Have you found yourself bitten by the sailing bug, imagining buying a boat of your own to sail over far horizons? Are you harboring big dreams to charter abroad, cross oceans, or sail around the world?
There are several ways Modern Sailing can help you build the skills you will need to experience of the blissful freedom of sailing the open seas.
We are much more than a sailing school, providing an education in the art and science of seamanship – we are also a sailing club offering many opportunities to practice and develop your skills so you can be as prepared as you can possibly be. By connecting with a sailing school and club like Modern Sailing, you will not only learn essential skills while earning necessary certifications, you will find there are many ways to practice and continue building your experience and confidence within a friendly, supportive community of sailors helping sailors.
Yes, you can learn the necessary seafaring skills by sailing with friends on their boats or hitchhiking on strangers' boats as crew from one port to another. However, if you’re inexperienced, it will be difficult to impossible for you to assess the skill of the people you’re sailing with and learning from. Choose your mentors and skippers carefully to avoid picking up unsafe practices, or worse, putting yourself at risk by boarding an unsafe boat with an unsafe skipper.
Keep in mind that whenever you set sail as the skipper, the lives of everyone aboard are placed in your hands. Mother Nature is really the one in charge, and you must learn to respect and work with her. Moreover, if you encounter an emergency at sea, others may be putting their own lives at risk to rescue you. When lives are at stake, it makes good sense to take your sailing education seriously. A reputable sailing school will provide a systematic and proven approach to building the skills you’ll need to plan your adventures prudently and prepare yourself as thoroughly as possible.
1. Learn Essential Sailing Skills with ASA Courses
Start by taking the sailing lessons from professionals who have accomplished the same goals you have your sights set on. An American Sailing Association-accredited sailing school is the perfect place to start. If you’re not in the San Francisco Bay Area, search the American Sailing Association’s database to find a school near you. Be sure to read the school’s reviews on Google, Yelp, and other sites. We also recommend that you take a tour of the school’s fleet and facilities and talk with their staff to ensure that you understand their programs and they understand your goals.
The paragraphs in this section will take you through the progression of American Sailing Association courses, which are a series that progress from the novice level through advanced offshore courses. The number of courses you take depends on how far you want to sail and how prepared you want to be.
Beginning Level ASA Courses to Get Started Sailing
Your journey begins with ASA 101, Basic Keelboat Sailing, and ASA 103, Basic Coastal Cruising. In these two courses, you will learn basics of sailing terminology, boat features, docking and maneuvering, navigation, and Coast Guard safety rules. ASA 101, a four-day course, teaches you to be a competent crew member. ASA 103, also a 4-day course, teaches you how to safely skipper daytime sails. ASA 103 certifies Modern Sailing members to charter (rent) boats and have fun practicing out on San Francisco Bay. If you already have some sailing experience, taking the 5-day ASA 101/103 Combination Course or challenging to "test-out" of these two courses may be a shorter path to ASA 104 for you.
At Modern Sailing, we require students to log six on-the-water days prior to ASA 104 to ensure all the basic skills learned in 101 and 103 are solidified through practice. Learn More
Intermediate Level ASA Courses to Prepare for Bareboat Chartering and Boat Ownership
Whether you are planning a multi-day charter abroad or buying a boat of your own, ASA 104, Bareboat Cruising is an essential next step. This certification is required by most international charter companies (in addition to the International Proficiency Certificate). Many boat insurance companies will also require you to be certified at the Bareboat Cruising level, and in some cases the certification can help reduce your premiums. In the 3-day, 2-night ASA 104 course, you’ll expand on the skills you learned in ASA 101 and 103 and learn how to sail and navigate at night and plan and provision for multi-day trips. You’ll also begin learning about how to manage and troubleshoot boat systems such as the engine, electrical, freshwater systems, and more.
ASA 105, Coastal Navigation is a course with no prerequisites – you can take it even before you complete ASA 101. With paper charts and navigation tools, you will learn how to plot a course to effectively navigate to a destination and track your position as you go. This course is also required as a prerequisite to impart you with the advanced navigation skills you’ll exercise in ASA 106.
Do you want to charter catamarans or cruise one of your own? Take ASA 114, Cruising Catamaran after you complete ASA 104.
Advanced Level ASA Courses to Learn Coastal and Offshore Sailing Skills
ASA 106, Advanced Coastal Cruising takes all the skills you’ve learned so far to a new level. You’ll deepen your understanding of boat systems and learn about crew health and safety, weather planning, heavy weather sailing, emergency procedures, and much more. There are three ways you can complete this course with Modern Sailing.
