ASA 101 - Basic Keelboat Sailing
Learn the fundamentals of sailing.
Our Basic Keelboat course is all new this season. We’ve expanded the curriculum to further support what we’ve always emphasized – more time with an instructor, more time on the water to practice individual skills, and encouraging sailing as often as possible immediately after the class.
Our new training programs change how you will learn to sail. Ultimately, we are going back to how people always learned to sail, by sailing often. People learn new things one way, by practicing!
Benefit from more time with an instructor and more training time on the water than any other school.
The Bluewater Sailing ASA 101 course is taught by patient instructors to the highest standard set by the American Sailing Association. Certification isn’t the only goal. Taking the time to become a good sailor at the start of the process multiplies the return on the investment. You’ll be better informed, more engaged, and on a path that will grow your sailing career by leaps and bounds. Our student’s experience makes it clear that time on the water is the key to a successful outcome.
Our Basic Keelboat program has a longstanding tradition of excellence. People learn to sail by sailing often. To that end, we emphasize more time with an instructor, more time to practice individual skills, and encourage sailing as often as possible. The curriculum gives you a unique opportunity to become an able, knowledgeable sailor who is comfortable sailing right from the beginning. The key to being a good skipper and enjoying time on the water comes from building a solid base. We are not just training you to drive a boat. We are providing a formal education where you have time to practice, incorporate our instruction, demonstrate ability, and ultimately love sailing.
Prerequisites: None
Location: Marina Del Rey, CA
ASA 101 - Basic Keelboat Sailing Details
Bluewater Sailing’s ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing group training includes instruction, guided practice sessions, and charters.
Included in your tuition is:
- 30 hours of on-the-water instruction (6 public sessions)
- 1 session of directed practice sailing after the instructional sessions
- 1 free practice charter (4 hours), for practice after certification without an instructor aboard. You’ll be sailing with a friend, family member or another student.
- Access to the largest fleet of training boats in Marina del Rey
- 1 year membership in our Bareboat Chartering Club—As long as you remain a student you will always receive chartering privileges. This is a value of $330 a year.
- American Sailing Association certification, their official log book, documentation of your training, discounts on sailing goods, trips and more.
Once the instructional time is complete, sailing will be a habit. Sailing will become more than practice. It will be your personal time, your “staycation”, your relaxation time. If we’ve done our job well, you’ll be sailing twice a month for the rest of you’re life.
Group Classes Scheduling
Review our Calendar section for class schedules, give us call, or contact us.
The basic outline for the ASA 101 curriculum includes three parts:
Part 1: Instructional Lessons (All sessions are on the water)
- This part of the program is divided into six sessions.
- Each session builds your sailing skills and situational awareness until you are sailing in Santa Monica Bay on your own.
- The last instructional session runs a bit longer because it includes a checkout sail and the ASA 101 written exam.
Part 2: Directed Practice Session – Learn by doing!
- This part of the program includes one session. In this session you will work on the skills you learned in Part 1 above – but without an instructor on board. Your instructor will ensure you are all set to sail.
Part 3: Independent Sailing Practice and Additional Instruction
- What comes after the certification? Your Free Practice Charter!
- Your program includes one free 4 hour charter. This is the moment when the investment in yourself pays off.
- Once you’ve been certified, plan to sail twice a month for several months. You can sail out on Santa Monica Bay and continue to build skills and confidence. Enjoy! Once you feel ready, schedule a FAST Class.
- You’ll realize how much you’ve learned and will begin to look at what might be next! The amazing world of sailing!
Bluewater Sailing Group Training ASA 101 Pricing Plan
- A 50% deposit due when you enroll in the group training program.
- The remainder of the tuition is due at the start of the first lesson.
- Certification total: $3,250
Fees include all instructional time, directed practice time, Bluewater Sailing annual membership in bareboat charter program, one free charter, one ASA certification, the ASA Logbook, ASA 101 textbook, and local taxes and county surcharges.
Sign up with a friend and pay $2995 per person. (That’s a $255 savings!)
(If you are interested in Private classes – please contact us to discuss scheduling classes around your requirements – or review the details and pricing on the Private classes tab above.)
All sales are final. Deposits and payments are non-refundable.
