American Sailing Association

About American Sailing Association

At ASA we believe that a great charter experience is truly the reward of a superior sailing education! 

For over 35 years the American Sailing Association has taught the highest quality, most comprehensive sailing courses on the planet! Issuing almost one million certifications worldwide, ASA offers Basic Sailing through Offshore Passage Making at over 360 schools located from China to Cyprus, from Annapolis to San Diego. 

Upon survey, a majority of ASA’s basic sailing students say that in a large part they are learning how to sail because they want the ability to charter/skipper a large beautiful yacht in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. Of course, bareboat chartering is tons of fun, but from the perspective of an educational organization like ours, it is nothing less than a culmination of well taught cruising skills that set you free to sail almost anywhere. There are tens of thousands of ASA sailors who are enjoying the experience of sailing in the most wondrous places on earth in beautiful brand new sailboats. Your first step to that big charter boat is taking the ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising Course at any one of ASA’s schools and obtaining ASA 104 certification. ASA’s schools deliver the most comprehensive Bareboat Cruising course available today, and are internationally recognized. 

When a student goes through the ASA system and ends up on a heaven-sent broad reach in a 15-knot tradewind, heading toward what most imagine as paradise, we have proudly done our job.

The course features two of sailing’s best-selling books specifically written as texts for the ASA classes. The books’ illustrations, photography, and text bring together thoughts and images. Cruising World says of Bareboat Cruising Made Easy “this 212-page book is so thorough and all-encompassing that it will prove to be a useful, if not required, reference for anyone leaving the dock for more than an overnight” and of Cruising Catamarans Made Easy they say “this beautifully illustrated, highly informative textbook from the American Sailing Association will be welcome on any sailor’s shelf.”

Please pick up an ASA textbook at asa.com and find an ASA school near you via asa.com/find-sailing-school.