Before Nicholas “Nico” Trevino became a sailing captain, he’d stop strangers on the streets of Grapevine and invite them to go sailing. A friend suggested Trevino study for his captain’s license and start teaching. “He told me, ‘Right now you’re giving it away,’” says Trevino, who has lived in the Dallas suburb for six years. The advice made sense: He’d loved sailing since his dad taught him on Canyon Lake in the Hill Country as a kid.
Already a regular at Grapevine Sailing Club’s regattas, Trevino got his U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s License and became an American Sailing Association certified instructor. He then started Trident Sailing Academy and built a nautically themed house where he teaches the classroom part of his lessons. “My wife and I designed our house to be shared,” Trevino says. He’s competed in sailing races across the U.S., including the Harvest Moon Regatta, which covers 145 nautical miles from Galveston to Port Aransas.
When the same friend who urged Trevino to get his captain’s license invited him to sail a 48-foot catamaran from South Africa to Brazil, Nico studied the boat’s manual for seven months before flying to Cape Town. During the 18-day trip, Nico and three fellow captains stopped at St. Helena Island—a volcanic outcrop in the South Atlantic where Napoleon endured his final exile in a gated mansion. Halfway through the journey, Trevino released his father’s ashes into the water during a ceremony at sea. “In teaching others to sail, it immortalizes my dad,” he says. “I teach people, and they begin their own adventures.”
Enjoying this article?Trevino’s Grapevine Picks
1 ⁄ Grapevine Lake
Trevino is out on Grapevine Lake 48 weeks of the year. “This isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifestyle,” he says. The 8,000-acre lake is the perfect place to try out skiing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, or boating. Those who’d rather stick closer to land can enjoy a beer on the floating deck of Big Daddy’s Cantina at Scott’s Landing Marina.
2 ⁄ Grapevine Sailing Club
The club’s regattas on Grapevine Lake involve multiple races and plenty of socializing. Each September, the club hosts an event for the Wounded Warriors Project in conjunction with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. “We take them for a boat ride or teach them to sail,” Trevino says. “It’s their day.”
3 ⁄ R&J’s Bar and Grill
Trevino is a regular at this eatery and even has an honorary item on the menu. Customers can order their nachos “Nico style,” where each nacho is built individually with a choice of beef, chicken, or brisket and all the fixings.
4 ⁄Hotel Vin/Harvest Hall
Overlooking Grapevine’s Vintage Railroad, this jewel box of a hotel features a speakeasy and cave-inspired wine bar. It’s also directly attached to Harvest Hall, an elevated food hall and entertainment compound that features eight chef-driven restaurants and architecture inspired by 19th-century American railway stations.
5 ⁄ Horseshoe Mountain Biking Trails
This trail winds near the southeast shore of Lake Grapevine and ranges in difficulty from beginner to technical. But even a casual hiker can experience Trevino’s favorite part: the view. “I love that you can walk these trails and then—boom—there’s the lake,” he says.
