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Advanced Catamaran Learn-n-Cruise

Cruising Catamaran (114), Coastal Navigation (ASA 105) and Advanced Coastal Cruising (ASA 106)

The goal of this course is to learn the nuances of catamaran sailing with Cruising Catamaran certification and to achieve ASA Advanced Coastal Cruising competence, on a catamaran, by skippering at night as well as during the day, in all weather conditions suitable for sailing. The course is taught on one of our beautiful catamarans and is geared to the bareboat charter skipper who wants the added skills to charter multihulls between 30 and 50 feet, with advanced skill training. This offshore preparatory class is intense, challenging, and rewarding! Topics covered on this cruise include: standing night watch, use of radar and chart plotters, weather analysis, handling emergency situations, night navigation and piloting, advanced anchoring techniques, performance tuning, reefing and heavy-weather sailing.

Coastal Navigation certification also covers detailed aids to navigation, fog procedures, and calculating current, leeway, set and drift. Coastal Navigation is offered as a book study course, to be fully prepared for prior to arrival, and is a required prerequisite in order to achieve Advanced Coastal Cruising (ASA 106). The ASA 105 exam will be taken on Saturday and put into practice throughout the weeklong course.

Weeklong Advanced Catamaran Learn-n-Cruise

(8:30 AM Saturday through 11 AM Friday)

Board your boat in Bellingham for this one-week round-trip class and explore beyond the San Juan Islands while taking advantage of the many advanced cruising experiences found in the waters of the "greater" Pacific Northwest. Your course cruise plan will be determined by weather and to maximize learning opportunities. Classes start Saturdays (8:30AM), return Fridays (11AM).

Based on boat size and cabin layout, this course can accommodate up to 5 students.

$3565 per person (private stateroom)
$3265 per person (shared stateroom)*

Spend 7 days/6 nights living aboard and learning from an ASA certified USCG Captain/Instructor, while exploring the San Juan Islands. Tuition includes your ASA 114, 105 & 106 certifications, linens, meal provisioning, fuel and moorage.

*To receive the shared stateroom discount, you and the person you will be sharing a stateroom with must book your course together. We do not pair people who do not know each other. Occasionally a berth in the main salon may be available at the shared stateroom rate.

This course covers ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran), 105 (Coastal Navigation) and ASA 106 (Advanced Coastal Cruising).

If you prefer to join the class to practice hands-on skills but not pursue ASA certifications, you are welcome to do so. Please let us know if you will not be pursuing ASA certifications and we will discount your tuition $90.

ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising/Charter Certification) or equivalent experience, plus additional sailing experience, such as bareboat chartering, stateroom bookings, racing or boat ownership (additional experience does not need to be extensive but should be the equivalent of at least a few weeks of sailing).

If you don’t have the prerequisite certifications, but do have equivalent experience, click here for information on challenging prerequisite certifications.

Classes occur onboard while cruising the San Juan Islands. To register for a course please contact us at 360-671-8339 or school@sanjuansailing.com. The same date being listed more than once indicates multiple sessions of this class on that date.

Course Full? If the course you are seeking is full, please contact us to be put on a waitlist.

ASA 114: Coastal Cruising Made Easy by ASA
ASA 105: Coastal Navigation by Mike Pyzel or Coastal Navigation Manual by Tom Tursi
ASA 106: ASA Advanced Cruising and Seamanship by Bill Gladstone
Optional suggested reading: Advanced Coastal Cruising Study Guide by Leslie Legg

Order texts online through the ASA Store, through Amazon or iBooks, or check out from your local library.

Please contact San Juan Sailing School by e-mail or at 360-671-8339 to register for your course and to confirm course date availability. Advanced weeklong courses require a minimum of three students, maximum four students for confirmation. These are non-smoking/non-vaping courses.

Visit the following links for more information:

Special Opportunities

Courses & Stateroom Bookings Spring & Summer Guided Flotillas Fall Guided Flotillas
Stateroom Bookings 10-Day Sunshine Coast 7-Day Independence Celebration 7-Day San Juans & Saanich
2-Day Sailing Courses 10-Day Barkley Sound 7-Day San Juan Islands 14-Day Desolation Sound
Women-Only LNC 7-Day Cruising the Gulf Islands   10-Day End of Season Hoorah