Continuing Education - Coastal Navigation and Piloting

I like to think of myself as a life-long learner; there are many good reasons and benefits to continue your education on all sorts of subjects throughout life. Learning more about sailing is no exception. Certainly, it is difficult to beat real sailing experience... getting behind the helm and making your way across the water. However, having a good grasp on fundamentals can go a long way towards building confidence in your skills and abilities.

In a previous post I mentioned the value in attending local boat shows. The Annapolis Boat Shows offer a series of classes through their Cruisers University program that is held in conjunction with the spring and fall boat shows. This is an excellent way to learn important skills in a short amount of time. There are often other forums conducted at or near major boat shows. We attended an excellent presentation by the World Cruising Club during the 2017 United States Sailboat Show and learned a lot of valuable information about long-distance ocean passages.

Time is my current nemesis. Demands from day-to-day life keep me from doing all of the things that I would like. That is one reason why I like to read about sailing and to pursue formal education when time permits. You may appreciate how excited I was to recently discover that the renowned Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship ("A serious school for serious sailors") offered two American Sailing Association (ASA) courses with a home study option. You may have read my previous post about why I value certification through the ASA. Here was an opportunity to further my education through the excellent ASA program.

I chose to complete the ASA 105, Coastal Navigation and Piloting course. The Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship offers this course as stand alone home study or with a group of other students through online instruction via a webcast. The instruction materials and lectures are provided by the highly qualified, Captain Tom Tursi. I went the home study route which allowed me to work on the materials as my schedule allowed. There were no restrictions on how long it took me to work through the course, which is a good thing as career demands resulted in me requiring several months to complete my studies.

The course materials were well written and the accompanying DVD of lecture videos and homework solutions were very helpful. The staff at the Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship were quite courteous and very accommodating. I proudly passed the exam and it was a honor to have my ASA logbook signed by Captain Tursi. I highly recommend the school and their home study program. It's possible that I will sign up for more of their classes in the future and hope that you consider it too. After all, there is always something new to learn.