COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Basic Keelboat Sailing

Learn to safely skipper a sailboat up to 25’ in length in light to moderate winds. In the classroom and on-the-water you will learn boating safety, sailboat nomenclature and sailing skills that enable you to use the wind to make the boat go where you want it to go. Students learn to sail the boat well including sailing away from and returning to the dock under sail without a motor. Emphasis is placed on safety as well as performance skills and how to accomplish the valuable skill of crew overboard recovery. By the end of the class students should be able to sail the boat in a familiar area without supervision. Fundamentals learned in this basic sailing class will enable you to rent sailboats at local sailing schools and give you the confidence and ability to move up to and sail larger boats.

Basic Coastal Cruising

Learn to sail on a sailboat up to 30’ in length. See how to handle stronger than moderate winds and to venture out in to unfamiliar areas, even to other coastal harbors and anchorages. Receive hands-on instruction in chart reading, radio operation and boat management as you practice to perfect your basic sailing skills. Learn how to avoid, if possible, emergencies while under way and to better cope with the unavoidable emergencies that might arise while you are underway. Study how to deal with stronger than moderate winds, reduced visibility and/or fog and mechanical problems that might occur while you are miles from your home port.

Intermediate - Advanced Coastal Cruising

(Bareboat Chartering)
(Introduction to Coastal Navigation)

This comprehensive course is designed for the individual who wants to feel confident while cruising on a larger boat – up to 50’ in length, day or night, while sailing longer distances in open water. Also, learn how to “bareboat” on larger boats in many exotic sailing areas of the world and work on the requirements that most charter companies have for allowing their boats to be rented.
 
Students will provision the boat and make sure all systems are “GO” for at least one overnight stay on the boat. Lay out your charts and plan your course to navigate to another harbor or anchorage. Your instructor will give you “hands on” assistance in how to apply basic coastal navigation and how to sail your compass course to your destination. Learn and practice various types of anchoring. Furthermore, you will be introduced to the pleasurable but more demanding task of night sailing and buoy navigation.

For more information contact Frank Dixon: frank@westcoastsailing.com