighbours in the busier coves, and we would rather say so up front than promise you an empty ocean. What you get instead is scale: the region is vast and quiet, and the islands themselves are uninhabited.
There are no restaurants or beach bars out here. We bring everything we need for the week, which is exactly the skill set you came for, and the islands are yours to explore at the end of each training day.
The islands act as a natural breakwater against ocean waves, but the intense desert heating generates reliable 15 to 20-knot afternoon breezes. It lets you push sail trim boundaries and practice heavy weather without dealing with a punishing sea state.
Clear desert skies mean total visibility. You get pitch-black nights for navigation and anchor watches, often paired with bright bioluminescence firing off the rudder after dark.
Earn your Sail Canada Basic or Intermediate Cruising standards. These certifications are recognized globally and provide the formal legal foundation required to charter or skipper a boat anywhere in the world.
We strictly limit our liveaboards to four students plus your instructor. You will never be stuck on a crowded boat watching someone else work. Every docking maneuver, every heavy-weather sail change, and every passage plan is yours to execute.
The Full Package
Everything for your week in the Sea of Cortez, aside from your flight.
7 days / 6 nights aboard an offshore monohull or catamaran
Hands-on training from a Sail Canada instructor
Maximum 4 students per course, plus your instructor
Official Sail Canada Basic Cruising & Intermediate Cruising certifications
All meals and provisions aboard (alcohol not included)
Snorkel a protected national marine park
Learning materials and your Sail Canada logbook
Online Zoom sessions pre-departure
Fees: park and port fees, fuel, water, taxes and permits
Instructor gratuity
Investment
Pick your hull. Every week is priced per person and fully inclusive, and the rate moves with the departure date.
Beneteau Oceanis 41.1. The classic Sail Canada training platform, with a direct feel for sail trim and heel. The rate varies by departure week. Two of you sharing a cabin saves $400 each.
See DatesBali 4.0 or Bali 4.1 or Bali Catspace 40ft. Twin hulls, a level ride at anchor, and considerably more living and deck space for the week. The vessel and the rate both vary by departure week.
See DatesEvery figure above is a total price per person in Canadian dollars, with taxes, park and port fees, fuel, all provisions and meals aboard, gratuities, and your Sail Canada certification already included. The only thing not included is your flight. Rates apply to the Jan 9 to Mar 20, 2027 departures and vary by week and by vessel. Contact us for a final quote for your dates.
Winter Season
Choose a departure and a hull to see your all-in price per person.
Sail Canada Basic or Intermediate Cruising, out of La Paz.
Island-hop north from Marina La Paz through the desert anchorages of Isla Espíritu Santo with a Sail Canada instructor and never more than three other students.
Every rate is the total price per person in Canadian dollars, with taxes, park and port fees, fuel, all provisions and meals aboard, gratuities and your certification already included. Your flight is not included.
Your Week at Sea
North from La Paz to Isla San Francisco and back, anchoring somewhere new each night.
Our route is weather dependent and set day by day around the wind and the El Norte forecast. Here is a typical week.
Straight Talk
The Sea of Cortez has a strong personality. We would rather brief you now than surprise you aboard.
Water still around 26°C from summer, settled weather, empty anchorages. One of the best kept secrets of the season.
Sunny days around 25 to 27°C and superb sailing. This is also El Norte season: every week or two a norther funnels down the Sea at 20 to 30 knots for two to four days. We build itineraries around the forecast and use it to teach reefing and anchoring for real. Nights drop to around 13 to 15°C, so pack a warm layer.
Northers fade, the water warms, and the days stretch out. Settled teaching weather and the graceful exit of the season.
Isla Espíritu Santo is a protected wilderness: no marinas, no beach bars, and no cell coverage in some coves. We provision fully in La Paz and live self-sufficiently for the week, which is exactly the skill set you came for. Whale shark encounters are common from roughly October to February but never guaranteed, because that is wildlife.
Tell us your week and how many berths you need, and we will help you plan the trip.
Get in TouchBookings handled by our travel partner
Catherine Davis
416-566-5264 · TICO 50013277
All prices are in Canadian dollars and include tax. A non-refundable deposit is required to book. Winter bookings are non-refundable; travel insurance is strongly recommended and you are responsible for your own. Travel services are sold through our TICO-registered travel partner.