Outstanding Instructor Spotlight
As a child, sailing instructor Yonatan Bresler found his love for sailing aboard Lasers and catamarans with his father in the waters of Israel. As he grew older and his sailing skills developed, they moved up to chartering yachts in Greece almost every summer. It was a sailing upbringing like this that has formed Yonatan into one of the American Sailing Association’s Outstanding Instructors.
After serving in the Navy as an officer for seven-years and then as a sailing instructor for a few more, he and a friend founded Sea Time Sailing Club in Tel Aviv.
As a new owner of a sailing school, Bresler was particular about how he wanted to teach budding sailors. He says they became an ASA school because, “we wanted our students to get the best certificate which they can use to charter yachts all around the world.”
And Yonatan still makes time to get some of his own world traveling in. Last July he and some club members sailed the Solent, which is on many-a-sailor’s bucket list.
“It was so great and different than what we have in the Mediterranean,”Bresler said of the adventure. “The navigation, tides and the traffic requires the best sailing skills.”
But when asked where his all-time favorite place to sail is, he went back to his roots and said, “Greece, because the people are nice, great wind, no waves and excellent food.”
Bresler chooses to teach aboard the Beneteau First 21.7, which is also the official training boat of ASA, however, he playfully points out that they was using it before the partnership between Beneteau and ASA occurred.
When it comes to the teaching itself Yonatan imparts upon his fellow instructors that what’s most relevant is that students truly understand how to physically use the information they have been taught – that it is never an academic exercise to learn how to sail.
“It’s really important for us that people really learn how to sail, not just for the certificates or tests. We do something we believe and care about, so it’s natural for us,” he says emphatically. “I say to the students – try to learn something new every time you go sailing.”
Responses
Yonatan is a great guy and a great sailor. I’m an avid 21.7 sailor in Israel and proud to have Yonatan as a friend and sometime competitor on the water.
They’re running probably the best, and friendliest sailing school here in Israel.
Yonatan was a very good “Maflag sagamim ” and never stuck me to do “Gorrerot” too many times.
He is a great instructor and a very good guy !