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San Carlos Sailing School
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An
American Sailing Association (ASA)
Affiliate School
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San Carlos Sailing School is a certified American Sailing Association training school. We are bound by a national standard of sailing instruction delivered by sailing professionals. Our courses prepare you with a proven curriculum and a natural progression of instruction and skill development. Your ASA certification could be your license to sail worldwide with major charter companies!
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We are a small ASA affiliate sailing school here in San Carlos and are able to give special attention and even one on one instruction to our students. Lately we have been getting individuals, couples and small groups that want to do all three levels up to Bareboat charter. We also have students who might be considering investing in a boat and want a taste of the cruising life first. Some folks even want lessons on thier own boat! We put together packages of lessons that include day-sailing and live-aboard cruises, in a 3, 5 or 8 day format. We also custom design courses to meet your goals, timeframes and budget.
The best time to really learn to sail in San Carlos is from October through the first of June. This is when we get some challenging conditions. At least two or three days a week we get 20 - 25 knot winds and choppy conditions. These are the days Mother Nature provides the lessons! People who never would have imagined being in those conditions find how easy (and fun) it can be.
The best part is that your classes will be held in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. The Sea of Cortez, which is also called the Gulf of California, has many beautiful and uninhabited islands and is considered one of the best cruising areas anywhere. In appearance it is like South Pacific meets the Sonoran Desert. If you join us for a "live-aboard" learning vacation it will be some of the most remote cruising you will ever do, spending most nights anchored in coves or on islands that are uninhabited except for the occasional fishing camp.
There
are lots of other activities to do while in San Carlos. Scuba diving,
snorkeling, kayaking, wind surfing, kite surfing, mountain biking, hiking,
beachcombing, jeep tours and of course, great local restraunts and bars!
Course Descriptions
ASA course descriptions in detail
This
is a preparatory course with no previous sailing skills required. You
will progress from landlubber to experienced sailor. We offer BKB in
several formats....as an individual course or as the first part of an
extended combination course!
Prerequisites: None, persons with previous sailing experience may challenge this course to move to next level.
General Course Description: You will learn to sail a boat of around 25 feet in length in light to moderate winds and sea conditions in familiar waters without supervision. No auxiliary power skills or navigation skills are required to take this course. The Basic Keelboat Sailing course is approved by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard as a recognized Safe Boating Course. As such, it meets all requirements for mandatory education and licensing for every state in the United States.
You will receive approximately 18 hours of instruction. There are written and practical tests. Upon completion of this course you will be qualified to charter the boat you have trained on and day sail on you own. This course covers aspects such as:
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This intermediate sailing course is perfect for the sailor who wants to do more than sailing in light wind conditions. You will get hands-on experience on a cruising boat with wheel steering and diesel engine. We will sail in coastal waters still in sight of land but with more wind and waves. We will also become familiar with what its like to "live aboard"
Prerequisites: Basic Keel Boat Sailing certification. Persons with sailing experience may challenge course.
General Course Description: Abel to cruise safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary sailboat of about 30 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions.
Topics stressed in this course will include gear and safety equipment, boat handling under power and sail, marine weather forecasts, proper anchoring techniques, reefing/heaving to, Crew Overboard recovery techniques, operation of a marine toilet, proper and effective use of VHF marine radio communications, and much much more.
This is the course to take if you dream of chartering and sailing a big boat on your own here in the Sea of Cortez or the Caribbean or the Mediterranean or the South Pacific, or where ever.
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing and Basic Coastal Cruising certifications. Sailors with previous experience may challenge this standard.
General Course Description: An advanced cruising Standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as a skipper or crew of a 30-50 foot boat sailing by day in coastal waters. The Standard includes knowledge of boat systems and maintenance procedures.
Topics include trip planning, living afloat, and a great deal of Seamanship and Sailing Skills. You will learn what sail combinations to carry under various wind and sea conditions to maximize the comfort of you and your crew. You will also gain hands-on experience with boat systems, weather, docking and all other requirements that charter companies demand.
CoNav is a great self-taught course. We suggest using the new ASA instructional dvd and workbooks, Coastal Navigation by Tom Tursi.
Areas covered in the course:
- Identifying navigational aids - Buoys, daymarkers and lighthouses
- Measuring distance
- Speed, time and distance equations
- Obtaining a Fix of Position using three lines of position
- Taking a compass bearing
- Finding latitude and longitude
- Introduction to reading charts - Symbols, colors, depth and contour lines
- How to use the compass rose
- Dead reckoning/Plotting a course
- True and magnetic compass course, deviation and variation
- How to label your chart work properly
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat and Basic Coastal Cruising certifications. The Bareboat Charter Standard is also a prerequisite and can be attained either by itself prior to this course or in conjunction with it.
