The following are email excerpts from a satisfied graduates of the “Thistle Crew U”.

“…Finally, I owe you a huge thanks for organizing the Crew U classes and your calm and patient manner while teaching. Not many people I know are so willing to be as generous with their time and experience. I have spoke to several people I know who would be interested in participating next year if you decide to do this again. If you do, and need any assistance please feel free to call on me.

I look forward to the next time we can get out, hopefully sooner than later. Thanks again for showing me the ropes. Looking forward to the next lesson.” Brandt

“…Learning to sail was a decades-long dream, and after stumbling across Crew
U while web surfing I thought "Why not? You will probably just be used as
ballast, but there are no costs or obligations". So it was a bit of a
surprise to find myself handling the spinnaker and practicing roll tacks,
but at no time during the parking lot instructions did this lack of
experience come across as a liability, and once on the water I was amazed
the skippers were as accommodating as they where. Without a doubt, the
exposure to Thistles through Crew U was the primary reason leading to my
purchase of 3314 later that year.” Tim

“…never having stepped onto a sailboat before in my life, my education began in the parking lot of Lake Nockamixon. I was introduced to the words jib, spinnaker, line, cleat, tack, jibe, windward and leeward as (the) thistle sailed across the lot on its trailer. Steve had said I might be racing on my first outing, but I hardly considered that to be a viable possibility. Then, suddenly, I was assigned to a skipper, told I had about twenty minutes to get ready, and, armed with my eight nautical terms, found myself on the lake becoming familiar with a beautiful teak thistle… …When the races were finished, I was exhausted and more excited than I had been about anything in many years…” Stef

“As the New Year begins, I would like to say thanks to all of you for your patience, efforts and understanding which you shared with me last summer. A year ago, last January I was longing to get back on the water. As an avid canoeist, I was looking for new waters. I happened upon your website and thought, “what kind of people would be willing to, not only take the time to teach you to sail on technically difficult boat, but invite novices to race with them.” I had to find out, so I e-mailed you.

Arriving at the lake on my first day, I found a thistle, in full sail, moored in the parking lot. I also found a group of trainees whom, like I, were drinking coffee, eating doughnuts and learning what it takes to sail a boat across that parking lot. Imagine, Roll tacks, jib trimming, flying the spinnaker, all right there on land. The skippers and trainers I met there that day, were like no other, and I would like to thank them…

…I can only look forward to sailing again this summer, and know in my heart that I too, in the future, will have a thistle, train inexperienced crew, and race along side you in the fleet.”

Steven