Gegio Aranzabal Reviews 

Sailing Virgins and Captain Giorgio (Gegio)
Yacht Sunsail 44.3 (Dufour 44).

Sailing Virgins: Great communication leading up to the trip. Very well organized. I strongly recommend them! Thanks to your team!

Yacht condition: Perfect condition aesthetically and mechanically. Clean and ready to go on arrival. Generator, Water maker, Air conditioning, making it a very comfortable experience.
The yacht sailed beautifully in all conditions.

Captain and Instructor Giorgio (Gegio):
Beautiful smile and charming manner from the time we met, through even the most detailed and serious instruction.
Gegio demonstrated expertise regarding the yacht, sailing conditions and the ASA instructional material. He was knowledgeable and completely well prepared. I would call him a master in all aspects of this trip. Impressive for a young man.
We had a mix of students, some with very limited experience on large sailboats. Gegio was patient, clear and precise in his instruction, and always focused on safety. We sailed hard and everyone grew in confidence daily. We all learned to manage the helm under power and sail and while anchoring, and I observed that Gegio was particularly effective in helping us manage the sails with care, with attention to the mechanical stresses at play, and safety considerations. Gegio knows how to take care of these powerful sailing machines and his students!
Gegio made this a wonderful and productive week! Truly beautiful.
Gegio, you are going have a great career in the yachting industry. I highly recommend you to any future employer.
Thank you to Gegio and to Sailing Virgins. Great program!

A great teacher! He loves sailing and loves teaching others to sail.

I had the pleasure of sailing last week with Sailing Virgins in truly one of the most beautiful places in the world. (St Martin, St Barts and Anguilla) Learning to sail the “big” one was an absolute blast and I could not thank Giorgio, my instuctor enough for such an enjoyable week. Giorgio was consciencious, patient, focused and a delight to be with for the week. Giorgio would refer to our Sail Boat as a “She” You see where “She” wants to go and now center…I feel like it is a parallel to my life. Chart your course, embark on your journey and center on the important things in life, like sailing the big one. To Sailing Virgins, thank you for the beautiful boat and a marvelous week. Thank you Giorgio for helping me to understand my strengths and the wind and that everyone has to shift gears and change course from time to time. I enjoyed everything and appreciated your fine guidance, and knowledge of sailing. And your Pasta Puttenesca was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to sail with you again!

XO
Heidi

Just spent the week in Saint Martin on a Catamaran course. We were a small group which gave us lots of opportunity to practice & gain confidence doing the maneuvers. Gegio, our Instructor was fun, engaging & contentious. Made sure we understood the concepts, explained our mistakes and discussed options. He also guided us to places or spots on the islands to explore & enjoy. The weather was varied, rainy, stormy, windy & sunshine , got to experience sailing, managing the catamaran during all this and feeling safe. Gegio, offered us the confidence, direction to handle these seas. Thanks for a great week.
Bravo.

I spent a week sailing around Saint Martin on a catamaran with Gegio, and it was an outstanding experience.

He strikes a great balance between technical skill and a relaxed, approachable teaching style. Whether at the helm or working through docking and sail handling, his instruction was clear, practical, and tailored to the crew. He kept things safe and structured without ever making it feel rigid.

What stood out most was how much everyone improved over the week. Gegio created an environment where you could ask questions, try things out, and build real confidence handling the boat.

I’d absolutely recommend him to anyone looking to develop their sailing skills while enjoying a great week on the water.

Gegio led my husband and me through a six day sailing course around St Martin, St. Barth, and Anguilla on a 42 ft monohull. While we were very novice in our skills, Gegio’s sailing skills and depth of knowledge were exceptionally impressive. We especially appreciated his lessons demonstrating how to chart a sailing course because the process can be quite daunting. We left the course with an understanding that study and course work cannot replace the value of hands-on sailing practice with expert sailing instructors like Gegio. We’re grateful for the open sea experience we gained, the friends we made, and the adventure we had!

Gegio was an amazing instructor. He displayed a great balance of business and pleasure throughout the trip: business, in that his instruction was professional and earnest and helped underscore the lessons we sought to learn; pleasure, in that he balanced those lessons with humor, ample time for fun and relaxation and a well-deserved glass of wine!

Gegio’s knowledge and confidence at the helm immediately put us at ease on the boat. His “no drama on the boat” policy was adopted at the start – and certainly was appreciated by parents with two moody teenagers in tow. I really appreciated how Gegio kicked off the trip by asking why each of us was there and what we wanted to achieve. It was clear that he listened closely to our responses, as it seemed he tailored our individual experiences from that point forward.

Gegio’s teaching style is patient, safety focused, and hands-on. He was open to all questions and always gave in-depth answers, explaining the “why” behind how things are done, helping us to gain a better understanding. He was also generous with words of encouragement, offering “bravo” increasingly each day as we honed our sailing skills.

The time and effort Gegio put into teaching ensured that we all truly earned our certifications, making us all more competent, confident sailors.

My son and I just returned from an incredible week sailing the Caribbean with Sailing Virgins, and I highly recommend them.

Our two skippers and instructors, Gegio and Giacomo, were truly outstanding — patient, attentive, and genuinely fun. They struck the perfect balance between teaching and adventuring, making our time educational and enjoyable. Our fellow crew members were great too.

We sailed our beautiful catamaran to multiple anchorages around three stunning islands: St. Martin, Anguilla, and St. Bart. Early March’s strong winds and rolling swells made for demanding sailing -- the best kind of classroom. We came away more skilled, steady, and confident on open water.