Here in Northern California, ASA 106 will take you beyond the Bay and onto coastal waters in a bluewater monohull or catamaran. As San Francisco Bay is sheltered from the ocean swell, you will find sailing over open waters on the Pacific Coast to be a very different experience. Worried about getting seasick? There are ways to prevent or remedy seasickness if you plan ahead. Joining a 1-day Farallones Day Trip is a great way to get introduced to conditions you are likely to encounter during the 4-day, 3-night ASA 106 course.
You can also take ASA 105 and 106 together in our 7-day, 6-night ASA 105/106 California Coastal Combination course.
There’s another exciting way to complete ASA 106 – on the Caribbean Sea! You have the opportunity to learn advanced coastal sailing skills and earn your certification with Captain Scott Bonder among the beautiful Virgin Islands aboard the 53' luxury catamaran Wild Rumpus. ASA 114, Cruising Catamaran is a prerequisite.
ASA 107, Celestial Navigation teaches you how to navigate using a sextant and celestial almanac, an essential skill for any sailor who plans to sail far enough offshore to lose sight of land. Electronic navigation systems are convenient – but can fail, which would constitute a serious emergency if you don’t have celestial navigation skills. This course is also a prerequisite to ASA 108.
ASA 108, Offshore Passagemaking is the pinnacle of the ASA course series. This course will cement all the skills you learned in previous courses and lay a broad foundation of ocean-crossing skills. Sailing non-stop for 5 to 6 days and nights and covering 450+ nautical miles, this course will test your mettle and prepare you for the very real rigors of ocean voyaging.
Pacific Coast courses are available April through October only.
If you have an idea how far you want to go in your ASA course education, you'll want to look into our Package Specials, which enable you to purchase various bundles of courses with significant discounts. The more courses you bundle, the more you save!
If you have questions about which Courses and Clinics will best suit your goals, our expert team of customer service representatives have answers. Please feel free to contact us - we're happy to help!
2. Expand and Enhance Sailing Skills with Clinics
Modern Sailing also offers several Sailing Clinics that are highly recommended as excellent preparation for multi-day expeditions and bareboat chartering abroad. In a 1-day clinic, you will gain deeper knowledge and additional hands-on practice in concepts touched upon in ASA courses. Some of these courses have ASA 103 as a prerequisite, while others require ASA 104.
Modern Sailing’s Clinics include Electronic Piloting and Radar, Advanced Sail Trim, Heavy Weather Sailing Techniques, Night Sailing, Platinum Fleet Docking and Maneuvering, and the Angel Island Mooring Clinic. The mooring clinic will not only teach you how to perform the fore-and-aft mooring required at Angel Island’s Ayala Cove, you’ll also get prepared to moor in a variety of situations you may encounter worldwide.
If there are other specific skills you want to refresh or develop, a Development Sail is a great option for you. Private Lessons can also provide focused and personalized one-on-one training. If you’re already a boat owner, an instructor can come to you and help you get ready for optimal sailing on your own boat.
3. Practice Your Sailing Skills Regularly
You’ll learn new skills by taking ASA Courses and enhance your skills in Sailing Clinics, but the best preparation to accomplish your seafaring goals is practice, practice, practice! At Modern Sailing, we provide several ways for club members to get out there and practice their skills – while having fun and making new friends! Also, you'll be able to focus on developing your sailing skills first, without having to simultaneously needing to put time, effort, and money into maintaining into a boat of your own. Modern Sailing's fleet of sportboats, cruising boats, and catamarans is professionally-maintained, which means there's almost always ample opportunities for you to get on the water.
Participate in Club Sails
You don’t need any skills or experience to join Club Sails – you only need to be Modern Sailing member. If you’re eager to learn, you’ll find that the Club Skippers and the experienced crew members aboard a Club Sail will be eager to help you. Club Sails are also a great way to make friends who can sail with you as supportive crew when you’re ready to skipper for the first time. Even when not chartering as the skipper of record, our experienced members find Club Sails a great way to enjoy sailing on the Bay while keep their skills and confidence sharp.
Charter Boats
There’s nothing like taking on the responsibility for vessel and crew as the skipper to develop and strengthen your decision-making and leadership abilities. Every sail will present different conditions and new challenges, so you will learn about sailing and/or about yourself something every time you go out. Sometimes you will learn about which skills could use more practice. Often, you will find the satisfaction of ending a great day of sailing with a happy crew to be a fantastic confidence-booster.
