Virgin Island Sailing School’s Series 1 curriculum consists of the following three American Sailing Association (ASA) certified courses, taught over a 7-day, 6-night period. Check-in is typically mid-moring to early afternoon local time on Saturday, check-out is at Noon the following Friday (more or less depending on arrive flight times). We are quite flexible when scheduling allows.
ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing as Outlined by ASA (to “Challenge” 101 see below)
Prerequisites: None
Description: Demonstrated ability to skipper a sloop-rigged keelboat typically 20 to 27 feet in length by day in light to moderate winds and sea conditions. Knowledge of basic sailing terminology, parts and functions, helm commands, basic sail trim, points of sail, common buoys, seamanship, safety and basic navigation rules to avoid collisions and hazards. Auxiliary (motor) power operation is not required.
Note: The United States Coast Guard has granted approval for ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing to satisfy certain merchant mariner credential examination requirements and safe boating training requirements.
ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing (ASA 101) certification
Description: Demonstrated ability to skipper a sloop-rigged auxiliary powered (outboard or inboard engine) sailboat by day in moderate winds and sea conditions. Additional knowledge of terminology, basic boat systems, auxiliary engine operation, docking procedures, intermediate sail trim, navigation rules, basic coastal navigation, anchoring, basic weather forecast interpretation, safety and seamanship.
ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing (ASA 101) and Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) certifications.
Description: Demonstrated ability to skipper a sloop-rigged, auxiliary powered sailboat of approximately 30 to 45 feet in length during a multi-day cruise upon inland or coastal waters in moderate to heavy winds (up to 30 knots) and sea conditions. Course is conducted as a live-aboard cruise of at least 48 hours. Knowledge of provisioning, galley operations, boat systems, auxiliary engine operation, routine maintenance procedures, advanced sail trim, coastal navigation including basic chart plotting and GPS operation, multiple-anchor mooring, docking, health & safety, emergency operations, weather interpretation, and dinghy/tender operation.
ADDITIONAL COURSES
For those who wish to add to the Level 1 curriculum, we offer the following one- to two-day extension courses (subject to availability.)
ASA 114 Cruising Catamaran
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat (101) and Basic Coastal Cruising (103). The Bareboat Charter Standard (104) is also a prerequisite and can be attained either by itself prior to BBC Multihull (114) or in conjunction with BBC Multihull (114). In either case, all material in both standards (104 & 114) must be taught and tested before 114 can be awarded.
Description: An advanced cruising standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as skipper and crew of a 30-50 foot multihull sailboat by day in coastal waters. The standard includes those skills unique to a 30-50 foot multihull.
ASA 105 Coastal Navigation
Prerequisites: None
Description: Able to demonstrate the navigational theory required to safely navigate a sailing vessel in coastal or inland waters. There is no Sailing Skills part to this Standard and practical application of this sailing knowledge is found in the Advanced Coastal Cruising Standard.
Accelerated courses can be arranged depending on class size and experience.
Prerequisite for testing out of ASA 101: Challenging ASA 101 is NOT for people who have not sailed. It is only for people who have owned their own sailboats or sailed a good number of times &/or power boaters that have had a fair amount of time on a sailboat, or have passed similar sailing levels with U.S. Sailing, RYA, or other reputable organizations. Here is Capt. Scott’s analogy: If we were a rock climbing school, we would not put you 30 feet up on the side of a cliff with only book knowledge or YouTube tutorials under your belt. So with sailing, we will not jump someone to the next level without the solid foundation of 101 or equivalent experience/instruction. BUT at the same time… knowing the basic terminology is key to communication on any vessel, and your before class preparation is this area is key to moving quickly through 101 and the following levels. So take practice tests, quiz with flash cards, etc. You will also have the added advantage of having less time with your nose in a book while you are in paradise.
Please contact our business office at (805) 856-8560 to see if you qualify.