If you're looking for a trip that combines an intensive, hands-on sailing education with an unforgettable Caribbean adventure, Sailing Virgins is it.

Gegio is an awesome instructor and captain…tons of energy, loves to spend time getting to know the students, seems to know people everywhere we go. Thanks for teaching me a whole lot this week and being a fun guy to hang out with!

Gegio made our sailing trip to the BVIs unforgettable! I’m not a super experienced sailor and he was very patient and explained things very well. His energy is unmatched and I wouldn’t have wanted any other captain! If you are looking to learn AND have fun, go with Gegio! Top notch sailing trip!

I just completed ASA103, 104, and 114 certification in St Martin with Gegio and Giacomo. I could not have imagined a more welcoming and constructive experience than with these two masters of their craft. They gradually stepped up the expectations from all participants throughout the week as our skillsets and proficiency grew, while gracefully and tactfully managing varying degrees of abilities amongst the participants. Gegio and Giacomo provided clear and effective instruction and feedback and really stepped back and allowed students to operate the boat while making us think about our actions prior to execution, giving real-time feedback, and providing input on what could have been done better. These guys have the patience of saints and exemplify calm under pressure as we had some pretty wild seas on our first days when we were still very green. After the week, I feel immensely more confident in my sailing abilities and it is 100% owed to these two gentlemen. In addition to all of that they are fun to be around and super cool guys. 11/10 would absolutely recommend to others.

I just spend a week training aboard a 50' catamaran in BVI with Sailing Virgins doing ASA 106 and 114 courses. Gegio (Giorgio) Aranzabal was Captain and instructor. Along with first mate Angelina made this a safe, fun and excellent learning experience. Gegio's focus on safety, teaching skills and local weather knowledge was outstanding. We had 6 students onboard learning several different ASA levels and he was competent to teach us all and refresh others on skills and knowledge. Gegio' personality, calmness and attention to detail was well appreciated by all. I would highly recommend Gegio as Captain and Sailing instructor. Bravo!

Our team of six Sailing Virgins in the BVIs just returned to port after seven excellent training days with Capitan Gegio Aranzabal. And every great Capitan has a great First Mate, and in this case Angelina brought her teaching skills for all of us to benefit from. We all had many opportunities to sharpen our individual skill set from rookies to experienced sailors. Gegio has great knowledge on sailing and patience when dealing with those of us learning ASA 103, 104 and 114. I heartily recommend Gegio as an ASA instructor and hopefully will meet up again on future training opportunities. Thank you for the experience.
Tom Warnock
Redding, California

Flawless experience where I gained an immense amount of knowledge in just a week’s time. From provisioning, to theoretical navigation and sailing concepts, to real-world hands-on sailing and boat handling, the learning curve was steep—in the best possible way.

Gegio was an outstanding instructor—calm, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable. He has a great way of explaining complex sailing concepts in a practical, easy-to-understand way, and he gave us tons of real-world tips you simply can’t get from a textbook. He balanced safety, instruction, and fun perfectly, and I left the week feeling significantly more confident and capable as a sailor. Highly recommend Sailing Virgin and especially Gegio if you’re serious about learning and having an amazing time in the BVI.

Hi - I think Gegio worked very hard in all regards during our week on the boat. Furthermore he was always available to give additional lessons. Also when he was not teaching he was working on getting us tie downs and so forth.

I spent a week earning my ASA 103/104 with Gegio. He is the instructor you want if your goal is real competence, not just a certificate. He is fun, patient, and calm, which fostered strong teamwork and a genuinely effective learning environment. One standout moment was on NYE in St. Barths, an extremely crowded harbor, where he expertly maneuvered us into one of the best anchoring spots, giving us a spectacular, unimpeded fireworks show while turning a high-pressure environment into a solid teaching moment. By the end of the trip, we all felt like a cohesive, functioning crew. Easy life!

Bravissimo Gegio! What a kind and thoughtful, skipper you are. Teaching us with safety and confidence. We started our trip as a collection of individual amateurs and finished our trip as a qualified crew! Always ready and looking for the best weather, locations and entertainment. The ASA lessons were clear and concise and we learnt our practical skills under your careful watch. Can’t wait to get back on the water with you again soon and sail the Easy Life!! ⛵️

Gegio was a wealth of knowledge, patient, and made our sailing experience in the Caribbean absolutely amazing. He knew the best spots, restaurants, and always went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. Without question, we’re contacting Gegio for our future sailing adventures.

We have recently finished our sailing holidays in the wonderful Aeolian Islands accompanied by our Skipper Gegio. Exceptional person, very kind, caring and helpful. With him we shared all the choices and followed his advice. Attentive to our desires, Gegio guided us with great skill, both sailing and motoring, with great confidence involving everyone and also teaching novices the basics of sailing. His serenity and his smile accompanied us throughout our pleasant journey.

His attention and his collaboration ensured that our cruise went well.

Gegio has scheduled and booked for

Time buoys and moorings making sure that we never miss a sunset or aperitif...Gegio a noble sailor !!

A great week of sailing around north Sardinia with Giorgio! Giorgio has done everything to please us and build a trip to fulfill our wishes, (scuba diving, restaurants...). He was still able to offer us an amazing experience despite the strong winds. Experienced, helpful and reassuring, Giorgio showed us the beauty of the Sardinian coast in complete serenity, all while never losing his smile and kindness.