Our accelerated ASA 101 - 104 experience

[jmjatlanta]

I thought it would be helpful to post about my experience. Here is they lay of the land...

I had never stepped foot on a sailboat until Saturday, June 18th, 2011. Wifey and I wanted to learn to sail. She's been on a sailboat before, but mainly as a cook and a sunbather, and the experience was a long while before I met her.

We chose our school because their specialty was in training couples. They have a package deal for couples that was very reasonable. I'm being a bit vague here as I don't want this to be considered advertising. Suffice it to say it was a good choice for us, and would highly recommend it to couples looking for instruction. If the moderators give the okay, I'll post the link. Otherwise, PM me for details.

We boarded on Saturday, and lived aboard the entire week. The course is laid out across 5 days, with an additional 2 days at the end for you to do as you wish.

5 days for 3 courses was a bit ambitious for us, as we came with only a little bit of book knowledge from the course materials that were sent to us a few weeks before our course began. Perhaps someone with previous experience could finish in 5 days, but we were happy that it took 7. The amount of important information flowing from the head of our instructor could not be properly absorbed by us land lubbers in such a short period.

The advice here is that the books are to be read and understood before the course begins. Had this been done the course would have been easier. But we left the reading material half finished before starting the course. It was simply too difficult to understand for us with no practical experience.

In addition to the course materials, I purchased "Sailing for Dummies" which was a much easier read, and had tons of information. I felt prepared to begin the course. And it did help with the 101 course. But 103 and 104 is beyond the scope of the Dummies book.

I also watched videos available on Netflix ( Annapolis book of seamanship ) and Amazon Instant ( cannot remember the name ).

Thanks to the above resources, we knew the points of sail and rules of the road going into the course. This was a good help through the beginning of the course.

I enjoy automotive mechanics and aviation as hobbies. So drawing on those skills was another asset for the course.

Here is how the course ended up for us, to the best of my recollection because honestly, it was a whirlwind week:

Day 1: Morning - Introduction, boat orientation, discussion of ASA 101 course material.
Afternoon - Sailing and instruction of practical maneuvers under sail.

Day 2: Morning - 101 Written test passed
Afternoon - More practical maneuvers. Practical test of 101 complete.

Day 3: Morning - Discussion of 103
Afternoon - Practical test of 103 started, Wifey twists ankle. Not bad enough to head in, but bad enough to where she watched, and I worked.

Day 4: Morning - Written of 103 completed, more practical maneuvers
Afternoon - Practical of 103 completed.

Day 5: Morning - Discussion of coastal navigation, preparation for trip to Sarasota bay
Lunch while underway to Sarasota
Afternoon - Continued to motorsail to Sarasota via the ICW.
Evening at Marina Jack's, Anchored out in Sarasota Bay. Awesome time.

Day 6: Morning - Practiced anchoring with 2 anchors, left Sarasota Bay and into the Gulf of Mexico
Lunch underway
Afternoon - continued back to Tampa Bay, reviewed 104 material.

Day 7: Morning - Took 104 written
Afternoon - Took dingy out to learn its operation. Signing of logbooks, packed up and left.

[nolatom]

quote

Perhaps someone with previous experience could finish in 5 days, but we were happy that it took 7. The amount of important information flowing from the head of our instructor could not be properly absorbed by us land lubbers in such a short period.

unquote


I also kind of wonder if doing 3 courses, on the same boat, in 7 days much less 5 days, is too much too soon.

Don't you need time in between lessons to reflect, and let it "sink in"? And to get some different weather, geography, boats, and yes, instructors? See how the principles work under different conditions and all?

Sounds like you got your 101 with just one day's worth of actual sailing.

Don't get me wrong, I think instruction is good (since I am one, part-time) but is there such a thing as too-concentrated a curriculum?

[joethecobbler]

Sounds like you had a great time. I wouldn't mind doing it(ASA courses) just for the fun of it.
I have been interested in getting an Instructor rating from ASA and/or US for some time.
However, it seems incredible to me that you say you never set foot on a sailboat before and in only 5-7 days you achieved an ASA 101-104 rating !!

It makes me wonder if the content of the courses and actual value of the curiculum is valid . one day of coastal nav.??
I've apparently missed out , as after 35-40 years of costal,inland,geat lakes and offshore sailing I'm still learning. to think I culd have just taken a few 7 day instruction daysails .
Makes me wonder if ASA certification depends more on if your credit card is accepted and less about sailing skills.

But that aside ,I'm glad it was a positive experience for you and your wife. It sure sounds like a great way to spend a week . the gulf coast of florida is great sailing. I'm missing it.

[tomandchris]

Let me try to be a little more positive here. HEY, GLAD YOU HAD THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE AND FOUND YOU ENJOY SAILING!!!!!!!! Way to go!

