ASA Sailing Courses

[Chattcatdaddy]

Well all the good things said about ASA courses has prompted me and the wife to give it a try. Turns out that a local school offers ASA 101 and 103 at our local lake. Will be a good chance for the wife to see what all is involved with cruising. I have a little experience but could reall use a structured learning enviroment. So I know what we will be doing this summer and hopefully it will not deter my wife from cruising.

[exranger]

What's the cost per course in your area? I am thinking about sending my girlfriend to it )or should I go to? I am by no means Robin Knox Johnson, so, depending on the cost, I would like to join her).

[Pblais]

Doing it togther even if you both get different instructors is a good idea. Some say never take a class togther but we did it that way and it helps a lot after all the years. Understanding about how it all works makes it more enjoyabe. The cost gives back some big divifdends I think based what I think we got out of it. If you expect to work togther you both need to build experience and confidence. If only you can sail then it does not really work.

[RickD]

Hi guys. Wife and I are going to San Diego in April for a week-long "live aboard" training for just the two of us. Private lessons Five days of training and two days of bare boating after.

[nautical62]

Originally Posted by RickD

Hi guys. Wife and I are going to San Diego in April for a week-long "live aboard" training for just the two of us. Private lessons Five days of training and two days of bare boating after.

Enjoy Rick. My advice is get as much out of the books as you can before you go. It'll make the learning curve faster.

[Chattcatdaddy]

Originally Posted by exranger

What's the cost per course in your area? I am thinking about sending my girlfriend to it )or should I go to? I am by no means Robin Knox Johnson, so, depending on the cost, I would like to join her).

Its around $400 per person here in Chattanooga, TN. ASA also is doing and introduction to sailing class, but they do not list a price for that course.

Class size is listed as a max of 3 people, so that sounds good. Not sure what sailboats they use for the classes.

[Tempest245]

As an ASA instructor, I often dread couples classes for reasons stated above.
The husband often attempts to become the 2nd instructor on the boat, barking orders to his wife. She gets quietly angry and then loses focus. I then have to become diplomat, and instructor. Some of the funniest times, are when she tells her husband to shut-up! before, I am able to whisper in his ear.

If the guy takes a class with his wife, with the mindset that he's taking the class for his wifes benefit, I think it might be better to let her take the class by herself.

If the couple both recognize the need for instruction, and they usually work well as a team, and the guy is able to sit back and watch someone else instruct his wife, ( and let his wife see him take instruction ) things will go well.

Everyone responds to instruction in a different way, it's my job to figure out which style to employ for each student, to get the best experience for them.

I might have to employ a different style for the wife, than I would for the husband. We ( instructors) have to be able to figure this all out, in a short period of time after meeting students for the 1st time.

For all students, especially women, I find it's important that they become confident that when the boat heels over that it won't roll over and sink. It sounds elementary to sailors, but novices get nervous when the boat heels for the 1st time.
The other important thing is that students need to be allowed to comfortably make mistakes, without someone yelling at them. I encourage mistakes, it's how we learn.

So the accidental Jibe, getting into irons, forgetting to tack the jib..etc is all good stuff. Mistakes are opportunities to learn. Especailly once a student is comfortable that their mistakes ( that day ) won't sink the boat.

So guys, if you don't want to sleep on the couch that night, sit back, and let your wife have a good time. Mistakes can be fun too!

We have lots of laughs, if it takes us a few times to do a figure 8 rescue before we get it right.

Tempest

[chiefjohnson]

Originally Posted by RickD

Hi guys. Wife and I are going to San Diego in April for a week-long "live aboard" training for just the two of us. Private lessons Five days of training and two days of bare boating after.

Are you going to the San Diego Sailing Academy? My wife & I took their 7 day live aboard last March & it was outstanding. Mike & Nick are first class!

[LittleFlower]

Your post made me giggle. I love hearing about people learning to sail. Its great. I've been a sailor for 22 years, and a sailing instructor for 12. I've also taken the ASA course and the US Sailing course (and taught them) The advice above is good: learn terminology and knots and theory.
But don't get too stressed about the theory!

Sail theory is way more complicated than anything a book will teach. Its more like a library's worth of info. If you know the basics then your boat will perform like you "expect" only when the weather is perfect. But the weather is never perfect. Waves, land, gusts, lots of things effect it and will effect how the wind fills your sails and how the boat moves. And each boat is a little different. So, sure, get a basic understanding of theory, but don't stress too much about it. You really really need to get out and FEEL the wind in your sails! Its sounds silly, but its true.

