Class Descriptions and Prices

Students, who have already taken ASA101, or students with experience who feel they can challenge ASA101 successfully (See ASA101 Challenge information to left), can take either ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising, or our combination ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising/ASA104 Bareboat Cruising class.

ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising: 2 day, all on the water, live aboard program. ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising provides training in how to sail to destinations, and the remaining sailing concepts that are not covered in ASA101 are taught, including more on gear and equipment, safety, duties of skipper and crew, seamanship, boat handling, navigation, picking up a mooring ball, docking, anchoring, reefing, heaving to, and use of sail controls for proper sail trim. Students complete the basic sailing concepts while sailing to an overnight destination like Annapolis, Bodkin Creek, Baltimore, or Galesville and return. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: ASA101 or ASA101 challenge. Price includes on board breakfast and lunches. Sleep on board all nights of the class and the evening before the class begins for free. Also included are the Coastal Cruising Made Easy Textbook by ASA, ASA Test, and ASA Certification. Price: $599 for singles and $1078 for couples.

ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising/ASA104 Bareboat Cruising combination class: 5 day all on the water live aboard program. Students who have completed ASA101, or students with experience who feel they can challenge ASA101 successfully, can jump start their sailing education by taking our combination ASA103/ASA104 class. Students experience and learn everything shown in the ASA103 and ASA104 class descriptions, while sailing to destinations like Annapolis, Harrington Harbor, St. Michael's, and Galesville. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: ASA101. Price: $1,372 for singles and $2,467 for couples. Price includes everything described in the ASA103 and ASA104 descriptions, and includes 10% discount for taking both classes together and an additional 10% off for couples. Sleep aboard for free all nights of the class and the evening before the class begins. After you complete ASA 101 and know sailing is fun then this combination class allows students to jump in and complete the series to ASA104 in just five days.

ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising/104 Bareboat Cruising/118 Docking Combination class: 7 day all on the water live aboard program. Students experience and learn everything shown in the ASA103, ASA104, and ASA118 class descriptions. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: ASA101. Price: $1,866 for singles and $3,358 for couples. Price includes everything described in the ASA103 and ASA104 and ASA118 descriptions, and includes 10% discount for taking classes together and an additional 10% off for couples. Sleep aboard for free all nights of the class and the evening before the class begins. Adding in two days for docking in this combination class will leave you feeling confident for your next charter or sail.

ASA104 Bareboat Cruising Class: 3 Day all on the water, live aboard program. After students complete ASA101 and ASA103, students can sign up for our ASA104 Bareboat Cruising course and master the navigation, maintenance, and seamanship skills required in order to safely handle 30-50 foot sailboats. Students learn sailing and seamanship skills while sailing to destinations like Annapolis, Galesville, Herrington Harbor, and St. Michael's. ASA104 is the certification level that most charter companies look for to prove proficiency to charter and safely handle a similar sized sailboat on your own. Students take over the navigation in our ASA104 classes by making and following a detailed navigation plan each day. Students take turns being captain so they can demonstrate their ability to control crew and the boat properly and safely. Students learn about the engine and mechanical systems so they can identify problems and perform simple maintenance. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: ASA101 and ASA103. Price includes on board breakfast and lunches. Also included are the Bareboat Cruising Made Easy Textbook by ASA, ASA Test, and ASA Certification. Price $925 for singles and $1665 for couples.

ASA104 Bareboat Cruising/118 Docking Combination Class: 5 day all on the water live aboard program. Students experience and learn everything shown in the ASA104, and ASA118 class descriptions. Prerequisites: ASA101 and ASA103. Price: $1,327 for singles and $2,388 for couples. Price includes everything described in the ASA104 and ASA118 descriptions, and includes 10% discount for taking classes together and an additional 10% off for couples. Sleep aboard for free all nights of the class and the evening before the class begins. Basically this class is ASA104 with two days of docking added in.

