ASA 101 Articles

ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing will teach you how to sail and is step one of a sailing adventure that will last a lifetime. This is the first course in your sailing education. Read More >

There is a pretty good chance that the sailboat you have in your mind is a keelboat. Your imagination most likely recalls a schooner, and that most likely is a keelboat. So, What is a Keelboat?  A keelboat has a keel, a fixed appendage on the bottom of the hull that provides the sideways resistance needed to counter the force Read More >

It has always been possible to obtain a replacement ASA Logbook, but it is now much easier. Have you lost your Logbook? Or is it old, tattered, and stained with sea spray? Maybe it’s still in good shape but have you used up all the Sailing Log pages in the back, filled in with all of your day sails, coastal Read More >

You finish up your ASA 101 Basic Keelboat courses and you are confident to go out sailing on your own. After all of your hard work, studying, and practicing, your next step is your first daysail. This is a big moment in a sailor’s journey as you begin the process of performing all of the duties and responsibilities on a Read More >

Quite a long time ago…decades ago. I sailed over to Catalina Island from my marina near ASA headquarters. I was young. It was my first time embarking across the channel. My crew was a good friend and his cousin who was celebrating his 21st birthday. They drank beers the entire time.  In simple terms, I was a solo sailor.  I Read More >

 A sailor’s life revolves around the wind. Its direction and its strength govern where he can sail, with what degree of difficulty or comfort, and how quickly. Naturally, the language of sailing reflects how sailors orient themselves and everything around them with reference to the wind. Upwind and Downwind  The sailor’s world is roughly divided into two hemispheres: upwind and Read More >

Congratulations, you have earned your ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing certification! It’s time to go sailing and build upon your sailing education. Remember, ASA has you covered with plenty of new sailor resources.  You are now part of a large sailing community that is eager to welcome you. While the ASA website can answer most of your questions you should Read More >

Mal de mer is another way to say “seasickness.” It’s a particular kind of motion sickness that afflicts people traveling by water, and it causes dizziness and nausea (a word that actually means “seasickness” in Greek). Mal de mer is brought on by the rocking motion of a boat on the waves — although not everyone is affected by it. Read More >

Do you have those moments when you say one thing but those around you think you meant something else? Well, welcome to life on a sailboat. Sailing vocabulary is riddled with plenty of words that you think you know the meaning of but they seem to mean something entirely different once you get out on the water.  In fact, quite Read More >