"Nikita" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hello all,

I'm a casual dinghy sailor, and I want to learn how to sail larger
boats--yachts. To that end, I want to take one of those live-aboard
sailing courses that take about a week and end in some sort of
certification. I figure it will be a nice experience, and it will show
me what life aboard is like, so I can figure out if I want to buy a
yacht of my own. But.... picking the right course is hard.

First of all, the courses offer either ASA (American Sailing
Association) or US Sailing certifications (or sometimes both). Is one
of the certifications better, or more widely recognized than the other?
If I wanted to charter a boat for a day or two, would I be more likely
to get it with ASA or US Sailing?

Is there anything in particular I should be looking for in a sailing
school?

Finally, any recommendations? I'm looking for schools in Southern
California (trying to escape the cold for a week or two)

Thanks in advance,

Nikita.



There are differences between the two certifications, but not in any
material way. I teach both. The absolutely most important thing you should
be looking for is the quality of the instructor. This is sometimes hard to
know in advance, but if you find that you don't think the instructor is
doing a good job, being abusive, yelling, etc, then switch instructors. A
reputable school will accomodate you. Another important thing to look for is
the consistency of the instruction from class to class and the follow-up the
school does to ensure that you got the lesson.

In addition, many schools have a very consistent fleet of boats. That can be
good in the sense that moving from one level of instruction to another, you
get the approximate same look and feel for the boat. It can be bad if you
end up thinking that one particular kind of boat is better than another kind
if you don't experience more than one or two makes... e.g., all instruction
on Hunters vs. all instruction on Catalinas vs. instruction mixed between
several different makes. For example, the non-sanctioned school where I
teach (Northern Cal, btw), starts people out on Capri 16.5s (Catalinas),
then intermediate sailing instruction on a Ranger 23 or J-24 (both are also
used for some advanced work), then on to a Yamaha 30 and private boats of
significant diversity for the advanced training. Personally, I like the
variety.

Another factor to consider, since you mentioned So. Cal., is the conditions
you're likely to encounter. You typically get lighter winds down south, and
while nothing wrong with that necessarily, you don't necessarily get the
benefit of more challenging conditions. For example, in So. Cal., the wind
speeds will rarely exceed 15kts. More than that, and many places scrub the
day. In the SF area, wind speeds are in the 15 to 25 kts range, with some
days higher. We don't scrub the lesson unless there's significant rain and
storm conditions, and some classes are specifically held in storm conditions
(obviously the more advanced classes).

All that said, the USSailing and ASA certifications are really nothing more
than high-cost pieces of paper. There is no requirement for chartering a
boat, say in the BVI, that you have a certification. You could just as
easily take classes through a non-sanctioned school (I teach through one of
those also). Typically, the quality of the instructor and the quality of the
school are what counts. The charter companies (e.g., Moorings) want to be
assured that you'll get their expensive boat back without damage or injury
to the people with you or around you. They care very much *where* you've
sailed and for how long much more than what paper certification you have.
Your sailing resume is important.

I hope that helps... sorry for the long-winded answer. I'm sure they'll be
differing opinions...this is Usenet after all. :-)

Jonathan

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com