ASA101 / 103 certification

[tubeydude]

Just curious. How many of you have gotten an ASA 101 or 103 certification. I've spoken with a friend of mine who just completed his ASA 101. After telling him about what I was planning on doing with my new boat he said that I know more of the terminology and theory than he came out of the course with.

There is a test out option and I could get it that way I guess.

I'm just wondering if it is worth it. What does the community think?

Thanks,

Erik

[Rick Westlake]

I believe ASA 101/103 is of little importance to the boat owner; it's more for people who do those bare-boat charter vacations down in the Caribbean.

If you are experienced enough sailing your Mac to figure you could "test out" on ASA 101/103, why bother?

You DO owe it to your crew, your sailing buddies, and the skippers and crews of the other boats out on the water with you, to take a boating-safety course like the ones from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or the Power Squadron. I think you can do the BoatUS course online. Your insurance company may ask for you to show that you've taken that course; they may even offer you a bit of a discount if you have.

Just curious. How many of you have gotten an ASA 101 or 103 certification. I've spoken with a friend of mine who just completed his ASA 101. After telling him about what I was planning on doing with my new boat he said that I know more of the terminology and theory than he came out of the course with.

There is a test out option and I could get it that way I guess.

I'm just wondering if it is worth it. What does the community think?

Thanks,

Erik

[c130king]

I took the ASA 101/103 3-day course in sunny St. Augustine, FL as my first foray into the wonderful world of sailing. I had read about 7-8 or so sailing books, including the course books, so I didn't so much gain new sailing theoretical knowledge but the experience of sailing three different boats (J-24, Catalina 30, Hunter 44) was definitely a great experience.

I bought my Mac 2 weeks later and haven't looked back.

So in summary...I gained my sailing book knowledge from books. The course was good for experience...maybe you can get that elsewhere if you don't already have it.

I also took the RYA Day Skipper Course as a 5-day live-aboard course while I lived in the UK...more for the sailing then anything else. Didn't learn any new book knowledge...but did get some good experience in cold/windy/rainy/foggy weather sailing a 38' 12-ton boat in the Solent in February.

Good Luck,

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[Uncle Jim]

Personally....." I learn from doing, and then fixing what I learnt' (Red Green)

[dennisneal]

tubeydude,

I have not taken any ASA certified classes. I considered taking a class, or two, before we bought our MAC. But, I decided that I already knew enough to sail. As far as I'm concerned, an ASA class is primarily of value if you want to charter a boat. Even then, if you explain that you have owned a 26 foot sailboat for a while, you will probably be able "test out" on a comparable charter.

I would totally recommend that you enroll in any of several US Coast Guard Auxillary, or, US Power Squadron, classes, such as "Basic Boating Safety", or, "Coastal Navigation". I think these would be of more value.

Good Luck,

Dennis

[Hamin' X]

My wife and I have both taken and qualified ASA courses through 106. The main reason for doing this, was for us to be able to independently skipper the boat and make sure that we are both on the same page when cruising with the X, or when chartering. I found that it gave my wife a great confidence boost and I even learned a few things. Always good to have a competent first mate to take control.

~Rich

[FAAbaddog]

All,

I did the ASA101 course as a refresher (it had been 35 years since I last sailed) 2 weeks prior to my new 2011 26M being delivered.

Knots, point of sail, tacking, jibing, and man over board drills were the theme.

I personally enjoyed sailing the Capri 22 for 3 days.

JMHO!

BADDOG

[bwharkin]

Personally....." I learn from doing, and then fixing what I learnt' (Red Green)

Great stuff

[Omar]

Just curious. How many of you have gotten an ASA 101 or 103 certification. I've spoken with a friend of mine who just completed his ASA 101. After telling him about what I was planning on doing with my new boat he said that I know more of the terminology and theory than he came out of the course with.

There is a test out option and I could get it that way I guess.

I'm just wondering if it is worth it. What does the community think?

Thanks,

Erik

Hi Erik,
I just bought my first boat, Mac 26M. I took & got certified on Basic Keel Boat, Basic Cruising, Bareboating. When I enrolled and took first lesson I was wondering the same thing as you. Is it worth it?

After taking each of the courses, my firm conviction is DEFINITELY! If you give it all you've got: if you are an academic person ( I mean someone who learns by reading and conceptualizing) and you read the books and the study materials, you are going to learn a good deal of info and skills. It is like a jump start. It is a lot of work, though. You gotta learn it and apply it once and again. If you do, it's worth it.

I wish I had taken the course before I ran aground. I think I would have done even better.

Best luck on any choice you make.

Omar

[pokerrick1]

Always good to have a competent first mate to take control.
~Rich

Not going to happen unless #8 is pre-qualified - - - and I'm sure #7 is going to outlive me - - - - unless - - -

Rick

[arknoah]

I took the ASA 101 and 103 combination in June of 2010 and found it very valuable. I don’t learn by doing, I tend to “learn by reading, then reinforce by doing.” So, I understood the theory before stepping on the boat, and then used the course to know how to apply it. Without the course, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to try sailing and would have easily screwed up.

My instructor was very good at getting us to do all the work on the boat with his supervision. He intervened few times, and let us make mistakes that would help us learn. I remember he had us do an accidental jibe so we could see how it impacted the boat, and it was a very eye-opening demonstration.

For me, the courses, in addition to the online boating course (I was old enough to be exempt, but thought it would be valuable) was key and very helpful.

[MSN-Travelers]

Just curious. How many of you have gotten an ASA 101 or 103 certification. I've spoken with a friend of mine who just completed his ASA 101. After telling him about what I was planning on doing with my new boat he said that I know more of the terminology and theory than he came out of the course with.

There is a test out option and I could get it that way I guess.

I'm just wondering if it is worth it. What does the community think?

Thanks,

Erik

If you already own a boat and have a fair bit of experience sailing it, ASA 101 will offer nothing new, ASA 103 will re-enforce the weak areas we all have when sailing "just our home waters" and ASA 104 is where you really start to learn something.

The value of "certification" from ASA, US Sailing or some other sanctioning body is uncertain. Charter outfits like to see it on a skipper's resume but actual sailing experience is more important.

My wife and I did a week-long live aboard ASA 101/103/104 school for her benefit. She needed to learn from a third party and I needed to see how she did living on a boat for a week. If you have access to a sailing club at a local college/university, a local community sailing center or a yacht club that offers sailing leasons, you will likely get a equivalent education for less money.

[hart]

I've wondered about this too. I taught myself to sail when I was 16 years old, mainly because I volunteered to teach the sailing merit badge at the boy scout camp where I worked and had to learn so I could teach the scouts. In the following 20 years I've read lots of books, taken the Power Squadron course, and I keep my CPR certification current. I'm not sure what the ASA courses could offer but I've been thinking about taking them with my wife mainly just to build her confidence.

Next on my list - I'm building up my LOGGED hours and going for my captain's license with sailing endorsement. I know I have enough sea days now I just can't prove it so I'm on a logging fury trying to catch up. Why would I want it? I think a great "retirement" job would be running boats from the keys/carribean up here or here south. There's a market for it occasionally.