After completing ASA 103, we recommend that you start chartering right away before you begin forgetting what you learned. Often, our members will use our Crew List email distribution list, Slack Channels, and Facebook Crew List to find other members and members to enjoy sailing and practicing with. Chartering a variety of boats, you’ll also learn a lot about which boat features and layouts you prefer. This will help inform the right choice of vessel for you when you’re ready to buy your own boat.
Go on Local Expeditions
Join a 1-day Farallones Day Trip or a 2-day Drakes Bay Trip or Half Moon Bay Trip to take a bite-sized sample of the ocean sailing and coastal cruising lifestyle. All skill levels are welcome to join!
Join a Global Destinations Flotilla
Whether you’re preparing for a multi-day charter or cruising your own boat, being part of a Global Destinations Flotilla is perfect preparation. Our flotillas are organized and lead by experienced captains who are also Modern Sailing instructors. There are two ways to participate in a flotilla – book a cabin aboard one of our captained vessels, or book one of the bareboats we’ve selected and reserved. Booking a cabin aboard a captained boat is ideal if your sailing skills are minimal and you are happy to share the boat with people you may not know well at the start of your trip. ASA 104 certified skippers who prefer the freedom to choose their own crew have the option to book a bareboat.
Following our flotilla under the guidance of our captains, you’ll gain real-life experience and insight into the cruising lifestyle and all the wonder and beauty that comes with it. Having the reassurance of sailing alongside our professional captains makes the experience so much more relaxing than going it alone.
Modern Sailors' Words of Advice
We asked a few of our current and former members, students, and staff who have extensive cruising experience to share some of their thoughts about preparing for epic sailing voyages. Here's the words of advice they offer for others with big sailing dreams.
If you want to deepen your inspiration by seeing what some of our community members have accomplished, be sure to visit our Member Resources library and read our collection of Sailor Spotlight stories.
Richard Pon - Internationally-Experienced Bareboat Charterer
"My recommendation for those who want to charter beyond the Bay is to learn as much as you can. Modern Sailing provides a perfect environment to learn the skills needed and to develop the confidence to make sailing international a reality. There are classes, seminars and various boats to learn from. Get as much information as you can about the area you plan to sail and put together a float plan."
Holly Williams - Circumnavigator, Clipper Round the World Race
"Crossing an ocean or completing a circumnavigation is an epic achievement that you will always be able to draw on for inspiration, determination, and confidence to succeed at other challenges in life.
"Foremost on your mind will be the preparations for the boat (safety gear, backups for things that WILL break, fresh water supply, etc) routing decisions, and contingencies for weather (be flexible!). But don't forget the preparations for yourself! In the months before your adventure work on flexibility and core strength (back and abs) to help you prevent injury. And don't skimp on clothing items that will protect your eyes and skin from UV/wind damage and consider gloves to protect your hands. Prevention of injuries is always better than treatment. In the cooler climates where you can wear/need layers, thin Marino wool for your base top and bottom is magical and worth having several sets - wicks to help keep you dry, odor resistant, comfortable. Foul weather gear needs to include protection for your neck and not letting water run down inside the jacket."
Timan Eatherton - Cruiser and Instructor
"Preparation will only get you so far; the rest is a leap of faith.
"You need less than what you think. Go for the adventure and watch the world unfold.
"The world is a big place filled with many cruisers. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are here for each other."
Warren Holybee - Circumnavigator
"Just go! Too many people get caught up with upgrades and refits and never leave. The boat is ready for it long before you are. Spend that money on the trip itself, not the boat."
Mary Elkins - Former Cruiser
Cruising can connect you to world of unforgettable experiences accessible to few, a unique community of fellow adventurers, and an intimate relationship with the sea and nature that is enriching for the soul - but it's also a lot of very hard work! The boat demands endless maintenance and repairs, which can be frustrating, the weather isn't always ideal, and there are mosquitos and no-see-ums... I've seen so many starry-eyed dreamers jump into boat ownership without realizing how hard it can actually be, only to give up cruising a year later, having learned the hard way that it's just not for them. Others adapt and learn to go with the flow, and for them, the effort is well worth the benefits. If you plan on involving a significant other or family, be sure they are equally aware of the challenges and are as willing to face them and adapt as you are. Definitely try out the cruising experience by bareboat chartering or going on local expeditions before you invest the time and money in a boat of your own. That being said, don't wait too long to follow your dream. At some point, you have to take a leap of faith and trust that you are prepared as you can be. Life is short, so get started now!
