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Learn to Sail with the Seattle Sailing Club Seattle Sailing Club has been based out of Shilshole Bay Marina for over forty years and strives to make sailing affordable, accessible and fun for everyone!  We run American Sailing Association certification courses starting with Basic Keelboat 101 through Celestial Navigation 107 on weekends, weekdays and weekday evenings every month of the year.  We also run spinnaker handling courses, racing courses and weeklong cruise-n-learn courses in the San Juan Islands.  We keep our class sizes small, no more than 4 people, to give you as much one-on-one time with your instructor and as much time as possible on the helm/crew positions on 24-36 foot racing and cruising sailboats.  Our USCG licensed instructors are highly qualified, fun and professional.  We aim to train you to the highest level possible so you’ll get our there and start sailing!   American Sailing Association has been certifying students and instructors longer than any organization in the United States and is recognized by schools, clubs and charter companies around the world. ASA is endorsed as an official licensing program in the U.S. by the National Association of Boating Administrators and the United States Coast Guard.  The Seattle Sailing Club is recognized by ASA as a complete Certification Facility. All of our USCG instructors are trained and certified by ASA. We maintain a high level of standard to give you the best learning experience available. This is the place to start sailing. Join the fun!  Download Class Overview PDF  1. Basic Keelboat Sailing ASA level 101 (Lessons 1, 2, 3 and 4) $295 for members, $395 for non-members This 15-hour course covers basic sailing knowledge and ability to "crew" on club boats. 3 hours in the classroom; 12 hours on the water hands-on instruction. Terminology, knots, rules of the road, and basic sail theory. Rigging, sail selection and seamanship. Points of sail upwind and downwind, and ‘man over-board’ recovery. 15-hour course: 3 hours in the classroom; 12 hours on the water hands-on instruction. Terminology, knots, rules of the road, and basic sail theory. Rigging, sail selection and seamanship. Points of sail upwind and downwind and man over-board recovery. The ASA Basic Keelboat 101 written exam is $30. On completion of your exam, ASA will send you the official Basic Keelboat 101 Certification Seal for your International Log Book.   2. Basic Coastal Cruising ASA level 103 (Lessons 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, plus a solo sail) $395 for members, $525 for non-members This 18-hour intermediate course will certify you as a "skipper" and allows you to sail club vessels from 22’ - 26’. 12 hours on the water hands-on instruction, 3-hour Basic Navigation classroom session and 3-hour crew solo sail. Reefing, heaving-to, boat-handling practice under sail and power. Sail selection and sail trim, docking upwind/downwind, plus anchoring. 18-hour course: 15 hours on the water hands-on instruction, and a 3-hour solo trip. Reefing, heaving-to, boat-handling practice under sail and power. Sail selection and sail trim, plus Basic Navigation skills. Docking upwind/downwind, plus anchoring. The ASA Basic Coastal 103 written exam is $30. On completion of your exam, ASA will send you the official Basic Coastal 103 Certification Seal for your International Log Book.   3. Bareboat Chartering ASA level 104 (Lessons 10, 11, 12 and overnight instructed charter) Now includes ASA 118 $795 for members, $895 for non-memberselectrical, and heaters. Practice big boat sail trim, docking and anchoring. Practice navigation, plotting courses, determining tides/currents and operating navigation equipment. 6-hour docking course plus a 3 day, 2 night overnight instructed charter (predetermined destination). Systems check-out and trouble shooting for inboard engines, propane, head and thruhulls. Big boat sail selection and trim, big boat docking and anchoring. Navigation, plotting courses, and hand-bearing compass work.   This advanced course begins with the 6 hour ASA118 Docking Endorsement Class, followed by a 3-day, 2-night instructed cruise certifying you to charter boats up to 50’. Learn big boat systems including inboard engines, galley, head, AC/DC The ASA Bareboat Charter 104 written exam is $30. On completion of your exam, ASA will send you the official Bareboat Charter 104 Certification Seal for your International Log Book.     4. Docking Endorsement ASA level 118 $145.00 for members $195.00 for non-members This 6-hour course builds on basic skills introduced in ASA 103 and 104, developing techniques for handling single engine boats in tight quarters as well as methods of securing boats to docks in a variety of conditions.     