All courses are on a to be arranged basis, and will be scheduled as classes fill and weather permits.  Students pay one half of the tuition and are given study materials when they register for the course.  The remainder is due on the day the class begins.  Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Chartering are live aboard with 2 to 4 students berthed on either a 25' or 33' sailboat (depending on the location).  There are hotels and campsites available at both locations for those who prefer land based accommodations.  However, some nights will be spent at anchor and/or at different marinas.  The cost of the course includes study and testing materials, a sailing log to document and certify your sailing experience, and provisions while we are away from the dock. 

 

 

Intro to Sailing - Students will spend 3 to 4 hours on the water acting as crew on either a 25' or 33' sailboat.  We will sail on all points of sail and discuss safety and sail trim.  This course is a survey course to allow the student to gauge their interest in sailing.  Fifty dollars of the tuition can be applied toward a more advanced sailing course.

 

Basic Keelboat Sailing - 2 1/2 days.  Students will learn the language of sailing, and the function and parts of a sailboat.They will learn the rules of the road, points of sail, sail trim, how to return to and recover a man overboard, how to secure a boat to the dock, and how to properly use the safety equipment required on a sailboat.  By the end of the course, a student will be able to make a sailboat go where they want it to go, using proper commands to execute specified maneuvers.

 

Basic Coastal Cruising - Students will learn to safely sail in coastal waters, choose an anchorage, properly deploy and retrieve an anchor, pick up a mooring, choose and deploy the proper sail combination for the weather, take in and shake out a reef, heave to, and handle a sailboat both under sail and under power in moderate conditions.  We will spend at least one night at anchor or travel to and spend the night at another marina.

 

Bareboat Chartering - This is a live aboard course.  The student will learn to identify and maintain boat systems, including the head, the galley, the engine, the fresh water system, and through hulls.  They will learn to plan a trip, provision for the trip, lay out a compass course, and execute the plan.  We will study navigation rules, the proper use of the VHF radio, how to obtain a weather forecast and prepare for adverse weather.  We will use nautical charts to fix our position using a compass, identify aids to navigation, and learn how to interpret tide tables.  We will polish our sailing skills from previous courses, and practice a man overboard under power.  After successful completion of this course, the student will have been taught the skills necessary to charter and safely manage a sailboat in coastal waters under moderate weather conditions.

 

Coastal Navigation - There is no sailing with this course.  This course is specifically designed to help the student understand and use nautical charts, tide tables and other aids to navigation.  The student will be given materials to study at home, then spend one day in class going over the materials and being tested on their knowledge of the subject.   The student will learn to plot a course and use several dead reckoning methods to determine their progress along the course.  We will study USCG navigation rules in detail, and learn to identify and use aids to navigation.  The student will learn to plot a course adjusted for current and to determine the speed and direction of the current from the course steered.  We will then apply many of these navigation principles to use with a GPS.

 

What to Bring 

 

     School policy requires all students to wear a life jacket (PFD) while on the water.  We have PFDs available, but you may choose to bring your own.  Sailing gloves are optional, but they make line handling more comfortable.  They will be especially beneficial on Lake Pontchartrain.  Be sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, and lots of sunblock.  It can get intense with the reflection off of the water.  You must wear a pair of soft soled, nonskid, boat shoes; most tennis shoes will work.  Light layered clothing works best.  It might be a little chilly at times, and extremely hot toward the middle of the day.  A bathing suit will be handy, especially on Bull Shoals Lake.  Mostly, bring a willingness to learn and a desire to have fun, and let's go sailing!