Growing up in Lubbock, Texas, an arid cotton farming mecca, it’s no small miracle that Alex is now engaged in his passion for sailing. After 15 years as an executive in the mobile phone industry in the USA and Caribbean, he is now sharing that passion with others as an American Sailing Association (ASA) Sailing Instructor.
Alex is an ASA certified instructor for basic keelboat sailing (101), basic coastal cruising (103), bareboat chartering (104), coastal navigation (105), and cruising catamaran (114). He holds a US Coast Guard OUPV license (aka “6-pack”), as well as his SCUBA diving certification, American Red Cross First Aid, and CPR certifications.
Alex has cruised on a variety of monohull and multihull boats, including his own 40-foot Island Spirit catamaran, out of ports in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. His experiences sailing with his wife can help couples learn to work together to make sailing safe and enjoyable.
While living in Jamaica, Alex began participating in the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club’s (RJYC) annual Easter circumnavigation of Jamaica, which he has done on his catamaran and most recently on a 42 foot Baltic. These near-shore flotillas are typically accompanied by people with a variety of sailing experience. Being on the lead boat of the flotilla, Alex has learned how to help aspiring sailors at all levels how to gain skills and confidence.
When Alex is not teaching, he loves to race. In April 2009 Alex crewed on an Alberg 30 that took 2nd overall in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta in Annapolis. While living in Jamaica, Alex was part of a RJYC crew on a 37 foot Schumacher Express that was consistently an overall winner. Incorporating skills learned from racing, Alex helps students with optimizing sail trim, maintaining boat speed, and understanding of rules of the road.
Planning multi-day offshore trips requires attention to safety, weather, navigation, provisioning, spares, preparing for overnight sailing, and interaction with customs, immigrations, and coast guard officials. Alex's delivery experiences include offshore voyages from St. Martin to Grenada, Grenada to Jamaica, and Jamaica to the Bahamas. As a Caribbean boat owner, Alex has first-hand experience with hurricane preparation, and the “do-it-yourself” repairs / improvisation required when sailing in the islands. Students working on their bareboat charter certification or owning a boat in the Caribbean will benefit from Alex’s local knowledge and understanding of best practice planning.
During Alex’s years of experience in business and sailing in the Caribbean, he has had the opportunity to learn the local treasures and diversities of many of the Caribbean countries. Aside from living in Jamaica, he lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was a member of the Caribbean Sailing Club based in Fajardo. As an avid traveler, Alex’s global international experiences include business and personal trips to China, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Mexico, Brazil, Eastern and Western Europe.
Alex is currently working with Horizon Yacht Charters in Grenada and also works with Blue Water Sailing School based in Ft. Lauderdale. Come let him offer you a bit of Texas hospitality while you begin to realize your own sailing dream.
Alex Earl Hill
sailing@alexearlhill.com
www.alexearlhill.com
+1 (830) 299-3241