General Course Description: An advanced cruising standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as a skipper or crew of a 30-50 foot multihull sailboat by day in coastal waters. The standard includes those skills unique to a 30-50 foot multihull.
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The following are the basic course price for individual courses. We have 2 basic course formats..."sailing from the dock" where we sail by day and return to your hotel in the afternooon ...or a "live-aboard" where we find a great anchorage to spend the night! Either way, lots of tiller-time and lots of time to do some of the other cool stuff San Carlos has to offer.
Basic Keel Boat BKB
This hands-on course is about 18 hours of "Sailing from the dock" instuction. We start each morning in the marina, followed by on the water sessions. We can do it in 2 long days or 3 easier days, whicherver works best for you.
We learn and practice all the BKB skills in our training vessel, Hans Solo, an O'Day 23. We provide snacks and refreshments so you can have a great time learning sailing.
Basic Coastal Cruising BCC
This is also hands on learning at it's best! About 18 hours of on the water instruction. This course is done in 2 different formats. Either 2 full days sailing from the dock or an overnighter with 2 days of sailing. Experience sailing San Carlos Mexico...beautiful coastline and lots of marine and bird life too! We learn and practice all the BCC and BBC skills in our training vessel Free Spirit a Coronado 34
Bare Boat Charter BBC
This is the course that can help you get your foot in the door at big charter companies around the world! This is an overnight course with 2 days of sailing. We have sufficient time to demonstrate all the sailing skills while learning boat systems, some navigation and trip planning.
Basic Keel Boat Basic Coastal Cruising Bareboat Charter Coastal Navigation Cruising Catamaran
Coast of San Carlos
3 day / 2 night "live-aboard"combination courses
This is a fun and exciting 3 day combination course. We live, learn and practice skills on the Free Spirit. We stay pretty focused, but still have time for some other fun stuff too! Maybe a little kayaking, beachcombing, of a little fishing! The Live aboard format gives us an opportunity to get a real feel for life at sea!
price pp/ double occ. price pp/3 price pp/4 BKB & CC CC and BBC Add a non-student guest for $275
Coast of Sonora
5 day / 4 night "Live-Aboard" combination courses
This course is a great way to test out what life is like on a sailboat! We practice sailing skills by day and living skills by night! We have a little more free time and the pace is a little slower....this is what cruisin' is all about....great sailing, beautiful anchorages, and fabulous sunsets!
BKB and CC CC and BBC BBC
Below is the Lite version of the 5 day live aboard.... we spend the first 2 days sailing from the dock on the Hans Solo our O'Day 23 and then move to the Free Spirit for a 3 day 2 night live-aboard!...get experience on 2 boats!
BKB and CC CC and BBC BBC Add a non-student guest for $400
Sea of Cortez Adventure
8 day Combination courses
This is the course to take if you would really like to feel comfortable with your sailing skills and live aboard knowledge. We study all three (BKB, BCC & BBC) courses! You also have time to do some other great things that San Carlos has to offer! We have 2 different formats....
all three levels through Bareboat Charter...this course consists of 3 days of "sailing from the dock" and a 5 day/4night "live-aboard (eight days total)
all three levels through Bareboat Charter consisting of five days of sailing from the dock and a three day/two night trip (eight days total)
These courses are great for several reasons...
The first 3 or 5 days is "sailing from the dock". This gives you opportunities to do some other great things San Carlos has to offer. Plus...You'll have lots of time on 2 different boats! We begin the BKB portion of the course on the Hans Solo, our O'Day 23. We then move to the Free Spirit to complete the BCC and the BBC portions. Time at the tiller! ...and time at the helm!
Here's whats included:
Night before and the last night (6 nights total) of each live-aboard course you are welcome to stay on the Free Spirit.
...Sometimes we're able to be in a slip (addl. $25/night based on availability)... and sometimes on a mooring.... Either way, this just heightens your live aboard experience!
All books are included! On any 5 or 8 day combo courses we buy you the books! Upon deposit, we have the ASA material sent right to your house! Sailing Fundamentals and Cruising Fundamentals and ASA Student Logbook!
First year ASA membership! on ant 5 day or 8 day combo course we pay the first year dues for your ASA membership! We believe in the ASA and want you to check it out also!
All snacks and refreshments during the day sailing portions of any course.
Reservations, Payment options and procedures
In order to secure specific dates we require a 50% deposit at the time of booking. If the course dates are within 60 days, this is a nonrefundable deposit. Deposits are refundable outside of 60 days, less a $100 administrative fee. The remaining balance is due the evening before the course starts. Secure payments can be made through Pay Pal. This is a very simple process if you already have a Pay Pal account. It is also fairly easy to set up a new account. Otherwise we have several other payment options, just ask us.
to use your
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For reservations and more information contact us by
E-mail: info@mexicosailing.com
OR
Phone direct at
520-777-0004
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