Capt Dan Classic Sails

Captain Dan and his four legged first mate Sali were awesome sailing buddies. Dan was super friendly and gave us the low down before we got on his 40′ sailboat. Life vest were provided and even Sali had one!
The entire crew consisted of my husband and myself, his parents, Captain Dan and Sali. We took of from the Berkeley Marina and sailed towards San Francisco. We docked at pier 1 ½ and decided to have dinner at Hardwater. We became fast friends with Dan and invited him to join us for dinner. We ended up leaving San Francisco around 7 pm and set out for a night time sail back to Berkeley. The winds were light so it was a longer trip back but so relaxing and calm. The views of San Francisco at night from a sailboat are just amazing.
Can’t wait to go out sailing with Captain Dan and Sali again!

To begin with, Captain Dan was incredibly responsive and communicative throughout the scheduling process. Feral (the boat) is a beauty and a very mellow ride. Dan provides the opportunity for passengers to sit back, enjoy the view, and relax. Both Dan and Sali are great hosts and this is definitely an experience you don’t want to miss!
Kate & John

The other 5-​star reviews have it all correct. Captain Dan is awesome. He took my family and me out for an afternoon’s sailing in the bay on just a few hours’ notice, canceling other plans to do so. He was lovely with the kids, totally relaxed, fun, and interesting to talk with. The kids got to ride up front, work some rigging, steer, and hear all about sailing and the bay from Dan – he’s just excellent. As someone else wrote, I’d give more than 5 stars if I could.

If I could leave 10 stars I would! This was the perfect gift and Captain Dan was an amazing host. I had a lot of questions before sailing and his communication was always fast and very detailed. He has so much knowledge/​passion for sailing and it shows. He didn’t have to use the engine once! Pretty impressive. His adorable, and very well trained dog Sali joined us. He allows you to bring drinks and food (normally you can not or it’s an extra charge at other places).
I will be back with friends! Thanks again Captain Dan, and Sali!

Captain Dan was outstanding!
We went sailing for a company outing and had a great time! We learned A LOT about sailing and were even able to steer the boat! We will and have considered doing it again, I would highly recommend sailing with Captain Dan!

Captain Dan is a very humble host and provides an amazing sailing experience. My SO & I have gone on a couple of sailing trips with Dan and I consider sailing with him one of my secret, off-​the-​beaten-​track things to do in the Bay Area. :shhh: keep it quiet ok? At $ 150 an hour for a weekday, and $ 200/​hr for a weekend, it’s a pretty sweet deal — especially if you have a family or a group — or a party or team building event. AND especially for someone with Dan’s expertise.
Have you ever seen one man sailing a 40 foot boat by himself? With only the wind? He is quite the badass if you ask me.
Some things you should know:
1) You will rarely motor. Be prepared for his baby, the «Feral», to be moved purely by the wind. Yes, he is that good. :) As a slightly experienced sailor myself, I have never seen anyone do this before. That means no rumbling motor. No vibrating. No other sailors laughing at you be cause you are not really sailing when there is wind to be harnessed. This is truly amazing.
2) This is not the place to wear your Christian Louboutin stilettos and act like you’re in T-Pain’s «I’m on a Boat» video. This is warm, cozy, old school charm, wood hull, handcrafted, oil lamps. If you’re into that, this is your speed. If you want to be fashionable, wear some Sperry topsiders and you’re good. Don’t forget socks. ;)
3) LAYERS. WARM Layers. Think fleece and wind resistance — and sunscreen. Even if it’s sunny, it can get cold out on the water sailing. What ever layers you wear, it has to go under your PFD, which is provided.
4) It’s nice to bring snacks and maybe a bottle of wine or some other beverage you enjoy to share with others.
Oh, and he does twilight or sunset sailing — lit with gas lamps, which is one of the most delightful, romantic things we have ever experienced.

Captain Dan made us all feel really comfortable on the boat. He is easy-​going and really wants the group to have a good time. The evening started out sunny and then got very cold so make sure to bring warm clothes!

Sailing with Captain Dan was EXCELLENT! I was on vacation in SF and wanted a leisurely way to see the sights of the city and Captain Dan definitely delivered. He’s a super interesting, fun, chill guy who handled the boat expertly and actually let us drive ourselves too! Captain Dan was so much fun that we actually wound up talking for an hour after the boat ride ended, just hanging out on the docks. The views were amazing, the weather was warm and the boat was fast and thrilling. The day was perfect from start to finish. Captain Dan was one of the huge highlights of my SF trip!!!

Captain Dan is totally awesome. We had a great time. Went with a group of 3 couples — he was very accommodating to whatever we wanted to do, where we wanted to go, when we wanted to leave — he is extremely friendly and fun to hang out with, and we had a wonderful time. expert sailer and very knowledgable about the bay and its history. a great tour. the ladies liked him too, very respectful guy. we sat out on the front of the boat, the sail was wonderful (we went out to angel island and back), and at the end we even got to control the boat ourselves for a few minutes. Very fun. Well done, Captain Dan! Highly recommend for friends, family, or for any occasion.

What a great guy! So much fun too! We sailed as far as the winds would take us, 6 people total. Plus a wonderful doggy on board too that loved being petted. Amazing experience and my boyfriend and I agree we’d love to go with him again!

Captain Dan rocks the boat!
We had an amazing time sailing the Bay. Dan is one of the coolest captains out there. He is really easy going and lets you enjoy the trip however you’d like.
Highly recommended!

