It’s more than just sailing

The Orange Coast College School of Sailing and Seamanship isn’t just about teaching students how to tie the right knots or how to navigate through choppy waters.

You can also learn how to enjoy yourself on a cruise.

Cruise ship lessons? Not quite. Next year, the college will offer a new class called Cruises for Couples — no shuffleboard though

“The class is intended to prepare couples who are thinking of doing an extended voyage on their own,” Segerblom said.

The school may be well-known in the sailing community, but there may be some landlubbers who haven’t heard of it — or are unaware of the diverse types of classes offered.

“For a lot of the community, we may be this hidden resource,” said Mette Segerblom, the school’s sailing program coordinator.

The school, housed in a two-story building next to the water at 1801 W. Coast Highway in Newport Beach, offers more than 50 classes year-round.

The classes are offered to OCC students and the public. OCC students can fulfill a physical education requirement credit by enrolling in a sailing class.

The school offers courses ranging from beginning sailing and coastal navigation to radar and marine radio operators instruction.

The most popular class is the beginning sailing class. The school provides the boat, the life jackets and instruction, Segerblom said.

Students can also earn a U.S. Sailing Coastal Navigation Certification there.

“I don’t think people realize what a terrific resource this [the school] is,” said Segerblom, who grew up sailing in Denmark.

The nonprofit school is affiliated with OCC, but is funded with donations, not the community college’s budget, she said.

Aside from offering sailing courses, the school also has a library that is open to the public.

The Nautical Library has about 4,000 donated books, as well as charts from all over the globe. Some of the boats the school owns are donated too.

Kialoa III, an 80-foot racing yacht, was donated by Los Angeles County resident Jim Kilroy last year. Pyewacket, an 86-foot yacht was also donated last year by Roy E. Disney.

“Those donations really enable us to offer different types of programs and provide financial support and promote great publicity for all our programs,” Segerblom said.

The program’s new class brochure will be available by Thanksgiving Day. But for those who can’t wait, the brochure is already posted on the school’s website.

For information on the many classes or the school visit the website at www.occsailing.com or call 949-645-9412.