I originally learned how to sail on a small 22 keelboat in my early 20s but ran out of money and had to prioritize my lifestyle. Over twenty-plus years later, getting cooked up indoors during the Covid pandemic changed my lifestyle and watching too many sailing videos on the Youtube channels. So what’s the better way to take advantage of the fresh outdoor activities than to go out and learn how to sail.
So my journey began as I searched around for a sailing school in Los Angeles or to be exact, a school at Marina Del Rey, California. A couple of things came into consideration such as budget is a priority, the reviews of the school, and the scheduling.
So I searched around and found the following schools with ASA, NauticEd, and US Sailing. I wasn’t sure which ones to choose, so I ended up signing up for ASA 101 and NauticEd Skipper Small Boat classes.
What’s my Goal
My goal is bluewater sailing which means sailing offshore like in the Caribbean or crossing the oceans. Bareboat Chartering comes to mind as I would like to have the right certification to charter a boat overseas. So selecting the sailing school might affect the type of sailing you would like to pursue.
Which school did I choose?
I ended up selecting both ASA and NauticEd as I wasn’t really sure which one would give me a better experience. Before signing up for the class, I got a digital copy of the ASA 101 book and signed up for 2 free courses on NauticEd.
I took the ASA 101, 103, 104, and 114 with Naos Yacht in Marina Del Rey and NauticEd Small Keelboat Skipper with Santana Sailing out of Long Beach.
For more information about the sailing schools, visit ASA, US sailing, NauticEd
If you want to learn more about my ASA experience, visit ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing
If you want to learn more about my NauticEd experience, visit NauticEd Small Keelboat Skipper.
I wrote a blog about what I think about the ASA and NauticEd program on the pro and cons. Check out the ASA vs NauticEd Blog.