Many Americans have a dream of one day sailing off on their boat, but how do you get started with that dream?
The first step is to take a basic sailing lesson; here at Harbor Sailboats we offer ASA 101 Basic Keelboat. ASA 101 is a two day course where we spend 80% of the time on the water aboard a Capri 22 learning the basics of sailing. Topics include terminology, points of sail, rules of the road, sail trim, docking under sail, man overboard and many others.
After completion of this basic sailing class you’ll have both the skill and the confidence to safely skipper a 22 foot sailboat with friends and family and a certification from the American Sailing Association. From that point, you simply build on those skills by chartering the smaller keelboats until you have enough sea time to enroll into the next level class. At Harbor Sailboats that class is ASA 103 coastal cruising and after completing the 103 class you will now be certified to skipper boats up to 37 feet. At this point you continue to build your resume by chartering the larger 30 to 37 foot sailboats for a day, weekend, or even a week at a time. Take your certifications as far as you desire by enrolling in the next three levels of classes that will certify you to a maximum of 51 feet including catamaran certifications.
If you plan to make San Diego your home base for sailing, a Harbor Sailboats club membership will prove to be a valuable option for you. Members of the sailing club receive substantial discounts on ASA classes, charters, and access to member only charter specials including an annual sailing trip in the Caribbean.
After a year or two of chartering and training you might be ready to buy the sailboat of your dreams and sail off into the sunset!
