We know that learning to sail can be overwhelming and there is a lot to take in. In an effort to help we’ve created a series of “Bite Sized Lessons” taken straight out of our textbooks – Sailing Made Easy and Coastal Cruising Made Easy.
In this lesson we take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to hypothermia. Prolonged exposure to wind, spray, and cold when on deck, and any length of time spent in the water, can elevate your chances of becoming hypothermic. Recognizing the early symptoms and taking appropriate actions can prevent a life-threatening situation.
When one thinks of classic yachting epicenters on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, just a handful of places come to mind. One of them is beautiful Annapolis, Maryland, known as “America’s Sailing Capital”.
When you donate to the ASA/Hands Across the Sea Caribbean Getaway Sweepstakes, you are supporting the Books for Dominica campaign to restore school lending libraries battered by wind damage, flooding, and mudslides. You are also entered to win a one-week, four-person bareboat charter in Grenada or St. Vincent and the Grenadines courtesy of ASA Affiliate Horizon Yacht Charters. Or you could win a luxurious seven-night stay for four (two rooms) at The Verandah Resort & Spa in Antigua or at the St. James’s Club, Morgan Bay, St. Lucia, courtesy of Elite Island Resorts.
Times have changed and the sport of sailing has indeed felt that change in many ways. Technological advancement has given us great tools like colorful chart plotters and EPIRBs, but it has also facilitated a mentality and attention span that runs obverse to the time and patience sailing requires. The double-edged blade of phones giveth and taketh away and they seem to be takething away the ancestral element of sailing which substantially changes the dynamic of how we sail and who with.
However, to be sure, there are other factors, perhaps even challenges, that need to be considered when we think about how to get out sailing on a regular basis in this day and age. On the top of the list are the economic realities. Thirty years ago sailing was frankly, a cheaper activity to pursue. Boats were generally smaller, slips were less expensive, systems and accoutrements were more basic and slightly less comfortable. All of this added up to something more accessible, but fear not, modern sailors have moved with the times and figured out other ways to make it happen. Here are a few ways to continue sailing without the intimidating burdens of flat-out ownership.
So you’re thinking about chartering a nice sized cruising cat or maybe you’re even thinking about buying one. Here’s a fun quiz, taken from the pages of the our Cruising Catamarans Made Easy textbook, to see what you know about these beautiful beasts that sail fast and are amazing at an anchorage.
There might be nothing in the world that packs as many life lessons as the activity of sailing. It teaches teamwork, engineering, history, patience, oceanography, ecology…all in one fell swoop. Because of this, we believe every kid should learn to sail and here’s the top five reasons why. Feel free to add your own.
ASA Schools Want You To Know – They Are “Open For Business”.
If you have been thinking about a sailing vacation but putting it off, or if you were planning one but now think the recent hurricane damage in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean make that unlikely, you might be surprised to learn that many ASA schools are open and ready for your business even in the aftermath of the numerous hurricanes.
We know that learning to sail can be overwhelming and there is a lot to take in. In an effort to help we’ve created a series of “Bite Sized Lessons” taken straight out of our textbooks – Sailing Made Easy and Coastal Cruising Made Easy.
In this lesson we take a look at the concept of apparent wind. This important concept often confuses beginner sailors so this video should help everyone better understand the relationship between true wind and apparent wind.
Although we understand not all sailors are racers, we do like to keep up with the America’s Cup because it’s not only sailing’s preeminent event it also always carries trickle down ramifications for technological advancements for all of us.
The big news this week is Patrizio Bertelli, team principal of Challenger Luna Rossa, has stated, on the record, that the 36th America’s Cup will be sailed in foiling monohulls. By the way, we predicted that in a piece right after the last Cup concluded – that has nothing to do with the content of this story but sometimes bragging just happens.
They taught you to sail. Now they need your help. Donate now to help support the employees of our affiliated sailing schools and charter companies and help them rebuild and reopen.