5. Cruise and Learn ASA Levels 103 and 104 (Lessons 5 - 12 at predetermined destinations) $1150 for members, $1700 for non-members Six days and 5 nights aboard our boats learning Basic Coastal Cruising 103 and Bareboat Charter 104.   6. Coastal Navigation ASA level 105 $295 for members, $395 for non-members Reading nautical charts, symbols, and dead reckoning. Bearings and fixes, correcting your course for current and leeway. Fog navigation and GPS practice. 9-hour course: three 3-hour sessions, weeknights or weekends, in the classroom. Continuing education for advanced cruising techniques with the most direct manual available on practical navigation. Reading nautical charts, symbols, and dead reckoning navigation. Bearings and fixes, correcting your course for current and leeway. Fog navigation and GPS practice.   This 12-hour ASA course offers advanced coastal navigation lessons, using a variety of tools and publications. Continuing education for advanced cruising techniques with the most direct manual available on practical navigation. The ASA Coastal Navigation 105 written exam is $30. On completion of your exam, ASA will send you the official Coastal Navigation 105 Certification Seal for your International Log Book.   7. Advanced Coastal Cruising ASA level 106     $895 for members, $1045 for non-members   Learn to safely skipper and crew a 30-50 foot sailing vessel in coastal and inland waters both day and night in any weather conditions. Sail overnight on a 3-day/two-night cruise into the Straits of Juan de Fuca rotating watches for 30 consecutive hours. Set anchor the second night prior to the return voyage.   Gain hands-on experience for the ASA 105-Coastal Navigation course reading tides/currents, plotting courses, determining set/drift, three point fixes, running fixes, compass correction, GPS, weather sources, latitude/longitude, charts, local destinations and hazards in Puget Sound, Admiralty Inlet and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Learn night navigation, lights, buoys, traffic after dark.  Navigate by depth sounder, charts and GPS.   Learn and practice advanced cruising and sailing techniques specific to 30-50 ft. vessels.   **This is an Advanced Coastal Cruising course expecting the highest standard of achievement.    The ASA Advanced Coastal Cruising 106 written exam is $30. On completion of your exam, ASA will send you the official Advanced Coastal Cruising 106 Certification Seal for your International Log Book.       8. Celestial Navigation ASA level 107    $445 for members, $545 for non-members Prereq: ASA 105   This 21 hour course teaches theory and practical application of Celestial Navigation including use of sextant, polaris, almanac, site reduction tables and plotting sheets. Practice gaining a line of position w/sun shots, utilizing planets, stars and the moon. Learn theory required to safely navigate a sailboat on an offshore passage. Practical application is conducted on Offshore Passagemaking Standard ASA 108.   The ASA Celestial Navigation 107 written exam is $30. On completion of your exam, ASA will send you the official Celestial Navigation 107 Certification Seal for your International Log Book.     9. Spinnaker Handling Course $295 for members, $395 for non-members This course teaches you how to use the spinnaker sail. Used primarily in racing, the spinnaker sail adds performance and speed. 12 hour on the water hands-on course. Learn equipment and rigging, different types of spinnakers and their function. How to pack, hoist and set spinnakers. How to gybe, trim and douse the spinnaker. Prerequisite - Basic Coastal Cruising. Club members who successfully complete this course may use the spinnaker sail on our small boats.   10. Introduction to Racing $395 for members, $495 for non-members This course teaches the fundamentals of sailboat racing, including starts, mark roundings and tactics. 12 hour on the water hands-on course, plus either a Monday or Wednesday night race. Learn the racing rules and advanced sail trim. Learn starting tactics and buoy rounding tactics. This clinic is for people who have already completed Basic Coastal Cruising 103 and the Spinnaker Handling course. Completion of this course will allow you to confidently crew on a racing sailboat. 11. Radar Endorsement - ASA 120 $295 for members, $395 for non-members The goal of this course is to teach safe, efficient use of radar for small-craft navigation in any condition of visibility, using a realistic PC based radar simulator to illustrate radar measurements. Download Class Overview PDF