Taking a 5 day Liveaboard course

[mfascuba]

I took a week long ASA combined course as an intro, my previous experience has been as a paying customer on dive boats and "crewing" for a friend during some races on his boat. By crewing I mean bartending. I took the ASA 101, 103 and 104 classes, supposedly I'm certified to rent a boat without a skipper. I'd rather get my own boat and get some experience locally first. My interpretation of the certifications from sailing schools is they are like scuba certifications, the agency determines curriculum and criteria for passing/certifying, they are accepted wherever they are accepted. But they are NOT licenses as would be issued by the Coast Guard (6-pack, 100 ton, etc).

The class is a lot of fun, it's a good way to figure out if you like it before committing to buying a boat. Even if you don't really get into it, it's a short vacation in the midst of the covid chaos.

Mark

[bcboomer]

My wife and I took a cruise and learn in Vancouver in 1988. It was our first sailing experience and it was a great introduction. We went with Capt. Mac's School of Seamanship and highly recommend him. Just be a little careful if he's still making the same chili!
A few years later we hired a different company for a cruise and learn for our son and daughter and daughter-in-law. We went along for a refresher and it was a complete waste of time and money.
Choose carefully!

[kmrtraptow]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

My wife and I took a cruise and learn in Vancouver in 1988. It was our first sailing experience and it was a great introduction. We went with Capt. Mac's School of Seamanship and highly recommend him. Just be a little careful if he's still making the same chili!
A few years later we hired a different company for a cruise and learn for our son and daughter and daughter-in-law. We went along for a refresher and it was a complete waste of time and money.
Choose carefully!

Great advice. Thanks!

[bcboomer]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

They don't mean anything outside of Canada. This is the reason we have been wanting to take an RYA course (or possibly ASA) instead.

Who told you that?

Not true in my experience. We bareboat chartered in the Caribbean with CYA Basic Coastal Cruising. They indicated they were very happy with customers who had their CYA training in BC.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

Who told you that?

Not true in my experience. We bareboat chartered in the Caribbean with CYA Basic Coastal Cruising. They indicated they were very happy with customers who had their CYA training in BC.

Yup, ditto on that. I also have friends who have zero accreditation behind them, but are nonetheless excellent sailors. They've had no problem bareboat chartering.

I think the main credential you need is a credit card .

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

Who told you that?

Not true in my experience. We bareboat chartered in the Caribbean with CYA Basic Coastal Cruising. They indicated they were very happy with customers who had their CYA training in BC.

Apologies, should have been more clear / specific.


Some places require an ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft) to bareboat charter and with RYA qualifications, you can automatically get your ICC.

[Macblaze]

Most of the BC charter co.'s are pretty good. I can put in a good word for Nanaimo Yacht Charters who have settled on IYT courses and certification which is a plus if you are planning on Europe later as it can also get you your ICC. I have heard good things of Simply Sailing though.

Back when, we did the cruise and learns but chartered our own boat so we had the captain all to ourselves. We also chose to do a powerboat cruise and learn first so we could get boat handling, docking and anchoring as well as navigation out of the way before moving on to actually sailing.

Enjoy!

[BugzyCan]

I haven't had any training, but bought a boat and went out solo sailing for two weeks this Spring. I just read a lot of books first. I made some mistakes, but I am certain I will make mistakes even if I have the training first.
I do think that if I took a course now I would pick up a lot more than if I had taken it first, without any experience at all. The reason being, its like learning to ride a motorcycle, if you take the course first, there is too much to take in all at once, you need some of the basics in order to grasp the more difficult aspects of it.
But taking a course first will also work I am sure, and probably a lot safer than you and your son going out on a boat with only book knowledge and learning it the hard way. It worked OK for me because I was solo, and not worried about someone else falling overboard.
The course will be a lot of fun too I imagine.

[bcboomer]

The 26S is a good boat to learn on. They are almost like sailing a big dinghy and will let you know real quick when you do something wrong. See if you can get a better rudder and keel. Makes a huge difference with pointing higher and tracking better.

[DRussell]

I’ve been semi lurking this forum as a registered user for many years but just want to throw my chip in on Glen Mackenzie aka Capt Mac. I did his 5 day CYA Basic Cruising Standars on his 42’ Sloop Kinohi and it has set me up. Have since sailed a 21’ keelboat as skipper and joined in a 36’ hunter on a round Vancouver island trip, and currently own a Ranger 28’. His teaching style is excellent and his boat is a joy.

