Reviews
Our clients become friends and family, read their stories.
After 35 years of architecture for my wife Laura and 40 years of medicine for Me… it was time for a change! During the summer of 2019, Laura spent a week in Greece with family on a sailing monohull and she came home with the idea of moving from powerboats to sailboats. We had previously rented power catamarans in various places including the Abacos, US&BVI, and Greece, and realized how comfortable they were for life aboard. A decision was made! Having no sailing experience, we signed up for the 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing course from the American Sailing Association at the School Of Sailing in Charleston, SC. The course took place on a 25’Catalina and we were both immediately hooked. We took the 103 Basic Costal Cruising course in Charleston on a 38’ Lagoon catamaran. But for the 104 Bareboat Cruising Course, we decided, together with my cousin and his wife to rent a larger Catamaran in Antigua and brought Kevin Klinges, an instructor from the same school, with us. Kevin has been sailing in the NE of USA since he was a young boy and became an expert sailor and great instructor. We were very lucky to have him with us for a week and experienced sailing with different weather conditions and learned all about docking and mooring as well. At that point, we made the decision to buy a sailing catamaran and get it delivered in Europe to be able to enjoy everything that the Mediterranean and the Adriatic have to offer. On July 2020, after 11 days at La Rochelle (France) were we had delivery of our FP Astrea 42 named Aqua, we felt ready to leave and head to San Sebastian in Spain. The first overnight passage under a full moon confirmed that we made the right decision, and the time had arrived for this change in life. Since then, we have sailed over 10000 miles and visited 10 countries. Sailing has changed our lives and we are very thankful to the people like Kevin that helped us to learn not only the basics by sharing their own sailing experiences.
I had the pleasure of working with Kevin at Deep Water Yacht Consultants to acquire an amazing sailing catamaran. Kevin’s extensive industry experience and dedication were evident from day one. He took the time to ensure that we had a thorough understanding of what we needed in a boat, guiding us through the entire process with patience and expertise. Kevin arranged all necessary pre-purchase inspections, handled transportation logistics, and even helped us move the yacht from South Florida to our home in the Carolinas. His attention to detail and commitment to our satisfaction gave us complete confidence in our purchase. What really set Kevin apart was his ongoing availability—not only during the buying process but also afterward. He has been 100% available to answer any questions we’ve had and has even assisted us with sail planning. Kevin is also an exceptionally patient and insightful teacher, making sure we were fully prepared to operate our new catamaran. I highly recommend Kevin and Deep Water Yacht Consultants to anyone looking for a yacht. Their personalized service, industry knowledge, and ongoing support made this a truly exceptional experience.
When we first met Kevin at the Charleston Sailing School, we were (and still are) very new to sailing. His knowledge of boats and sailing is beyond compare and has been an invaluable asset to me and my wife. He is able to impart his knowledge in a manner that is not only informative, but also fun. We have reached out to Kevin on several occasions and spent some one-on-one time with him on our newly purchased catamaran learning specifics about our boat and sailing. Kevin was able to answer various questions from our sailing trip up the Gulf stream from Riviera Beach, FL to Charleston, SC and was instrumental in our safe passage to the Chesapeake Bay. He is an extremely down-to earth captain, and I will continue to reach out to him for advice and/or sail with Captain Kevin.
Our family of four (including two teenage boys) spent several days with Captain Kevin in Charleston learning to sail our 50’ catamaran. From the moment we met, we knew we were in good hands. Not only is Kevin incredibly knowledgeable about all-things-yacht-and-sea, but he’s endlessly patient, encouraging, and funny. Our time together gave us the skills and confidence we needed to complete our ASA courses and carry on executing our dream of sailing around the world, as well as provided some of our favorite memories of our early days on the water, sparking a friendship we still cherish today. Throughout our travels, Kevin was a go-to for our endless train of questions and he remained gracious and generous in sharing his time and expertise with us even from afar. We can’t give Kevin a high enough recommendation — he’s the cream of the crop and you’ll be so glad you’ve chosen him to be on your team.