ASA107 Celestial Navigation and ASA117 Celestial Navigation Endorsement- Both available as Home Study or in a classroom. We divide ASA107 into two parts to make it easier to afford and easier to learn. Part 1 is ASA117 Celestial Navigation Endorsement which is an introduction to Celestial Navigation and the first half of the ASA107 class. Part 2 is the second half of ASA107 Celestial Navigation.

Part 1 covers Introduction to Celestial Navigation, Celestial Navigation General Concepts, Sextant Parts and Operation, Latitude and Longitude by Local Apparent Noon, Latitude by Polaris, and How to use Universal Plotting Sheets. Includes "Solving the Puzzle of Celestial Navigation" Volume 1 (150 pages), by Captain Michael Brown, Work Forms for LAN and Polaris, and Universal Plotting Sheets, ASA117 Test, and ASA 117 Certification. Students who complete Part 1 will receive ASA117 Celestial Navigation Endorsement certification.

Part 2 covers use of the Sun, Moon, and Planets, Stars, and Star Finder Work Form, how to perform dead reckoning plots at sea and use DMA925 Plotting sheets, how to use the Rude Star Finder, compass calibration using celestial bodies, Mercator verses Gnomonic charts, determination of morning and evening twilight and sunset and sunrise times, Includes "Solving the Puzzle of Celestial Navigation" Volume 2 (250 pages), by Captain Michael Brown, Work Forms for the Sun, Moon, and Planets, Stars, and Work Forms for use with the Star Finder, ASA107 Test, and ASA 107 Certification. Students who complete Part 1 and Part 2 will earn ASA107 Celestial Navigation certification.

Students can also sign up initially for ASA107 which includes both Parts 1 and 2 of the ASA107 Celestial Navigation class, which covers everything shown above in Part 1 and Part 2.

Students who sign up for ASA107 do not have to take the ASA117 Celestial Endorsement test if they do not want to but why not divide up Celestial Navigation into two parts to make it easier and why not get two certifications instead of one?

Prerequisites: None from ASA but students should already be familiar with coastal navigation techniques and have their own Parallel rules and Dividers.

Our Celestial Navigation materials provide a Workshop approach where each concept is described and then an example problem is worked, showing all steps of the process. Work Forms are included for all Celestial Bodies to make it easy.

ASA is allowing us to mail the Celestial Navigation exams to students along with the course materials as a take home open book test instead of using a Proctor or taking the test in a classroom, so whether the student takes the home study or classroom ASA107, the test is included with the course materials and the student returns it to us when completed for grading.

Price is $350 for ASA107 Parts 1 Home Study or $175 for Part one only and $175 for Part 2 only.

Classroom class ASA107 is $499.

ASA105 Coastal Navigation & Piloting: Home Study only. Learn the navigational skills required to safely navigate a sailing vessel in coastal or inland waters. Includes chart symbols, publications, chart scaling, navigation rules, tide and current tables, List of lights, converting courses between true, magnetic, and compass, hand bearing compass, navigation tools, compass deviation, plotting a dead reckoning course using speed, time, and course to steer, understanding current and leeway and its effect on your estimated position, determining what course to steer taking into account current and leeway, two bearing fix, three bearing fix, estimated position, running fix, danger bearing, characteristics of lighted navigation aids, understanding the buoyage system, and more. Prerequisites: None. Price includes Coastal Navigation and Piloting Textbook by Tom Tursi, Solutions Workbook, DVD, Practice chart, Dividers, and Parallel Rules, Test and chart for test, and ASA105 certification. ASA is allowing us to offer the exam as a take home open book test instead of using a Proctor so whether the student is doing a home study or classroom class, the test is included with the course materials and the student returns it to us when completed for grading. Home study price: $299.

ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising: All on the water, live aboard program. ASA106 is our most advanced class on inland and near coastal waters and requires night time sailing, advanced navigation skills, sailing on a watch schedule, use of radar, and many challenging situations in terms of weather, wind and sea conditions. Students learn advanced sailing techniques and seamanship skills. Price includes on board breakfast and lunches. Dinners are eaten in local restaurants if inland. When on the ocean and no restaurant is available then dinner on the boat is included. Also included are slip and mooring fees, The new ASA106 textbook "Advanced Cruising & Seamanship" by Bill Gladstone, ASA Test, and ASA Certification. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: ASA101, ASA103, ASA104, ASA105. Price: $2,099 for singles and $3,778 for couples. Sleep aboard for free all night of the class and the evening before the class begins. A typical class schedule is shown below:

Circumnavigation of Delmarva Peninsula, 430 nautical miles. 7 Days. Students typically take a clockwise approach, sailing from Rock Hall north to the Chesapeake & Delaware canal staying in a slip in Summit. Next students sail up the Delaware River and Delaware Bay to Lewis, DE. Once students leave Lewis they sail continuously for approximately 150 nautical miles south 4-20 miles along the Atlantic Ocean coast until they round Cape Charles. Students then reenter the Chesapeake Bay and head north back to Rock Hall, MD. Stops in the Chesapeake Bay depend on wind and crew capabilities and desires but usually include Solomon’s Island, Reedville, Herrington Harbor South, and others.

Our 106 class is an awesome class which takes students to a higher level. Much time is given to understanding failure analysis and what to do when things go wrong. 106 students should be prepared for long days of sailing as we log many miles each day in order to complete this 430 nautical mile journey. Learning to sail at night around ships and interpretation of navigation aids and weather analysis are all included.

ASA108 Ocean Passage Making Class: In ASA108 students learn the skills required to safely sail offshore for an extended period. ASA108 provides students with an understanding of yacht preparation for ocean sailing, course planning, working a watch schedule, use of celestial navigation, weather analysis, storm avoidance, heavy weather sailing techniques including use of drogue and storm jib, use of radar, techniques for crossing the Gulf Stream, and other elements involved in ocean passage making. Our ASA108 classes are conducted while we are on real passages, so students experience the real deal. All classes taught by an ASA certified and USCG ocean master licensed captain and highly experienced ocean sailor. Destinations and times change each year. After running ocean passages for ten years we are taking break. We may offer ASA108 Ocean Passage Making classes again in the future and if so we will post the destinations here.

ASA118 Docking Endorsement: 2 Day all on the water docking class. Learn to get that big boat into a little slip. Our ASA118 docking class is unique because we teach docking on a larger 39 foot sailboat compared to most other schools, who typically utilize a 30-32 foot sailboat. Learning to dock a 39 foot sailboat is much harder than docking a smaller sailboat and more realistic preparation making our docking class the finest docking class available anywhere. On day one docking students learn how to steer in tight quarters in both a forward and aft direction, how to stop the boat under power in both directions, and how to do a standing turn in tight quarters. Then students learn to pull up alongside a dock, simulating a fuel dock approach. You will learn how to use warp lines to turn the boat using pilings. The rest of day one is spend learning to go bow in and stern into the slip. By the time you finish up on day one you are backing into a slip with other boats in close quarters. On day two we focus on practicing what we learned on day one by students taking turns docking and undocking the boat throughout the day. Finally the class ends with a written test and certification. Class taught in Rock Hall, MD at Haven Harbor South marina. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: ASA101. We suggest you bring your entire crew since line handling is as important as maneuvers at the helm when docking. Price includes ASA Docking Techniques for Single Engine Boats booklet by Tom Tursi, ASA Test, and ASA Certification. No meals included but students can sleep on the boat the evening prior to their class start date and the evening of day one. Price: $549 for singles and $988 for couples. By the time you complete our ASA118 docking class you will feel like you finally have it and know how to dock a 40 foot sailboat.

