Advanced Keelboat
Sailing (ASA-103)

Once you have begun to master the sailing skills presented in the Basic Keelboat course, it's time to progress to the more advanced skills that will start you on the path to actual cruising.  In the Basic Coastal Cruising course, you will learn to use the engine for docking, anchoring and using a mooring ball, all designed to get you ready to travel away from your home marina.

 

This four day class will review your sailing skills, expand your knowledge of the boat and its systems and introduce you to the concepts of navigation.  You will lead your crew in getting underway, setting the sails, raising the anchor and finding your way using the compass.  Over 32 hours, you will get a extended experience in one of our Island Packet 32s, with even more emphasis on the engine, holding tank and head, and plumbing and electrical systems.

 

We’ll provide you with a copy of our training plan, unique to our school, with step-by-step instructions on how to work together with your crewmates. You’ll get a chance to lead the crew in one or more operations, like setting the main or head sails, tacking and gybing under control, and dousing the sails at the end of the day.  You will raise and lower the anchor, attach to and depart from a mooring ball and learn how to get in and out of a marina.   

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As part of your training, you will be introduced to the nautical chart and how to use it, in conjunction with other information, to plan a course and then follow it.  You will learn how to calculate variation and deviation and use it to adjust from the chart to the real world and back.

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Finally, you will get introduced to what can go wrong on a cruising boat and how to deal with it.  From fire to flooding and on to Crew Overboard, your instructor will lead you in discussions and hands-on operations to help you begin to develop your "captain's heart" for the day when bad things will happen.

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If you want an even more immersive experience, you can stay aboard the boat the night before your class. We want you to get the full experience of what “big boat” sailing is like, so check out our Sleeping Aboard page to see the details of this benefit.

 

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