Sailing Schools

[Charles]

My wife and I are planning to join a sailing club that provides training and certifications in San Diego, CA while gaining personal exposure of the various boats. Our goal is Blue Water Cruising. All schools belong to a Sailing Association ASA or US Sailing. I have been putting together a spreadsheet comparing ASA and US Sailing schools benefits, costs, boat inventory, reciprocal clubs, benefits and discounted bareboat "club member" charter locations. Both associations have there separate business plans, criteria for club membership, benefits, yet each association options for training, scope of classes, and pricing are different within each association. I have read in a clubs Newsletter that a certain ASA school is changing from ASA to US Sailing but will still respect ASA certification. Another school is just changing the Bare Boat training to US Sailing, while the remaining advanced training is still ASA certification.

What is the difference between ASA and US Sailing?

I was talking to a person “broker” on the docks who owns there own boat and is an ASA Certified Instructor. She offered to train us both and we could stay on her boat while training. She said the training would be daily for about two weeks and would cover all certifications offered through ASA clubs for a much discounted price, obtain ASA certifications faster, individual attention and more “at sea” training experience with her plan, are her selling points.


Do you have advice on what we should do, Sailing Association or Personal training?

Does anyone have experiences good or bad with sailing schools in San Diego?

Best,

Searider...

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Life and everything in it, is either an 'ordeal', or an 'adventure'. ..depending on your attitude.

[Charles]

G'day,

Sailing Associations differences must not be a ‘hot topic’ in the forum, but I am at the phase of making the choice. I want to share what I found in my research of each association, in hopes to better clarify ASA vs. US Sailing, which is a gray area for some.

In researching ASA vs. US Sailing:

A given schools decision to switch their affiliation from ASA to US Sailing believing that, on a business level, they would be better served as being one of only a handful of schools in Southern California to offer US Sailing certification than one of the many to offer ASA. ASA has 315 school locations; US Sailing has less than 50. ASA recently had one of the very largest and most respected schools in the United States, Annapolis Sailing, switch from US Sailing to ASA, so there are a few schools going back and forth at any given time.

ASA started keelboat education in the United States in 1983. About ten years later, US Sailing followed suit and replicated all ASA’s education standards and levels. Therefore, the systems themselves are virtually identical.

It might be said that ASA provides a training format and experience that is geared for people interested in renting charter boats, or who be potential customers for charter services. They have excellent training materials and training formats. The US side is usually presented to me as being more amateur racing oriented, and more geared to training you to sail sans heavy chartering emphases. Since sailing is not brain surgery, but a good trainer can make your future experiences easier, less fearful, and less difficult. The instructor can do a lot toward forming your attitude and desire to sail.

At the end of the day, it’s the quality of the specific school and instructor that matters most, regardless of whether they are ASA or US Sailing.

If anyone has comments (Pro/Con) concerning any schools in San Diego it is appreciated…

Best,

Searider…

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Life and everything in it, is either an 'ordeal', or an 'adventure'. ..depending on your attitude.

[Winterstale]

Hello! My husband and I just completely ASA 101, 103, and 104 in the BVI with Fairwinds Sailing School - it was an excellent hands-on course and we are now able to charter on our own! The course was VERY thorough - my husband was already a sailor (owned a 28-footer and a 30-footer) -- I was brand new to it and now feel MUCH more confident about taking a boat on our own next year. I highly recommend Fairwind - nothing like learning to sail in the BVI!

[Charles]

G'day Winterstle,

Thanks fer the advise, will look into it as an option.

Keep lookin up!

Searider...