FAQ

The American Sailing Association was founded in 1983 with a simply stated mission: to teach people to sail safely and confidently. To achieve that goal, the ASA set out to establish standards against which to measure a sailor’s level of knowledge and skill, the first such unified standards in the U.S. to apply to sailors in keelboats.

After studying programs offered in other countries, the founders of the ASA selected the Canadian Yachting Association’s (CYA) “learn to Cruise” program and licensed it for use in the U.S. With this strong heritage behind it, the ASA has continually improved and expanded its educational system by drawing on valuable input from the ASA school network.

Today, the ASA is an association of sailing schools, charter companies, professional sailing instructors, and sailors, with over 300 affiliated sailing schools located throughout the U.S., Europe, Japan, Central America, Taiwan, China, and other far eastern countries. These accredited schools offer ASA certification to individuals that meet the requirements for a given level. To date ASA schools have certified nearly half a million sailors!

The ASA system has eight primary levels of student certification from Basic Keelboat all the way to Offshore Passagemaking. Whether your goal is to skipper a bareboat charter in the Caribbean or to crew confidently on a short weekend sail, the ASA’s sailing-education system will guide you as you learn the theory behind sailing, practice the skills needed to handle a sailboat, and build the foundation of knowledge that will enable you to navigate a vessel safely and within the law.

By establishing national standards for sailing education, the ASA has provided a way for more people to take part in the sport safely, with the proper training and respect for their responsibilities as boaters, ensuring that sailing will be safer, smarter, and more fun for everybody.

• Airbnb
• Hotels in Providence or Seekonk
• On one of our 30’ boats for only $50 a night (call us now to book)

Seekonk, MA and Providence, RI are both approximately 10- 15 minutes from us.

See more about your travel plans here.

• Complimentary Wi-Fi Internet
• 110v / 30A
• 220v / 50A
• Pumpout Facilities
• Heads and Showers
• Ice
• Groceries Nearby
• Swimming Pool
• Picnic Area
• Barbecue Grills
• Ship’s Store
• Fuel
• Bike Trails to Bristol & Providence

Students must be 18 years old or older.

Most of our classes start at 9:00 AM and finish around 5:00 PM with an hour break for lunch. We typically go to a small local restaurant for lunch, but you’re welcome to bring your lunch. We have a fridge and a microwave.

Yes! As long as we have a boat and an instructor available, we can place your preferred dates on the calendar. We need three students to run a class.

For the ASA 101 course, we adjust the schedule to meet the weather conditions. For example, if it downpours all morning, we would stay in the classroom and work on class materials. We may need to reschedule some water time if you don’t get your 15 hours. We want you to enjoy your first sailing experience!

All other courses will go out as long as it’s safe and still conducive to learning. We may reschedule water time if there is a small craft advisory.

You may want to bring foul weather gear, sailing gloves, a hat, sunglasses, white-soled shoes, appropriate clothing (depending on the forecast) and sunscreen. Bring the book that is appropriate for the class and a notepad for notes. Most of all bring a smile, because you’re going to have a great time!

Five hours on the water and two hours in the classroom each day for the ASA 101 and ASA 103 courses. ASA 104 and ASA 106 are done completely on the boat, except for initial provisioning.

Only if they are over 16 and they want to learn how to sail. The signup and payment process is the same as for an adult.

As we need at least three folks to hold a class, if you cancel last minute you may be canceling the other students’ class as well. We need at least two weeks to find a replacement student, so if you cancel 14 days or less it is a problem for us, and a last minute cancellation is extremely disruptive. Accordingly, here is our policy:

• No refunds if cancelled 14 days prior to your scheduled class.

Yes! We proudly stand by our school. It’s important to us that every student leaves the school with the capabilities and confidence to get behind the wheel on their own after taking our core new sailor program, or after going through any of our classes for experienced sailors. If you ever feel that you are not ready, you are welcome to return to retake a class, free of charge.

We have practice sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:00 – 7:00 pm for $50 with an instructor.

We have a 20’ Bristol and 22’ Ensign that both have tillers. You can rent these boats for ½ day at $100 weekday or $150 on a weekend, a full day costs $150 weekday and $200 weekend

There are also two 30’ boats with wheel. The full day price is only $250 for a weekday and $350 on the weekend. For three-days midweek you may rent it for $750, or $950 for a three day weekend rental.