Sailing Lesson ASA vs. Localing Sailing Center

[GREGGWARREN]

yes free location ga. s.c nc. on your boat trim tactics ,sheet arangement, just crusing .

[Stryker72]

I finished my Basic keelboat class tonight and got my light air rating. I will go for my medium air rating this next month. I have been having a blast with the sailing center and it was definitely the right choice for me.

Last saturday I met up with a few other sailor who were taking out a J/24, I asked them if they needed another crew and I tagged along. My first time flying the spinnaker! Good times!

[Melrna]

You don't need to keep your membership with ASA or US Sailing after you take the course. You have a log book with the appropriate stickers saying you have completed those courses. So far everyone accepts them from the charter companies.

[ASACN]

Hey all,

I'm the Executive Director of the ASA, and wanted to throw in my 2 cents regarding some of the issues above.

Certification, and the education and practice that goes with it, can be extremely valuable. It also evidences that you have achieved a given level of proficiency, which is helpful when chartering.

However, learning to sail and PRACTICING should be one's goal. Some people get certified and then don't go sailing. That's not the point. Certification means little if you learn in a week and don't get out on the water for a year or two. That's why diving facilities, for example, don't just ask "Are you PADI or NAUI certified," but "When is the last time you dove?"

ASA and US Sailing standards are nearly identical. Both systems have many excellent schools and instructors, and each system can claim "bragging rights" over the other in certain respects. US Sailing is the official amateur racing body for sailing in the US. ASA has more sailing schools in its network and was the first to introduce keelboat standards to the U.S. But the most important consideration is the quality of the particular school and instructor, not "which system is better."

By the way, ASA does NOT require an ongoing membership to validate or utilize an ASA certification. First time students (ASA 101/Basic Keelboat) will get a one year ASA membership included as part of a one-time $39 certification fee that begins Oct.1, 2007. Most ASA schools will simply include this fee in the price of their 101 course, so new students may not even see it.