Ports We Love: Anse de Colombier, St. Barth

Charter, Cruising Tips,

St. Barth, home of Anse de Colombier, is the jewel of the Caribbean where you are more apt to find a souffle than rum cake. Bordeaux flows freely on the mega yachts in Gustavia Harbor and the culinary excellence found on the Champs Elysees in Paris would feel at home on the shores of this Windward Island. Arrive on the island for the St. Barths Bucket Regatta and you’ll experience an atmosphere reminiscent of the South of France with the toys of the ultra rich racing on the waters that surround the island. St. Barth is the playground for the well heeled but it can be accessible to all.
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Lauren Coiro

Introducing Lauren Coiro, Marine Conservationist

Environmental,

ASA understands and accepts the responsibility that it is inherent in every sailor to be the caretaker for the oceans they journey on and the bodies of water that they so often claim as their backyard.

“We enjoy the ocean and the sailing lifestyle, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are protecting these environments not only for our enjoyment but for future generations as well.” Lenny Shabes, founder of ASA explains.

ASA has brought on Marine Conservationist, Lauren Coiro, to help with advocacy and education when it comes to how sailors interact with the environment that they call home. Sailors take from the world’s oceans. They pull from the tides and the weather and the environment. The sea and the sky is family and is familiar. To that end, ASA is working diligently to make sure to help spread the message about environmental responsibility and advocacy.
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Your First Sailboat

5 Things to Consider When Buying Your First Sailboat

Sailboats,

So you’ve checked out of ASA 101, 103 and you’re in the middle of completing 104. You know you like this sailing stuff and you also know that you are going to buy a boat of your own. Yachtworld.com has been bookmarked and your lunch breaks are spent scrolling, clicking and dreaming. We understand. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you consider buying a sailboat.
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Preparing For Your First Sailing Vacation Charter

Charter, Cruising Tips,

The idea of chartering a boat for a sailing vacation is on your mind so why not just take the plunge and plan that trip? Well, you have a few questions, right?

We have compiled some resources to help you make the decision to charter a boat for a sailing vacation much easier. Take a look, take a class, plan a trip.

You are practically ready to toss the lines!
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Central Park Sailboats

Learn To Sail,

Learning To Sail in New York City

My boat was on a beam reach when a gust came over the water and nearly capsized my vessel. With that small diversion, the 13-year-old I was racing overtook me and made his way toward the finish line. On this course, sailing one of the most pristine bodies of water on the eastern seaboard, my reign as an undefeated captain came to an end. On this day a small mistake cost me the win and I would have to pay the victor with a hot dog and some soft serve from the vendor right across the street from the Plaza. Our sailing day was different than usual, it was on a pond in the middle of a metropolis, and our boats are measured in inches instead of in feet. My rented boat, #71, was beaten by #59 in Central Park on a pond populated with rented model sailboats sailed by amateur sailors, tourists and old salts alike.
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ASA's Veteran Sailing Education Program

ASA’s Veterans Sailing Education Program

Press Release

The American Sailing Association (ASA), in partnership with its national network of affiliate sailing schools, announced today a special initiative exclusively for active and retired military to thank them for their sacrifices in carrying out their respective missions to protect the United States and its interests, and maintain the safety and freedom of U.S. citizens. For 365 days beginning on Veterans Day 2018, America’s premier sail education authority will take advantage of its unique position to express its gratitude to these brave individuals by offering ASA’s basic sailing course (ASA 101) at a special rate.

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Plastic pollution

Our Plastic Problem: A Remarkably Brief Overview

Environmental, The Oceans, ,

I don’t need to waste a sailor’s time by telling you there’s plastic in the ocean. If you’re out on the water, you’ve seen it by now. Some places are cleaner than others, and in some parts of the world it has reached an extreme that is truly surreal:

As we’ve mentioned before, this is not an “ocean problem.” This is a “people problem.”
So how did we get here, what’s the real level of the damage, and what do we do about it?
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MOB Balloon Pickup / Plastic Pollution

We Care

Environmental, ,

Sailors Can Truly Change The World

In an impassioned meeting at the offices of the American Sailing Association, far from the concerns of sail trim or tacking angles, ASA Founder Lenny Shabes was speaking to a group of fellow educators and ASA board members. They were discussing pollution in the world’s oceans and waterways, specifically that of plastic, which makes up 80% of the debris in the ocean.
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ASA 101

8 Things I Learned in ASA 101

American Sailing Association, Learn To Sail, Sailing Fun, ,

Join Lauren on her adventure as she embarks on a journey to learn to sail. Follow her as she gets her feet wet as a beginner, gains experience, and earns her ASA certifications with Santa Barbara Sailing Center. The ultimate goal is to complete ASA 104 and go bareboat chartering somewhere exotic.

ASA 101.5 – Eight Things I Learned in ASA 101

I am proud to announce that I am officially ASA certified in Basic Keelboat Sailing! Now that I have completed the 101 course and am a seasoned expert of all things nautical, I wanted to share my biggest takeaways and tips from my first chapter of this journey.

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