1 Week ASA 101 to 114 or ?? RYA equivalent

[Mook1e]

Good day CF friends.
I mentioned in my introduction/greeting that my wife and I planned to attend a week long ASA 101 through 114 course in San Diego, California in June which includes:

101 - Basic Keelboat
103 - Coastal Cruising
104 - Bareboat Cruising
114 – Catamaran Cruising
We live in Germany and had planned to first attend our daughter’s Language School graduation in NorCal and then head to San Deigo. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has cancelled the graduation and we are trying to adjust our plans. We will now, most likely, attend the course as a trip unto itself and so that has opened up the possible location to attend significantly. The price quotes I’ve seen per person for the week have varied from $2200 to $5600 in locations like San Diego, Ft. Lauderdale, Grenadines, Abacos, USVI ($2200 to $3000 range) to Mallorca and Tahiti ($5600 with Dream Yacht Charter/Nautilus). I’ve taken RYA competent crew (years ago in Singapore), but my wife will be brand new to sailing.
My question is: Are there any other one week ASA 101 to 114 classes available here in Europe for comparable (lower range) price? Is there a one week RYA equivalent? If we can find an ASA 101 to 114 course in the $2900 to $3500 range here in Europe (the Med) it would be worth it factoring in travel costs. Next determination - Travel restrictions for US persons outside the USA.
I’ve found the following courses online:
https://barefootoffshore.com/sailing...cruise-course/ $2200
https://charter-catamaran.com/sailin...1-103-104-114/ $2775
https://www.bwss.com/schedule-a-cat.html $2900-$3500
https://sailusvis.com/asa-sailing-sc...chool-pricing/ $2900 - $3500
https://www.nautilussailing.com/dest...allorca-spain/ $5500+!!

I’ve also searched the forums and read a few folks’ personal experiences.
Matt and Emily from SV SEA Odyssey blog has a great account:
https://www.svseaodyssey.com/sailing-school-agreed/

Anywho. Thank you all AGAIN for this amazing resource. I feel like I’ve learned more about managing my own expectations more than anything and approaching my dream more methodically from the advice on this forum.

[mikedefieslife]

RYA is going to be the better recognised qualification around the world. RYA Day Skipper should be around $1000 per person and last 5 days, living on the boat.

There was a good school in Gibraltar but owners sold it. They used to do a nice jaunt up the Spanish coast then across to Africa, then back home. I'm others do similar.

[SVHarmonie]

I taught sailing for almost a decade (in the US Sailing program), and I can tell you there is NOTHING equivalent about ASA and RYA training.

ASA is "good and adequate." RYA is way, way more rigorous. It seems to me RYA sometimes goes over the top for recreational sailors, but there is no questioning that the focus is much more on being sure the student REALLY know their stuff.

Virtually all ASA schools will take your money and teach you stuff and then give you a certificate. The tests are (compared to RYA) a joke. It is a very tough business for a commercial sailing school. If a student spends thousands for you to teach them how to sail and at the end, they are told, "Sorry you aren't ready yet", they are a very unhappy customer. And businesses don't last long with unhappy customers.

If you want a certificate, ALMOST any ASA school will sell you one. If you want to learn, and be seriously tested on, saiing and seamanship, you have a lot more homework to do about schools and their policies, or you go to RYA.

[Mook1e]

Thanks for your input. We may try to both attend RYA competent crew again on the Bodensee, then move to Day Skipper, if we go RYA.

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

RYA is going to be the better recognised qualification around the world. RYA Day Skipper should be around $1000 per person and last 5 days, living on the boat.

There was a good school in Gibraltar but owners sold it. They used to do a nice jaunt up the Spanish coast then across to Africa, then back home. I'm others do similar.

[Mook1e]

Thanks! I really enjoyed the RYA course at the Changi sailing club in Singapore. We may go RYA just because of more availability here in Europe. The ASA week-long course seems convenient, though.
I think my wife would like to do the one week on a Cat as well to see how she likes it.
I'll keep looking for individual reviews of the locations I've found.

Originally Posted by SVHarmonie

I taught sailing for almost a decade (in the US Sailing program), and I can tell you there is NOTHING equivalent about ASA and RYA training.

ASA is "good and adequate." RYA is way, way more rigorous. It seems to me RYA sometimes goes over the top for recreational sailors, but there is no questioning that the focus is much more on being sure the student REALLY know their stuff.

Virtually all ASA schools will take your money and teach you stuff and then give you a certificate. The tests are (compared to RYA) a joke. It is a very tough business for a commercial sailing school. If a student spends thousands for you to teach them how to sail and at the end, they are told, "Sorry you aren't ready yet", they are a very unhappy customer. And businesses don't last long with unhappy customers.