7 days is plenty of time to become familiar with what is covered in 101-103-104. That is the amount of time allowed by ASA for those classes, and I found it worked for me. It is beneficial to read all the material ahead of time, but probably over half of the students don't get it done.

Now, you will continue to learn lots of stuff, whether in classes or by accident as many of us do.....but you have a start. Plus you have the credentials, and yes the credit card, to bareboat charter.

I did not hear you say anything about being a master at sailing in a 7 day period, or any other claims to that effect. I think a DISCUSSION of coastal navigation is appropriate in this class. Class 105 is Coastal Navigation and that course can be a bugger. It is more difficult then the navigation piece in the 6 Pack license.

Have a great time continuing to sail and learn as you do so. I assume based on your class location that this was a Colgate class? I have heard nothing but positives about them. Have fun!

[Yorksailor]

My wife and I have taken the accelerated course...

25 yrs, 60,000 blue-water sea miles, a dozen gales, 4 hurricanes, hundreds of night entries, a thousand interactions with big ships and countless nights at sea.

We are actually quite good sailors but there is still room for improvements and we still practice things like MOB and heaving-to 3-4 times a year.

This ASA school is a mechanism for collecting money not teaching sailing!

Phil

[ksideris]

Me & the wife looking to do a similar course... We just got our ASA101 certification a few weeks back over a weekend, just to make sure we are as interested in sailing as we thought we would be.

Would you mind PMing me your course details & approximate cost, as we are looking into it currently? I cannot PM as I just literally signed up here.

If you cannot PM, an email to my username (from the board) @yahoo.com would be greatly appreciated.

[sck5]

ASA is NOT just a mechanism for collecting money - I think what you learn depends entirely on 3 things

1. Your instructor
2. The boat
3. How much time you put in

The last is what gets shorted in a 5 day course - Sailing is a learning-by-doing thing and when I took the 101-103-104 sequence it was a good thing to do them each separately and also it was good that each took 4 or 5 days to complete. By the end I had learned a lot, and I give a lot of credit to my instructors.

Does that mean a 5 day course is useless? Of course not. Any time you spend on the water is a learning experience (or at least it can be if you try). And judging from what I saw in the BVI's when I passed through there last November, you really dont need to know anything at all to charter a boat. A 5 day course would have done some of the charterers down there a lot of good. I wish they would all have done at least that.

[jmjatlanta]

Okay, I will not start a flame war here, but let me be clear. Our instructor and the ASA itself says these courses are not training to competency. Anyone who believes otherwise after finishing the course was not listening to what was said.

Training to competency is required in aviation. And I'm sure many will agree that they want pilots flying over their house to be trained to competency.

The ASA is training to show you how. The log book shows to you (and yes, charter companies) that you have at least been given basic instruction.

Was it beneficial? You bet! Was it required? Nope. No license is required to sail. Am I smarter about sailing than someone who has been sailing without training for 6 months? Perhaps in some areas, but certainly not in all.

Wifey and I will continue to sail in order to learn. This was strongly encouraged by our instructors. They even encouraged us not to let 2 months go by without getting some time on the water to reinforce the basics learned.

So, if you want my biased, only slightly educated opinion, here it is. If you haven't sailed and want to learn, take the ASA courses 101 - 104 to start. You will leave the course feeling safer than if you did not take the course. I cannot imagine someone taking the course and being less safe than someone who just jumps on a vessel and sails for 7 days.

Logic dictates that a 7 day course will not give you everything you need to be 100% educated. However, the accelerated curriculum fit what we wanted to get accomplished. We feel it was money well spent. To each their own.

I am now stepping off my soap box. I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

[tomandchris]

SCK,

I agree with your three criteria. The instructor being key. For a 5-7 day course I would want to interview the instructor and not meet them the first time I got to the boat.

That being said, there are always those that think their way is the only way. Too bad, because there lots of ways to begin the learning process. ASA is just one of them.

I flipped a lot of dinghies as a kid, but got totally away from sailing for too many years. I started again( by taking some ASA classes) when I was in my late 50's and bought a boat shortly afterward. I wanted the classes as a learning experience as well as to spend some quality time on a boat so I could make certain that I wanted to invest in one and what size would work best for my uses. I ended up buying a 34, and am happy with it. I have no intention of ever sailing in a hurricane or cyclone, or anything coming close to one of them. Sailed in a few gales, but prefer not to. If I would have had 20-25 years from the time I started again I probably would have done it the same way.

However, if someone wants to do it their way, that is their way. Just don't tell me why the way I want to do it is does not cut it.

To the original poster, again I say "Way to go" Have a great life sailing!

[jmjatlanta]

A big "Thanks" for all of your well wishes. Kudos go to Wifey for muscling her way through it (twisted ankle and all!). We're happy we did it. It was very enjoyable, despite being a lot of work.