Terms & Conditions for Basic Keelboat Certification

Course Structure & Scheduling

  • Course Overview: The Basic Keelboat course includes 18 hours of hands-on, practical sailing experience on our 23' Sonar Keelboats (up to 3 students per boat plus an instructor). We utilize Biscayne Bay as our active classroom, bypassing traditional indoor lectures.

  • Lesson Length & Pacing: The course is taught across approximately 3-hour sessions. We strongly recommend scheduling all six lessons upfront and completing the full course within 6 to 8 weeks.

  • Advance Booking: Please schedule your first lesson at least two weeks in advance to allow adequate time to review pre-course materials and access your complimentary BoatersExam.com study resources.

  • Expiration & Transferability: All course enrollments expire 180 days from the purchase date. Course registrations are non-transferable.

Class Capacity & Solo Registrations

  • Student Ratios: To ensure an optimal learning environment, each lesson requires a minimum of three (3) students and a maximum of 4 students

  • Solo Registrations: If you sign up individually, Team Paradise will attempt to pair you with fellow students. If minimum class capacity cannot be met, the session may be canceled and rescheduled. At our discretion, sessions with only one or two students present may proceed on a shortened schedule.

Participant Cancellations & Refunds

  • 48-Hour Notice Required: You must provide at least 48 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule a session.

  • Policy Exceptions: Exceptions may be made for documented medical emergencies or circumstances entirely beyond your control.

  • Refund Policy: Refunds are generally not offered; instead, we issue vouchers for future dates. If a refund is approved, it will be subject to payment processing and administrative fees.

  • Rescheduling Responsibility: While Team Paradise provides the boats, gear, instructors, and venue, participants are responsible for rescheduling any missed or canceled sessions.

Weather & Operational Policies

  • Safety & Weather Holds: Team Paradise reserves the right to cancel or adjust sessions for safety reasons. Weather on Biscayne Bay often differs from inland conditions; always assume your class is running unless you receive direct notification from us.

  • Postponements: During periods of unpredictable weather, we may contact you on the morning of your lesson to delay the start time by up to one hour while conditions clear.

  • System Overbooking: On rare occasions, software limitations may result in overbooking. If your booking is affected, we will contact you at least 48 hours prior to departure to reschedule.

Action Items & Required Materials