Sunshine Coast Adventures is an award-winning American Sailing Association (ASA) sailing school offering live-aboard sailing lessons and sailing charters in the beautiful Florida Keys and Bahamas. We provide sailing classes from basic sailing to advanced cruising and coastal navigation. Courses can be taken individually or combined into a weeklong live-aboard adventure cruise vacation. Learn to sail while enjoying a fantastic vacation! During a typical sailing lesson, we mix in some snorkeling, fishing, kayaking and relaxing. Sunshine Coast Adventures sailing school emphasizes the power and fun of experiential learning with an appreciation of the most extensive living coral reef in the United States.
For almost 20 years, Sunshine Coast Adventures has not only been teaching folks how to sail but much, much more. Thousands of happy students turned pirates have come on board. Many of our graduates go on to continue their sailing education, purchase their own boats, and even pursue a dream of cruising.
From the moment you enter our Tiki classroom, to your first solo tack, to snorkeling the beautiful coral reef or reeling in a big fish while under sail – you can’t help but feel that this adventure is life changing. Our passion is sailing and the sea. That is why on most of our days off you’ll find us out there, on our boats, exploring and breathing it in.
It is no wonder why founder and owner, Jennifer MacLean, has been voted American Sailing Association's Outstanding Instructor not once or twice - but four times. When you do what you love, it just can’t be called work. Life is better at sea, come play with us!
As the owner and primary operator, Captain Jenn has been voted 4 times (2009-2010-2012-2016) Outstanding Sailing Instructor by the American Sailing Association. She's a certified ASA sailing instructor and currently holds a US Coast Guard 100-ton Near Coastal Master’s license with Sailing Endorsement.
She has been working as a sailing educator and charter yacht captain since 1999. She specializes in women’s, couples and youth sailing programs. She worked as a captain with the Boy Scouts of America for ten years in their live aboard sailing adventure program (Florida National High Adventure Sea Base) and has lived aboard her own boat for 18 years. She has been featured in different articles and magazines including Latitude and Attitude, La Vie Claire, Unwind, Waterfront News, Bearings and is also featured in a coffee table book called Women and the Sea.
Jenn has extensive coastal and blue-water sailing experience, including Atlantic Ocean crossings and many solo sails to the Bahamas. She has also sailed in Chesapeake Bay, St-Lawrence Seaway in Canada and the Caribbean. Jenn is fluent in French, English, and Spanish and enjoys all sorts of adventures including diving, fishing, singing, cooking and playing guitar.