Knots on the other had...know those. If you don't have a boat to mess around in, mess around with lines. Coil, stack, coil again and again. Know the basic knots so you don't waste any time you could be sailing on learning the knots. Good knots to get started with are the bowline, figure 8, slippery hitch, belaying a line (on a cleat) both with and without a locking hitch, square knot, and sea gasket (not really a knot, but a good coiling technique) There are other good knots to know for cruising, but these will likely be the basics for your course.

Also, if you are comfortable with terminology (especailly parts of the boat) then communication will be smoother and easier.

Lastly, sailing is much more than books and theory. I have learned soooo much more from experience (especially in rough weather) than from books. But I still read them...especially about offshore sailing and engine repair because that is something I have done less of. Also, I learn a lot from chatting and sharing stories with other sailors.

Good luck with your course, and let use know how it turns out. I hope you love it!!!

Teresa

[Captn_Black]

How much does the ASA course cost (using my own boat)?
In the UK the RYA Ocean Master is $900 for the cheapest I found... should I wait till I'm in the US and take the equivalent ASA instead?

[Bill_E]

I'm getting ready to take the US Sailing course in a few weeks. I looked into prices for ASA and US Sailing, and these are basically similar 6 day liveaboard classes. They run somewhere around $2K per person. They can go as low as about $1750 and up around $3K depending on the school and the location. They include the course, living on the boat, meals, and usually one night in a B&B or something like that on the first night. If you use your own boat they will likely be significantly more expensive.

I've decided what one I'm going to take but I'd be interested in knowing if there is really any difference between ASA and US Sailing, perhaps Teresa has an opinion if she has been associated with both. But maybe just information in a PM.

Thanks
Bill

[Pblais]

How much does the ASA course cost (using my own boat)?

They don't work that way. The course always includes the boat. AT the point you are using your own boat you can contract a captain licensed by the USCG to provide what ever training you can agree to. There is not certified course that would let you use you own boat.

In the US you don't need any official certification. You can be required to complete a safety course. It's far too easy to be concerned about and can be done on the INTERNET in a few hours.

[Pblais]

I'm getting ready to take the US Sailing course in a few weeks. I looked into prices for ASA and US Sailing, and these are basically similar 6 day live aboard classes. They run somewhere around $2K per person.

Without prior experience I think you will find the 6 day courses can not be completed. With no experience the first 3 ASA or US Sail courses can't really be passed. The requirements are such that you must complete all the paper work before you arrive or forget about it. Completing the practical part is only possible if you can complete the first course on the first day.

I really think the three at once courses are a rip off unless you have some prior experience. I do think the live aboard course are the best way to do the second and third courses. If there is more than 2 in the 3 at once course you can't in any situation get enough time on the water to really pass unless you just pay a lot of money or have the prior experience. It just takes more than 6 days to learn to sail in a way you could be expected to go off on your own with a boat for a week starting from scratch.

[Captn_Black]

Ah, ok. The same is usually true in the UK (and I am slightly suspicious of the one that offered it differently..), though the price for everything seem so much more in the USA atm I guess prices rose there when the exchange rate was different and haven't fell since then to compensate... But for a similar liveaboard course in the UK its $900-1200... And I the RYA is also respected world-wide... I don't need to get it straight away, but once I have a few more miles and a couple of oceans under my belt I'd like to go into yacht delivery, and obviously i'd need one of the 2 then..

[Pblais]

The RYA certification I really think is the best there is. I don't always think "certification" is enough but RYA is the best there is. All certification is at best "minimum qualifications". All those that want to be minimally qualified are welcome to it.

I do think inside of two years dedicated persons could be ready, but I think it is hard to find seasoned cruisers that could say it only took that long. Being ready includes a lot of things you can't be trained in. Knowing what you don't know is not a dimension you can be tested upon and so certified. It is often the most important part of making decisions. It could be argued that it could cut your training in half if you knew all the things you don't know. I could agree with that.

Under difficult conditions it's not an exercise. What you can actually do is more important than what you think you can do. Dreams don't always matter even if it is the reason that got you there. What you think you can do really isn't the same.