ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing
About The Course
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This is sailing 101, no prior experience required! The goal of the course is to take a student with no prior sailing experience to a level where they feel comfortable sailing a 20 to 28 foot sailboat as skipper (sailor in charge) in favorable conditions.
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This three day course runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. We start each day in the classroom, spending about two hours of lecture where we incorporate video, whiteboard diagrams and sailboat models to explain the fundamentals of sailing and to teach skills that we will be practicing on the water.
We typically break for lunch from 11:45 am to 12:30 pm and then the rest of the day is spent sailing our Colgate 26 (our 26 foot sailboat designed specifically for sailing instruction) practicing all of the necessary skills and maneuvers to competently sail a keelboat of this size. This means you will be spending at minimum 4 and half hours a day sailing and practicing maneuvers!
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At the end of the course there is a brief examination and each student receives a logbook and the American Sailing 101 Basic Keelboat Certification.
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Topics Covered in ASA 101
01
Parts of the Boat and Terminology
We begin the course by learning the new language of sailing and sailboat parts. We go through the sailboat from stem to stern as well as learning directions, parts of the sail and maneuvering terminology.
03
Sail Theory
One of our most important topics is "sail theory"; how a sail works and the physics behind it. We explore the topic of lift, attached flow and wing theory as well as pivot points and centers of effort.
05
US Coast Guard Navigation Rules and Regulations
Day three focuses on the legal and safety aspects of sailing a keelboat. We cover federally required safety equipment, rules of the road, light and sound signals and aids to navigation.
02
Basic Sailing and Safety Maneuvers
Throughout the course we practice sailing at all angles to the wind and refining our sail trim. On day 2 and 3 we practice Crew Overboard Recoveries and Heaving To.
04
Sailing Strategy and Windshifts
Once we have a full sailing day under our belts we go back to the classroom and work through the idea of sailing strategy; how to get from point A to point B most efficiently using windshifts to our advantage and accurately judging laylines.
06
And more!
Throughout the course we cover diverse topics such as sailing knots, rigging, approaching a mooring under sail, sailing by the lee and so much more!