There is nothing like a private lesson. Our focus is your success. We have designed a comprehensive curriculum, but the pace is yours.
Private sessions are scheduled as your life dictates. An instructional session is typically three or four hours, but we have some flexibility to schedule shorter or longer individual lessons based on the topic and schedule. You select dates and times. We schedule appointments seven days a week. Weekend appointments should be arranged well in advance. If you need to change or cancel a lesson, we require at least a 48-hour notice.
Included in your tuition is:
- 24 hours of on-the-water instruction (6 sessions at 4 hours each)
- 8 hours of directed practice sailing after the instructional sessions
- 1 free practice charter (4 hours), for practice after certification without an instructor aboard. You’ll be sailing with a friend, family member or another student.
- Access to the largest fleet of training boats in Marina del Rey
- 1 year membership in our Bareboat Chartering Club—As long as you remain a student you will always receive chartering privileges. This is a value of $330 a year.
- American Sailing Association certification, their official log book, documentation of your training, discounts on sailing goods, trips and more.
The program is a commitment to yourself. If you can fit in two or three sessions a month you’ll complete the program in three or four months. If you wish to finish faster than that, expect to schedule four or more sessions a month. Once the instructional time is complete, sailing will be a habit. Sailing will become more than practice. It will be your personal time, your “staycation”, your relaxation time. If we’ve done our job well, you’ll be sailing twice a month for the rest of you’re life.
Bluewater Sailing’s ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing private training includes instruction, guided practice sessions, and charters.
Private Classes Scheduling
The program is scheduled flexibly. Give us a call to discuss your calendar availability and we can create a schedule that works for you. The basic outline for the ASA 101 curriculum includes three parts:
Part 1: Instructional Lessons (All sessions are on the water)
- This part of the program is divided into six 4 hour sessions.
- Each session builds your sailing skills and situational awareness until you are sailing in Santa Monica Bay on your own.
- The last instructional session runs a bit longer because it includes a checkout sail and the ASA 101 written exam.
Part 2: Directed Practice Sessions – Learn by doing!
- This part of the program includes two 4 hour sessions. In these sessions you will work on the skills you learned in Part 1 above – but without an instructor on board. Your instructor will ensure you are all set to sail.
Part 3: Independent Sailing Practice and Additional Instruction
- What comes after the certification? Your Free Practice Charter!
- Your program includes one free 4 hour charter. This is the moment when the investment in yourself pays off.
- Once you’ve been certified, plan to sail twice a month for several months. You can sail out on Santa Monica Bay and continue to build skills and confidence. Enjoy! Once you feel ready, schedule a FAST Class.
- You’ll realize how much you’ve learned and will begin to look at what might be next! The amazing world of sailing!
Bluewater Sailing Private Training ASA 101 Pricing Plan
- A deposit payment of $2,400 is due when you enroll in the private training program.
- The remainder of the tuition cost is pay as you go. At the beginning of each of your six lessons, a $1,000 payment is due.
- Certification total: $8,400
Fees include all instructional time, directed practice time, Bluewater Sailing annual membership in bareboat charter program, one free charter, one ASA certification, the ASA Logbook, ASA 101 textbook, and local taxes and county surcharges.
The schedule is based on your needs. Since the program is modular, optional packages are available to fit timing and budgets.
As always, our goal is for you to become a skipper and be able to sail with a less experienced first mate. One or both of you may love being the Skipper, but whether you like being the First Mate or enjoy being a passenger, you’ll both be relaxed together on the boat. To that end, our private training fees are Buy One – Get One. In other words, tuition is the same for one or two people. We promise to teach you to sail together.
(If you are interested in Group classes – please contact us to discuss the new Group class schedule – or review the details and pricing on the Group classes tab above.)
All sales are final. Deposits and payments are non-refundable.
Covid-19 Guidelines
As of June 2021, the CDC has issued new guidelines for wearing face masks on public transportation, which includes the guidelines for passengers aboard vessels.
- The CDC has announced that it does not require passengers to wear a mask in outdoor areas of transportation, which includes outdoor areas of vessels.
- However, the CDC continues to recommend wearing of masks in these areas by people who are not fully vaccinated.