If you want a certificate, ALMOST any ASA school will sell you one. If you want to learn, and be seriously tested on, saiing and seamanship, you have a lot more homework to do about schools and their policies, or you go to RYA.

[Mook1e]

I guess the biggest question will be if the borders are open so I can get to whichever school we choose.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Mook1e

Good day CF friends.
I mentioned in my introduction/greeting that my wife and I planned to attend a week long ASA 101 through 114 course in San Diego, California in June which includes:
...

I don't see how one can really learn all there is in those four classes in a week.

My wife and I took the 101/103 class over a six day period. It was a huge amount of work to complete those two classes. We would study a bit in the morning before leaving the dock and we would study even more in the evening. It was a vacation, it was fun, but it was a lot of work and tiring.

Our instructors would NOT just pass you just because you paid the bill which is as it should be.

If you can get the books early and starting studying before the class start that would be hugely helpful both for the written tests and knot test. If you can answer the questions in the book, then the actual test will be easy.

Later,
Dan

[belizesailor]

Ive taught countless "combination class" (multiple classes in combination) over decades. They are popular because students want them and its good revenue for sailing schools, but it is not the ideal way to learn. I suggest taking a class or two, becoming comfortable with those skills on the water, and then taking the next class or two, repeat...

A week long series of 3 or 4 classes is an intense learning experiece (an intense teaching experience too!). This may prove overwhelming for your new to sailing wife. Ive had a few students who have decided just to audit the remainder of the training after they became overwhelmed.

Pre-class preparation is critical. Make sure the school you choose will get class materials to you well ahead of time so that you can prepare.

[muttnik]

I have no experience of ASA courses but for RYA dayskipper...a quick google will show you that many schools offer a combined theory and practical in a 9 day course for around €1000 per person. If you want to refresh your comp crew and start again with your wife it would seem combined 14-day courses (comp crew/ dayskipper theory / practical) go for €1500-1600. There seem to be plenty of schools in spain/gib/canaries area.

Obviously you could do it in the UK and there's currently no quarantine on entry to the UK but I believe sailing schools here are currently all shut and trying to work out how the heck to implement social distancing on a sailing boat.

If you want to subsequently charter in the med you'll generally need an ICC and the RYA will handily give you one for GBP47 if you have the (more demanding) dayskipper.

In general cats won't even be mentioned in RYA courses but again, google is your friend: plenty of european schools doing short cat cruising lessons and if you were thinking about chartering a cat, hiring a skipper for the first few days to run through quirks of two-hull sailing might be an option.

[Snore]

Let me preface this with I am an ASA instructor.

A one week non-stop course is overload. The example I give folks is imagine being locked in the Louvre, Hermitage, or any other art gallery for 5 days, non-stop. Obviously, you could not appreciate all the art. Likewise 5 days of non-stop learning will be an overload.

A more effective learning regime is take a 2-day course, then sail something in your own. Take the next course and sail something. AFTER you can sail a mono-hull take the catamaran course. In the end you will be a better sailor than the person who did the one week crash course.

[AndrewA2]

I am very much interested to hear more about the fast track RYA courses in the SE US or Caribbean region.
Also its sounds like from what is mentioned the ASA certifications are a breeze... if so what are some of the key differences with the ASA equivalents ?

[Stewie12]

I put my daughter and her partner to Canary Sail and they learned a lot in the 5 days or so they were there. Highly recommended.

[Mook1e]

Thank you everyone for the input. I'm wondering...is there an RYA week-long course (in English) available on the Bodensee? We may want to do that and then go to the 1 week ASA through 114 course after.
I'll need to start searching the googly-box.

[roland stockham]

The RYA 'equivalent' is coastal skipper, 2 weeks on board training, comp crew then coastal training plus a year at nigh school for nav & regs. 'Fast track courses get to this level in about 6 weeks full time but have been criticized for lack of practical experience if you start as a novice but Ok if you have a strong boating background. Think this says it all.
Also with this pandemic you do not want to go to the USA, especially California anytime soon

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Mook1e

Thanks for your input. We may try to both attend RYA competent crew again on the Bodensee, then move to Day Skipper, if we go RYA.

Well, you would both have to have taken RYA Competent Crew - it's a prerequisite for doing Day Skipper. There are also other prerequisites for Day Skipper. Go to the RYA site and have a look.

To S/V Harmonie's point, it's NOT just a case of "take-a-course-get-your-certificate". The RYA is far, far more rigorous than that.

And finally, you two are too green to start off with a catamatan charter + Day Skipper course! You want your wife never to sail again?

Omigawd.
LittleWing77