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.

"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

On 11 Dec 2006 21:37:59 -0800, "Nikita" wrote:

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.

This doesn't pertain to Southern California but it's the kind of experience
I think you're looking for. It happened about 9 years ago....
http://pages.suddenlink.net/lorendi/...toBareboat.doc

Good luck!

"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.

If you want to be really radical, you could try Europe - the
Mediterranean. Charter companies there run training schemes that
prepare complete novices in the first week of a holiday to skipper
their own yachts (bareboat) in the second week. Look at
http://www.neilson.co.uk/yachting/VillaFlotilla.asp .

Of course, that's not Florida, it's non-tidal, and the season
doesn't start until May. And the holidays span two weeks (when are
you Americans going to discover the quality of life delivered by
longer holidays!).

It's possible subsequently to test for an International
Certificate of Competence (if you reach the appropriate standard:
most do), but quite frankly, certificates are not what most
charter companies are looking for. They're looking for time in
charge. Most guys who try this type of learning go on for a second
two week holiday sailing in company (flotilla, with a support boat
around most of the time), then follow with a bareboat charter,
doing their own thing.

The they shift on to tidal sailing - a whole new ball game in the
English Channel!
--
JimB
http://www.jimbaerselman.f2s.com/
Comparing cruise areas within Greece and N Spain

A friend and I did the same thing a few years ago at the Chapman School
of Seamanship in Florida. While it is not California, we did take a
boat from the school to the Bahamas and back across the gulf stream. A
great time and I learned a great deal. I acquired the training through
ASA and am very happy with how it is accepted around the world.

Good luck and enjoy.

wrote in message
ups.com...
A friend and I did the same thing a few years ago at the Chapman School
of Seamanship in Florida. While it is not California, we did take a
boat from the school to the Bahamas and back across the gulf stream. A
great time and I learned a great deal. I acquired the training through
ASA and am very happy with how it is accepted around the world.

Good luck and enjoy.



Accepted for what exactly?

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

wrote in message
ups.com...
A friend and I did the same thing a few years ago at the Chapman
School
of Seamanship in Florida.

Same thing as what?

While it is not California, we did take a
boat from the school to the Bahamas and back across the gulf
stream. A
great time and I learned a great deal. I acquired the training
through
ASA and am very happy with how it is accepted around the world.

What's ASA? Speaking as an ex charter operator?

--
JimB
http://www.jimbaerselman.f2s.com/
Comparing cruise areas within Greece and N Spain

In article ,
"Capt. JG" wrote:

All that said, the USSailing and ASA certifications are really nothing more
than high-cost pieces of paper.

Exactly, though that might give Nikita enough experience to overcome
trepidation.

Nothing easier than sailing the BVI, IMNHO. The Moorings let me take
out a 50, though our boat was a 21' MacGregor at the time, hardly more
than a dink. I'd been on a couple of charters in the area, which
probably helped.

When I saw that she was a dinghy sailor, though casual, my first
thought was that she is likely as good a *sailor* as most "big" boat
owners. With such a conservative self-evaluation, she probably only
needs a little time on an inboard.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Jere Lull wrote:

When I saw that she was a dinghy sailor, though casual, my first
thought was that she is likely as good a *sailor* as most "big" boat
owners. With such a conservative self-evaluation, she probably only
needs a little time on an inboard.

Just for the record, I'm a "he". I get this a lot on the newsgroups;
damn that "La femme Nikita" movie.

Yeah, I'm not worried too much about the sailing aspect of it. I feel
fairly confident with sail and boat control, terminology and all that
sort of stuff. The stuff that's new to me would be trimming sails
with winches (right?) rather than by hand, anchoring, operating with an
engine, and probably docking (because you can't make up for your
mistakes by simply grabbing on to the dock and stopping the boat). Oh
and navigation; when racing around the buoys on a lake there's no need
for charts.

In article om,
"Nikita" wrote:

Just for the record, I'm a "he". I get this a lot on the newsgroups;
damn that "La femme Nikita" movie.

Sorry about that, but I've known a number of Nikitas, non of them male.

Yeah, I'm not worried too much about the sailing aspect of it. I feel
fairly confident with sail and boat control, terminology and all that
sort of stuff. The stuff that's new to me would be trimming sails
with winches (right?) rather than by hand, anchoring, operating with
an engine, and probably docking (because you can't make up for your
mistakes by simply grabbing on to the dock and stopping the boat).

I expect you'll take it slow, which is 90+% of the job. There's more
"stuff", but it's not really that different and you've got a handle on
the hard part.

Oh and navigation; when racing around the buoys on a lake there's no
need for charts.

That can take some experience. I'm still learning 20 years into cruising
around the Chesapeake. BTW, even on a lake, there's some navigation
involved, so you have a start.

One thing that's served me in good stead: When you leave an anchorage
you intend to return to, look back and see what it looks like from the
water. Spot the unusual features such as towers, buildings -- anything
that might be unique.

As you sail, be aware of what's around, new landmarks and waypoints, and
note your position on the chart periodically.

Nothing beats the Mark I eyeballs, not even a GPS, in the long run.

At first, you won't go far, so it'll be easy. As you go further afield,
you'll figure it out.


--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/