ASA Top Stories of 2020

2020 is winding down and we thought we would share our favorite stories of the year. You may have been a bit distracted the past few months but we will share sailing stories with you again!  

Happy New Year and let’s hope to sail together in 2021.

The Top Stories from ASA in 2020

The Benefits Of Sailing For Kids

While having a family dinner with my now college-aged son and his college friend, he explained that she was uncomfortable with our “healthy family dynamic.” “How do you all get along so well?” His answer was telling. “Spend any time on a sailboat and you learn a lot about each other. Whether it is a daysail or sailing vacation, your family spends an inordinate amount of time together while sailing”.

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The Humorous Sailing Glossary

Capt. Bill Dunbar expresses the importance of laughing and having fun while learning how to sail and integral in making sure people enjoy the learning process.  There is plenty of room for smiling in Capt. Bill Dunbar’s ASA courses.

Square Rigger – A rigger over 35.

Tender –  The possible condition of one’s head after being Three Sheets to the Wind.

Three Sheets to the Wind – Drunk.

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Charter Sailboat Resources

Whether you have just begun to sail and have recently earned your ASA 101 certification or if you have already mastered ASA 114 and are a veteran of bareboat charters this resource should help you. There is something for everyone here with information on flotillas, sailing education courses, and bareboat charters.

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BVI Trip Report: Sailing Arabella

Spend any time on a sailboat and it is hard not to fall in love. You might fall in love with the sound of the wind as it moves past your ear. You can fall in love with the look of an expertly trimmed sail. Love can be found in the feeling of gliding through the water under full sail. Sunlight glistening off the ripples on the ocean is as attractive as anything you may have had a teenage crush on.

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The Solo Sailing Vacation

This is not about sailing single-handed across a large body of water. This is about venturing out alone and sailing with new people. It is about the solo traveler looking for some adventure and finding it while sailing.

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ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing – What You’ll Learn

I listened to a teenager explain the basics of sailing. I was impressed. The cloak of mystery behind something as simple as sailing is lifted when it is brought down to the simplest and truest form. “You need wind in your sail and the boat will move forward.”

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Where Is Your Dream Destination?

We asked our social media audience about their dream destinations and they responded with enthusiasm.

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Learning To Sail Is Just The Beginning

Sailing means different things to different people. At ASA we understand that learning to sail is just the beginning of a relationship with a lifestyle that is infectious. Where will sailing take you? We have a few ideas but how you view sailing is the most important.

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Teen Sailing Summer Program in the British Virgin Islands

Each Summer, teenagers take to the ocean and get a taste of the sailing lifestyle aboard 48-foot catamarans. Part of the adventure involves becoming part of a crew engaged in every aspect of operating the vessel. They learn to sail, they cook their meals, they SCUBA dive, and immerse themselves in the world of Marine Biology.

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ASA Affiliate Blue Pacific Yachting Deals with Coronavirus

As we merge from the pandemic crisis Sailing schools across the country and around the world have had to adapt to a changing landscape. One example of how all of this is being handled calmly and effectively is at Blue Pacific Yachting, an affiliate company of Denison Yachting, owned by Robert Denison and Nereus Dastur, in Marina del Rey, CA.

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Falling in Love with Sailing, 101 Steps at a Time

As someone who came to the class barely knowing a jib from a gybe, I’ll confess to coming aboard Black Rock’s class with some trepidation — not just at the prospect of possibly sailing a boat into a dock or other fixed object, but also about my ability to absorb the basic book-learning of sailing during an intensive three-day class after way too many years of being out of any kind of school.

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What Is Your Role on a Boat?

Your ASA sailing education will prepare you to be a skipper on a sailing vessel and with that comes the responsibility of keeping your crew safe and ensuring the safety of the vessel you are sailing.  You will also have a crew and responsibilities are spread among those on the boat with you. 

What type of sailor are you and what role do you take on the boat?