[Rockinar]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

Who told you that?

Not true in my experience. We bareboat chartered in the Caribbean with CYA Basic Coastal Cruising. They indicated they were very happy with customers who had their CYA training in BC.

They really going to hand you the keys to a Jeanneau 410 with no experience, only a stamp that says you took a class?

[DRussell]

Verbally what I have heard is that a charter company would be looking for you to complete the CYA/Sail Canada basic cruising standard, navigation standard and advanced cruising standard before they will be really comfortable with chartering you a boat, there is a stipulation of sea time that you get signed off on to get those courses completed and the instructor would pass or fail you on your competencies. Though like anything you could fudge and lie your way through the system a bit I guess. Every company has their own guidelines and requirements and we have certainly all heard of credit card captains, if you get through all that training though you will have a great foundation.

[Mike OReilly]

From Sail Canada website (formerly Canadian Yachting Ass. - CYA):

https://www.sailing.ca/keelboat-cruising/

Intermediate Cruising Standard

To be able to cruise safely as both skipper and crew of a sailing yacht of 9 to 12 meters, sloop rigged with an inboard engine, in moderate wind and sea conditions by day. The standard emphasizes on-the-water skills at a level acceptable for extended cruises in coastal and inland waters and for bareboat chartering.

[Gone Gypsy]

We had sailing experience on inland waters through owning a San Juan21. We took a 10 day live aboard course covering ASA 101,103, and 104 in the Bahamas. Great experience and confidence builder! And YES, after completing those courses, (and showing sailing experience) Moorings and Sunsail turned over 45’ bareboat charters to us multiple times. Take the courses. Do it on a catamaran and you will be able to 'certified' for both monos and cats. Find a way to sail frequently near home - buy a small trailer sailer, find a new pal with a boat, crew on race days - anything to build skills and experience. Then you feel ready, and will be recognized by major Caribbean charters, for the time of your life! Fair Winds!

[dannc]

Originally Posted by kmrtraptow

First post and still dreaming
My son and I are complete newbies and we are wondering if a 5 day Liveaboard sailing course would be a good way to start. Has anybody taken this type of course as a way to immerse yourself? Anybody in the Vancouver area recommend or has done this? Cheers and thanks!

We have not done this in Vancouver but we have done the ASA 101 and 103 classes over a 6 day class. It was a HUGE amount of work to get done in that time frame. The school had a boat we could live on while we took classes on a smaller boat. This was good because it saved us travel time to a hotel and saved money. Time was precious and needed to study.

We had two, 100 question tests, plus the knot tests, and the practical tests on the boat. It was quite a bit of work and when not sailing we were practicing knots and studying the books. We would wake up in the morning, eat breakfast and start playing with knots and reading the books. It was hard work but fun.

My wife got sick towards the end of the class but she was able to pass the two written tests, most of her practicals and knots. She kicked a..ss. She went from knowing not much to only missing a few questions on each test, passed the knot tests and almost all of the practicals. We had to go back and finish the man overboard drills and one practical. She was so close to finishing. Flip side, is that to finish her class, we got more time on the boat, had a different instructor and learned a few more things even though we had already been through the evolutions.

I would highly recommend taking the classes. I "learned" sailing from my dad who "learned" on his own and from friends. ASA did not exist back then so there was no choice but to learn on your own. I learned so much more in the class than back in the day. I see how we should or could have been doing things correctly/differently back in the day...

The advantage of classes, is that you have other viewpoints on how to do things. Teaching yourself you have just one way. It might be a right way but maybe it is not. How would one know? You might have experience doing things one way, and that way might be ok, but the teacher, if they are worth their salt, and ours were/are, might know a better way or maybe just another way of doing things.

In one of my careers, I have to take continuing education every year. Some of these classes I have been taking for a quarter century. The same danged classes. Guess what. Every year I learn something new. Why? It is the same material that does not really change. How can one learn anything more? Simple. Different instructors with different ways of doing or seeing things, along with different experience, can teach even old dogs something new.

Find a school with good teachers and go for it. Just be prepared to do some hard work.

Later,
Dan