Welcoming, professional, knowledgable, entertaining and caring — that’s Capt Dan! I was lucky enough to enjoy 3 sailing trips with Capt Dan: a sunset sail, an afternoon sail and a full day sail. All of them were fantastic. He is impressively responsive to emails and his friendly and personal communication style assured me to be in good hands and made me feel very excited about the trip. Upfront he makes sure you know what to expect and what to bring to feel comfortable. Once on the boat he makes sure you have and know all you need before sailing out, e.g. safety precautions, sun protection, drinks, food. You can choose whether you want to help sailing or just hang out and relax. I chose the latter and just enjoyed the amazing views, colors, sunshine, wind, waves and conversations. When I got off the boat even the third time, I was already looking forward to do it again! Wonderful and highly recommendable experience to do on your own, in a couple or a group!

amazing boat trip around the bay. we even did a trip by McCovey cove during the giants game. I highly recommend capt. dan classic sails.

Captain Dan was awesome and fun to hang out with. The trip was very laid back and fun! It was cold, and not like the sailing I was used to, but I loved the new experience and the adventure.

Went sailing with Dan for my cousins birthday. We were a party of six individuals and we fit very comfortably in the boat. Dan is extremely cool and the entire experience was awesome! We relaxed in the boat and ate our appetizers and later we set sail into the bay. Our sail was well into the evening. Do dress warm. Ski garb, pants and jacket, is the best preparation, I did get splashed, LOL, and if you don’t need it Dan has a place below to store extra items. He presents a very friendly atmosphere.

What can I say… Captain Dan best capt around! My friend decided she wanted to do this for her birthday, mind you I cant swim at all and I am very afraid of oceans and lakes but since it was her birthday I decided I could do this for her! So we arrive on the Marina I was not even sure what to expect. We walk over to the boat which was smaller than I thought. Captain Dan ran through all the basic instructions and off away we went. He answered all of our questions even the silly ones. Captain Dan was very entertaining and kept us laughing the whole time. I was very scared when the boat tipped to the side, but thank goodness we didnt fall over… haha j/​k. Overall I say this was a terrific experience for someone like me. I would even do it again. Wait did I really say that? LOL

AHOY!!!
This was my first official sailing adventure and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out this entire time. I went on a Wednesday and paid a very affordable donation based price. I brought a date and did not quite know what to expect. So what did I do? I blew up Capt Dan’s phone. I wanted to ensure everything went well. He was super clear and easy going about the info with prep, food, clothing, time, the whole nine yards.
EXPERIENCE
I HAD A FREAKING BLAST! We started with snacks, fruit, cheese and wine (of course all food that we brought. In that case, how could you go wrong.). I had a mild buzz going on before departure. During the entire process, Capt Dan taught us the process of «undocking» (may not be the proper term) among many other things. We were all included in the experience and it felt surreal. There were so many epic moments, waving to the patrons at Skates, sitting at the top of the boat to watch the sunset, taking part in the managing the boat, NOT falling out, free pictures posted by Dan, and the bonds developed from the other attendees, dare I say new born amateur sailors! ARRRR!
One notable aspect that must be mentioned is Capt Dan. He is a humble, informative, and all around cool guy. I didn’t expect him to be so damn easy going. He definitely made the experience a memorable one. Thanks, Capt Dan. I will be back.
FYI, make sure to bring layers upon layers. Even if it is 85 degrees, it can still get chilly as you’re in the open sea. Don’t blame me if you come back an icicle.

I decided to go on a sailboat ride with Capt Dan Sails because I love sailboat rides and being on the water. Capt Dan was awesome! He was very welcoming and knowledgeable about sailing and the Bay area. I recently moved to the Bay area so sailing with Capt Dan was not only fun and amazing, but he helped me learn about all the different islands near the Bay that I’d like to someday explore. Another exciting part of the ride was that i got to steer the sailboat for most of the trip. It was a little scary at times, but I had complete confidence in Capt Dan that he would never put us in any danger. I highly recommend sailing with Capt Dan if you like adventure or just enjoy being on the water and watching the beautiful scenery around you. I would definitely go again!

I had my first sail with Capt Dan Classic Sails and it was quite possibly the best day of my life. We sailed around and under the bay bridge to view the construction going on, and then along the SF marina to get a different view of the city we all love so much. From the get go, I felt comfortable, safe, and relaxed. Dan is an exceptional host who really goes above and beyond for his clients. I’ve sailed with him many times now and always have such an amazing time. He’s really great at providing a complete total sailing experience, where you can learn and help sail if you’d like or just lie back and take a nap. Always awesome! I highly recommend his sails, in fact I will only sail with Capt. Dan!

I’ve sailed with Captain Dan in the San Francisco Bay area many times, and every single one has been extraordinary in its own way. I’ve been out on warm days where we stripped down to bathing suits and swam in the Bay, on exhilarating, turbulent days, and everything in between. Dan handles them all with expertise, humor and grace. Besides his deep knowledge and skill as a sailor, Dan has a gift for sharing the joy of sailing with a wide range of people. If you want to pick up some nautical skills, he’ll teach you with patience and humor. If you want to relax while you drink wine and watch the sunset, he’ll make sure you’re comfortable and point out little details about the ocean and the landscape you may not have noticed. I’ve never met anyone who has sailed with Dan who hasn’t had a fantastic experience. He is as good a person as he is a captain.