I am a career Marine Officer. A Marine Officer’s primary responsibility is to teach our Marines everything they need to know to be good at what they do. So I taught daily during my career, and went on to be selected for the Instructor Group at The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico Va. where I taught literally everything to pertains to the USMC. History, leadership, night ambush patrols, maintenance of the 50 caliber machine gun, etc. Further I went on to become a pilot and taught flying the entire rest of my career. In those assignments I became responsible for not only the course material but also as a senior officer - responsible for our instructors, both at TBS, and out in our fleet squadrons as a Senior Marine. So I have seen a lot of people give instruction, and understand a fairly wide variety of teaching methods. With that background I can say that Kevin Klinges is an exceptional teacher and blessed in his ability to impart knowledge and teach good technique and habits (seamanship). His knowledge base is without peer when it comes to matters pertaining to sailing and boats - both standing and running rigging as well as equipment. He has an exceptional depth of experience doing boat deliveries across oceans and coastal. He is a survivor of one of most harrowing deep ocean mishaps I have ever heard. His fortitude and determination to survive speak volumes to this man’s character, and as a Marine of 21 years experience I have known no few men of great character. Ask him to tell you the story, and then go read it. It’s really an amazing story - which unsurprisingly he doesn’t talk about much. Kevin is a real pleasure to work with, learn from, and just laugh and have a good time with. He pushed us hard in the ASA-104 course, and forced me to maneuver a boat in situations that weren’t comfortable based on my experience, but which gave me confidence in handling so when the time came, as it always does, when I needed those skills - I had them! He had us do several drills where we saw just how the boat handled and performed under extremes. Hard maneuvering, coming to a fast stop from speed, and how a boat moves in constrained areas. He has several techniques pertaining to all aspects of sailing that I use today and were both common sense and good seamanship. The last time we were out in Charleston, I had a couple of less knowledgable friends out with me, and as Kevin helped around the boat he was quietly teaching and showing my friends - because that’s just what he does! He was such a pleasure to have aboard that one friend asked if we could take him out again because she so much enjoyed what she learned from him and his manner while teaching. Kevin is a great father, a friend, and the finest Sailing Instructor I have had the pleasure to work with. Were I still in Charleston (I’m not) I would have him out again to pick up a few more pointers. I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results of retaining him.
Please find this referral letter as a testament to our experiences with Captain Kevin Klinges. In 2021, we purchased a 2018 Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 catamaran and since this was the first boat we owned in this size range, our insurance company required that we have a captain sign off on our sailing skills. Although, we had been chartering 40-foot monohulls and catamarans every vacation for the past decade, we were glad to bring a captain on board to ensure we had the necessary skills before cruising full time on the US eastern seaboard and Bahamas. What we got with Kevin was a captain who not only validated our skills and taught us a few new ones, but also provided us with some great nuggets that made us better and safer sailors. Kevin’s temperament and style combined with his knowledge and experience make him an excellent instructor. We had such a great time working with him for those first three days, that we brought him back to brush up on docking skills, working with our new to us asymmetrical spinnaker, and later on our fist multi-day passage. Kevin always made us feel calm and confident despite docking in 25 knot cross wind and heading out on passage from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale in very “sporty” conditions. After purchasing our boat in Charleston, we spent our first winter cruising the Bahamas (hitting many of the great spots Kevin recommend and had first hand experience with). As of August 2022, we have sailed 3,700 NM extending south to the Exumas, Bahamas and north to Acadia National Park, Maine. We could not have logged this many miles this year without the boost of confidence from Kevin. As a retired Forensic Structural Engineer and Denise as a retired Corporate Trainer and HR Specialist, we both appreciated Kevin’s detailed, memorable, relaxed and fun style. Lots of people can sail but not everyone is a good teacher, Kevin has both of these skills. Every time we move our boat we rely on many “Kevin-isms”, from “the sea is always watching” as such we “put money in the bank” basically, keeping the boat ready, because “someday you will need to make a withdrawal”, to the every day “wobble” routine. Plus, getting “style points” is always fun and keeps us relaxed! We have and do recommend Kevin to our fellow sailor friends and unequivocally recommend Kevin to assist anyone with their boating needs. Feel free to reach out to us with any further questions at sailing.leni@gmail.com.
Besides a few bare boat charters, our family was completely new to sailing. Kyle met us where we were in our understanding, kept the training concise and focused. He was patient as we learned the ‘ropes’ and made sure we were hands-on in our training. He also reinforced our day’s sailing lessons with discussions and sketches around the table that evening. Enjoyed having him aboard and value the skills and confidence he shared with us. We’ve safely sailed up and down the east coast from Virginia to the Bahamas for nearly two years now.
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