| HOME | San Carlos Sailing School | Who we are and Testimonials | RECENT TRIP PHOTOS | LINKS | HOTELS | SAILING PHOTOS | CHARTERS |
San Carlos Sailing School
An American Sailing Association Accreditation School
|
|
San
Carlos Sailing School is a certified American
Sailing Association training school. We are bound by a national
standard of sailing instruction delivered by sailing professionals.
Our courses prepare you in a natural progression for skill development.
Your ASA certification is your license to sail worldwide with major
charter companies.
|
We
have a small sailing school here in San Carlos. It is listed with the
ASA as the San Carlos Sailing School. We don't stay too busy and are
able to give special attention and even one on one instruction to our
students. Lately we have been getting individuals, couples and small
groups that want to do all three levels up to Bareboat charter and we
put together a package of lessons that includes a two, three or four
night trip to get their skills up the expected level.
October is our best month for the nicest weather.
There are lots of activities here, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, wind
surfing, kite surfing, mountain biking, hiking, and of course drinking
beer on the beach or on the boat.
The best time to really learn to sail is from the
end of October through the first of June because we get some challenging
conditions. At least two or three days a week we get 20 - 25 knot winds
and very choppy conditions. Most sailors here don't go out those days,
but that is when I enjoy teaching the most. People who never would have
imagined being in those conditions find how easy (and fun) it can be.
The best part is that your classes will be held in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. The Sea of Cortez, which is also called the Gulf of California, has many beautiful and uninhabited islands and is considered the best cruising in Mexico. Many call it the best in the world. In appearance it is like South Pacific meets the desert. If you join us for a live aboard learning vacation it will be some of the most remote cruising you will ever do, spending most nights anchored in coves or on islands that are uninhabited except for the occasional fishing camp.
This
is a preparatory course with no previous sailing skills required. You
will progress from landlubber to experienced sailor.
- Prerequisites: None, persons with previous sailing experience may challenge this course to move to next level.
- General Course Description: You will learn to sail a boat of around 25 feet in length in light to moderate winds and sea conditions in familiar waters without supervision. No auxiliary power skills or navigation skills are required to take this course. The Basic Keelboat Sailing course is approved by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard as a recognized Safe Boating Course. As such, it meets all requirements for mandatory education and licensing for every state in the United States.
You will receive approximately 18 hours of instruction. There are written and practical tests. Upon completion of this course you will be qualified to charter the boat you have trained on and day sail on you own. This course covers aspects such as:
|
|
This intermediate sailing course is perfect for the sailor who wants to do more than sailing in light wind conditions. You will get hands-on experience on a cruising boat with wheel steering and diesel engine. We will sail in coastal waters still in sight of land but with more wind and waves. We will also become familiar with tides and currents.
- Prerequisites: Basic Keel Boat Sailing certification. Persons with sailing experience may challenge course.
- General Course Description: Abel to cruise safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary sailboat of about 30 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions.
Topics stressed in this course will include gear and safety equipment, interpretation of marine weather forecasts, interpretation of NOAA nautical charts, proper anchoring techniques, boat handling under power and sail, reefing/heaving to, person overboard, operation of a marine toilet, proper and effective use of VHF marine radio communications, and much much more.
This is the course to take if you dream of chartering and sailing a big boat on your own here in the Sea of Cortez or the Caribbean or the Mediterranean or the South Pacific, or where ever.
- Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing and Basic Coastal Cruising certifications. Sailors with previous experience may challenge this standard.
- General Course Description: An advanced cruising Standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as a skipper or crew of a 30-50 foot boat sailing by day in coastal waters. The Standard includes knowledge of boat systems and maintenance procedures.
Topics include trip planning, living afloat, and a great deal of Seamanship and Sailing Skills. You will learn what sail combinations to carry under various wind and sea conditions to maximize the comfort of you and your crew. You will also gain hands-on experience with tides and current, meteorology, docking and all other requirements that charter companies demand.
Areas covered in the course:
- Identifying navigational aids - Buoys, daymarkers and lighthouses
- Measuring distance
- Speed, time and distance equations
- Obtaining a Fix of Position using three lines of position
- Taking a compass bearing
- Finding latitude and longitude
- Introduction to reading charts - Symbols, colors, depth and contour lines
- How to use the compass rose
- Dead reckoning/Plotting a course
- True and magnetic compass course, deviation and variation
- How to label your chart work properly
- Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat and Basic Coastal Cruising certifications. The Bareboat Charter Standard is also a prerequisite and can be attained either by itself prior to this course or in conjunction with it.
- General Course Description: An advanced cruising standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as a skipper or crew of a 30-50 foot multihull sailboat by day in coastal waters. The standard includes those skills unique to a 30-50 foot multihull.
Basic Keel Boat Basic Coastal Cruising Bareboat Charter Coastal Navigation Cruising Catamaran
Three day up the coast to San Pedro Island or Isla Tortuga combination course
price pp/ double occ. price pp/3 price pp/4 Keel Boat and Coastal Cruising Bareboat Charter Add a non-student guest for $225
Five day up the coast or Baja adventure combination courses
Keel Boat and Coastal Cruising Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Bareboat Charter Add a non-student guest for $375
Combination course package for all three levels through Bareboat Charter consisting of three half days of sailing from the dock and a 5 day/4night trip (eight days total)
Combination course package for all three levels through Bareboat Charter consisting of five half days of sailing from the dock and a three day/two night trip (eight days total)
You can pay with:
through Just Click on PayPal Button
For reservations and more information contact us by
E-mail: info@mexicosailing.com
OR
Phone direct at
1 800 874 4830