See above ASA104 class description to see how you could combine a ASA118 Docking Class with ASA104 Baseboat Cruising or a combination ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising Class and ASA104 Bareboat Cruising Class with a ASA118 docking class and save 10%.

Delmarva Sailing School

Class Descriptions and Prices

Beginning students should start with our two day ASA101 Basic Keelboat Sailing class. ASA101 Basic Keelboat Sailing is a beginner level sailing class which is taught all on the water. Although ASA101 classes generally go from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, since students live aboard our sailboat, they are totally immersed in learning to sail even after the class day is over. Students learn all they need to get started sailing, including sailing vocabulary, principles of sailing, sail trim, steering, required safety equipment, proper commands for tacks and jibes, crew overboard recovery, and much more. Students sail in a beautiful area between Rock Hall and the Annapolis Bay bridge. Students are able to sail on a basic level after completing ASA101. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: None. Price includes 'Sailing Made Easy' textbook by ASA, ASA 3 month membership, ASA Test, ASA log book, ASA Certification, on board breakfasts and lunches, and no additional charge for staying on board the evening prior to their class start date and the days of the class. Price: $599 but for a limited time, we are offering a 10% discount, lowering the price to just $539 for singles and $970 for couples. This class gives students a chance to see if sailing is for them and gives them the foundation for continuing on to take more advanced classes.

ASA101/103 Combination: 4 day all on the water live aboard program. Students experience and learn everything shown in the ASA101 description above and in the ASA103 description below. The ASA101/103 combination class teaches students all of the major sailing concepts and gives them the experience of sailing to an overnight destination. Once students learn enough in ASA101 to be able to sail on a basic level, they use their new sailing skills in ASA103 to sail to an over night destination like Annapolis, Bodkin Creek, Baltimore, or Galesville. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: None. Price: $1078 for singles and $1940 for couples. Price includes everything described in the ASA101 and ASA103 descriptions, and includes 10% discount for taking both classes together and an additional 10% off for couples. This combination class not only teaches the basics but gives students a chance to use what they have learned by sailing to a destination for a night.

ASA101/103/104 Combination: 7 day, all on the water, live aboard program. Students experience and learn everything listed in the individual descriptions for ASA101, ASA103, and ASA104. Pricing includes everything described in the ASA101, ASA103, and ASA104 descriptions and 10% discount for taking all three classes in combination and additional 10% off for couples. Class size: 3-4 typically with maximum of five students allowed. Prerequisites: None. Price: $1,910 for singles and $3,439 for couples. Sign up for this combination class and go from beginner to competent sailor in a week.

ASA119 Marine Weather Endorsement is available as home study only and is for those who want to understand the proper use of weather information in planning and adapting navigation during voyages. Course includes a description of basic weather concepts, pressure and wind, global winds and currents, strong wind systems, clouds fog and sea state, wind and terrain, weather maps, sources of marine weather, on board forecasting and tactics, and southern hemisphere weather. Prerequisites: None. Price includes ASA Marine Weather Textbook, Solutions Workbook, Marine Weather PowerPoint Presentation, Test, and ASA119 certification. During Covid crisis ASA is allowing us to offer the exam as a take home open book test instead of using a Proctor so the test is included with the course materials and the student returns it to us when completed for grading. Price: $299 for home study.

ASA116 Dinghy and Outboard Endorsement: 1 Day on the water Dinghy and Outboard Engine class. Learn to safely operate a dinghy with an outboard motor in a variety of environments, including operating from and to a dock and a beach. Class taught in Rock Hall, MD at Haven Harbor South marina. Class size: 2-4 students. Prerequisites: None. Price includes ASA Going Ashore Made Easy Textbook, ASA Test, and ASA Certification. Class Time 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Combine the ASA118 docking class with our ASA116 Dinghy and Outboard Endorsement and you will be allset to either dock in a slip or dinghy into shore while your sailboat is at anchor or on a mooring ball. Price: $349 for single. 10% off for two or more.