Jeff Fairchild | Modern Sailing

Jeff Fairchild

Instructor

It is never too late to learn something new…it is never too late to learn to sail. Growing up, Jeff had very little exposure to sailing. On rare occasions he had the opportunity to sail on dinghies, but never learned how to sail on his own. In 2003, after retiring from a lifelong career in the restaurant industry, he and his wife, Barbie, moved to Inverness, just north of San Francisco where they currently run a vacation rental business.

In late 2006 on a beautiful Indian summer evening, he and Barbie were invited to go sailing on Tomales Bay. The owners of the boat made a quick pit-stop to use the bathroom at a seaside restaurant, suggesting that Jeff an Barbie "sail around until we get back." That experience provided the spark that has led to a love of sailing. After sailing into the sunset alone on this beautiful 36' Olsen, they turned to each other and agreed, "We have to learn to do this!"

Jeff and Barbie found Modern Sailing School & Club and signed up for lessons in early 2007. After taking the ASA 101/ASA 103 Combination Course with Stan Lander, they started looking for a boat. With the help of the MSC staff, they purchased their first boat and put her in MSC's charter fleet, allowing them to keep her in Sausalito and enjoy the pleasures of sailing in the bay. Later, they upgraded their first boat with Attitude Adjustment, now a popular boat in our Platinum Fleet.

In the following months and years, Jeff continued his sailing education and training with Modern Sailing. As a club member and boat owner, he joined the club racing team to sharpen his skills and continued to earn advanced ASA certifications. He received his US Coast Guard OUPV license in 2012 and completed his ASA instructors training in 2013. Jeff then became an instructor at Modern Sailing to pass along his love of this sport to those who were once in his shoes.

 

Curious about placing your yacht for charter in the Modern Sailing fleet? Learn more about the benefits boat owners like Jeff receive with Professional Yacht Management Services by MSC.

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  • Alisa Driscoll, Dual Site Member

    Here are some snaps of Our Saturday, August 20, 2022 Modern Sailing Expedition with Captain Robert Bivin, who was outstanding. Please convey photos and thanks to him. He is an outstanding individual, leader and sailing instructor. His knowledge and experience made us all feel safe and our Farallones Day Trip educational and just amazing. 

  • Steve Hood, Basic Coastal Cruising

    I would definitely recommend Modern Sailing to anyone who is interested in learning to sail the right way.

  • Trudy Flores

    Captain Jeff Cathers is really cool. I had such a great time on the Farallones Day Trip. It was actually my very best day of 2020. Thank you so much for coordinating the trip.

  • Andrew Goble, San Francisco

    It has been wonderful sailing with MSC over the years. Please extend my thanks to the owners, management, and staff for unrequited professionalism and high standards in a charter fleet. I have sailed with several in my years and none nearly hold a candle to the quality of business and staff at Modern Sailing.

  • Danny Collins

    The office staff was very accommodating in meeting my availability.

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Modern Sailing School & Club

Sausalito Location
2310 Marinship Way, Sausalito
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

Berkeley Location
1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

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