Barefoot Offshore Sailing School is one of the few schools in the world, and the only one in the Caribbean, that offers both ASA and Sail Canada certifications.

Participants in our courses often ask:  what’s the difference between Sail Canada courses and American Sailing Association (ASA) courses?  Is there an advantage to one system over the other?  As a Sail Canada and ASA Advanced and Offshore Instructor, here is my perspective.

Background

Until 2018, BOSS did not offer Sail Canada courses, so all our guests were certified to ASA standards.  Now, however, Sail Canada is an option for many of our offerings, and this will continue to expand in future as BOSS increases the number of instructors capable of certifying students in both systems.

Sail Canada and ASA standards are quite similar, for the principal reason that when ASA started up in the 1980s, it licensed the then Canadian Yachting Association standards as the initial basis for the ASA system.  While differences have emerged in the 40 years since then, the two systems remain largely parallel.

ASA and Sail Canada Cruising Courses Overview

What are the main differences between the two systems?

The main differences between the two systems arise because Sail Canada, as the national organization for the sport of sailing in Canada, has access to a cadre of volunteers who work on regularly upgrading the standards, and the related exams and learning materials.  Senior members in Sail Canada’s instructor community meet monthly to consider and implement updates to the Learn to Cruise system. (Full disclosure: I serve as a member of Sail Canada’s national Training and Certification Advisory Committee that oversees this effort. As a Sail Canada Instructor Evaluator, I contribute to the development of cruising training materials.)

As a result, the Sail Canada requirements are in general somewhat more rigourous than the ASA requirements.  For instance:

• Sail Canada has split Coastal Navigation into Basic and Intermediate courses, with Basic Coastal Navigation required as a prerequisite for Intermediate Cruising

• Some content in ASA 106 Advanced is covered earlier in the SC system

• The requirements for Sail Canada Advanced Cruising and Offshore Cruising are both somewhat more extensive than the ASA requirements for the equivalent courses.

Which system should I choose?

When someone asks which system should they choose, my answer is that it depends mainly on where you expect to continue your sailing journey.  If you are sailing and taking future courses mainly in the USA, ASA is the better choice. If you are sailing and taking future courses mainly in Canada, then Sail Canada is a better choice.

However, at the end of the day, what matters is that graduates of our courses are proficient, knowledgeable, and safe sailors, and emerge with credentials that are recognized world-wide.  This is ultimately a result of hard work by students and their instructors, combined with a great cruising ground like the Grenadines, built on the excellent systems maintained by both organizations.  BOSS is proud to accomplish this result under both systems.

Rob McLean is an ASA and Sail Canada Advanced and Offshore Instructor, a Sail Canada Senior Instructor Evaluator, and BOSS Lead Instructor and Coordinator

In addition to our normal scheduled ASA and Sail Canada courses, Barefoot Offshore Sailing School (BOSS) offers the option of a “private course”.

What is a private course?

In a private course, a guest charters and provisions a vessel from the Neptune fleet of our sister company, Barefoot Yacht Charters. There is an additional fee for a suitable BOSS instructor to be onboard for the duration of the course.  This can be highly attractive to family groups or a group of close friends interested in sail instruction together.

What are the benefits of a private course?

The advantages of a private course include:

• Subject to availability, guests can select their preferred yacht from the BYC Neptune fleet
• Other than the BOSS Instructor, everyone on the boat is from the family or friend group
• Instruction can be customized based on the composition of the group, which may include more and less experienced sailors, adults and youth, etc.
• The itinerary can also be customized based on the desires of the group;
• Guests can provision the boat according to their own preferences.

How do I book a private course?

If interested in a Barefoot Offshore Sailing School private course, contact our booking team representative who can arrange for a detailed quotation for a private course.

 

Barefoot Offshore Sailing School strongly encourages families to sail together.  Neither ASA or Sail Canada has an age limit for certification in cruising courses.

We welcome teen participation in sailing school courses as long as:

• everyone recognizes that Barefoot Offshore Sailing School courses are designed for an adult-learning environment;
• your teen is committed to fully participate in all aspects of the instruction, progressing as far as they can along the path to certification;
• your teen is comfortable interacting with the other adult parpticipants on the course, and will not be shocked if he or she hears some non G-rated language from time to time.

Over the years, many teen sons or daughters have successfully graduated from our courses: we look forward to welcoming yours!

If you have multiple family members that you wish to include, an option to consider is a Barefoot Offshore Sailing School private course:  click here for details.