Basic Coastal Cruising

To sign up for our courses, you can fill out out our Secure Application.

Where's there to go sailing on the Monterey Bay?

This course prepares the student to sail and cruise safely in local waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary powered sailboat of about 30-34 feet during daylight hours in moderate to strong wind and sea conditions. You will build on the skills learned in the Basic Sailing & Seamanship course and acquire more advanced boat handling, safety and seamanship skills.



This course prepares students for the Intermediate Coastal Cruising course
and comprises days 3 and 4 of the Six- or Eight-Day program.

Topics covered:





Testimonials

Please Note: If you just want certification up to Basic Coastal Cruising, ASA 103, you would need to also take the next course, Intermediate Coastal Cruising which is the second half of the practical requirement.

Optional Certification Cost: Most students take the written exams after 8 days of practical instruction. Please see detailed information regarding the ASA certification below. Includes: Membership to ASA, ASA Log Book, three textbooks - "Sailing Made Easy, Coastal Cruising Made Easy, and Bareboat Cruising", the ASA Basic Keelboat, Basic Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Chartering written exams - $238.00

Schedule: This course is offered every weekend. Check our calendar for upcoming classes.



Certification at PY&S

At Pacific Yachting and Sailing, ASA (American Sailing Association Certification) is offered as an option, at additional cost. We recommend that the sailor maintain documented sailing time at least once every three months to keep current in their skills.

Note - most students that complete 4 week-ends or 8 consecutive days- Basic Sailing & Seamanship, Basic Coastal Cruising, Intermediate Coastal Cruising, and Bareboat Chartering can satisfy the ASA practical requirements for the Bareboat level of certification. In other words, it's likely you will be able to take out a boat as a bareboat skipper, with experienced crew, after 8 days, in most cases.



Our courses are designed to prepare the student to successfully challenge the certification standards for that particular skill level. Most of our students are able to pass the ASA practical skill requirements during course time. Some students, however, require an additional Review Course or two before they are ready to challenge the Practical Checkout. No two students are alike. We all learn at our own pace. Those with previous boating experience can pick up the fundamentals more quickly than those without previous experience. While there are no guarantees, on average, students at our sailing school are ready to charter on their own after they complete eight days of formal instruction.

*While certification provides a basis for chartering companies to evaluate a customer's competency, even with ASA or US Sailing certification many charter companies may require an on-the-water test of sailing skill (called a "practical checkout") before chartering.
**PY&S Charter Certification is available to others who successfully challenge the Practical Checkout. Students can take the ASA written exams at any time after they have taken the appropriate practical course(s). Most students that are local come back after the 8 days of instruction (up to the Bareboat level) and take the 3 exams at one time. The exams are not open book.

Optionally, the ASA certification package is $238.00 which includes: Membership to ASA, ASA Log Book, three textbooks - "Sailing Made Easy, Coastal Cruising Made Easy, and Cruising Fundamentals", the ASA Basic Keelboat, Basic Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Chartering written exams - $238.00