Travel Specials: Here’s a way to learn to become a better sailor and vacation in Dorset, England, where the sailing competitions of the 2012 Summer Olympics will occur. The Captains Club Hotel in Dorset is offering guests a unique experience. It is a three-day package that teaches couples the basics on boating and seamanship. One night is spent at the hotel and the remaining two days are spent aboard a sailing yacht with a seasoned yachtsman.

With this new luxury boutique hotel being located on the banks of a river, there are various boating opportunities for guests that range from luxury yacht charters to fishing and sightseeing charters to rapid-riding RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) cruising the bay.

The 2012 Summer Olympics sailing events will take place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in Portland Harbour. The waters in this area are considered among the best for sailing in Northern Europe.

Notable: There are 36 beaches and bays around Dorset; summers are warm and winters are mild. International sailing teams are flocking to Dorset to practice at the newly built facility for the Olympics.