Sailing Courses › Sail Canada Advanced Cruising
We run our Sail Canada Advanced Cruising courses several times a year, between November and April. Sail Canada Intermediate Coastal Navigation is a prerequisite, and if you don’t already have it, you can study online with LearnToCruiseOnline.ca
The courses are 6-days/6-nights, and operate in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The itinerary includes short open-ocean crossings includes up to 48 hours of continuous cruising, including night sailing.
Guests meet the Instructor at 0930 on the first day at the course at the Barefoot base in Blue Lagoon
The 6 days are spent consolidating sailing skills, anchoring techniques, navigation, Rules of the Road, and basic maintenance skills, whilst sailing through a stunning cruising ground with beautiful anchorages and plenty of opportunity to explore ashore.
We provide pretty well everything you’ll need including food for most meals. Students are expected to share in meal preparation and clean-up duties. You just need to pack a few clothes – a swimsuit, your sandals, a rain-jacket and perhaps a light pullover for the night sails. Added expenses include the cost of a few evening meals which can be taken ashore, course textbooks, drinks, Customs clearance fees, National Parks Permits and mooring fees (if required), and the ASA examination fees.
Most of the boats in our fleet range in length from 34’ to 50’. Our Advanced Offshore Courses normally take place on a monohull in the 40-to-50 foot range, but on occasion may be delivered on a catamaran.
During the 6 days your instructor will cover the curriculum for Sailing Canada Advanced Cruising certification.
Course outline
While the specific itinerary will be determined based on wind and weather conditions, a typical itinerary is described below.
Day 1, Sunday
Day 2, Monday
Day 3, Tuesday
Tuesday night: night sail north around the top of St. Vincent
Day 4, Wednesday
Wednesday night: Crew overboard manoeuvers after dark, finishing in Canouan
Day 5, Thursday
Day 6, Friday
complete exam
Day 7, Saturday
The course will end around noon on the 7th day (Saturday), to allow clients to connect with their international flights back home.
Course objectives
During this course you will experience skippering at night as well as during the day, in all weather conditions. This course is challenging and intense but at the end we will have covered everything you need to meet the Sail Canada Advanced Coastal Cruising standard.
Topics covered on this cruise include: standing night watch, use of chart plotters, weather analysis, handling emergency situations, night navigation and piloting, advanced anchoring techniques, performance tuning, reefing and heavy-weather sailing tactics.
Sail Canada Intermediate Cruising and Sail Canada Intermediate Coastal Navigation are prerequisites.
Price includes
