American Sailing Association Certification

American Sailing Association Certification

The Pentagon Sailing Club offers a full range of American Sailing Association (ASA) courses. ASA provides a stepped approach to learning to sail -- as you take courses you gain skills and become certified to skipper different sized boats. Sailing professionals and yacht charter companies recognize ASA certification worldwide and it ensures that our club complies with its comprehensive program standards.

Pentagon Sailing currently offers certification at the following levels:

 ASA 101 – Basic Keelboat Sailing

ASA 103 – Coastal Cruising

ASA 104 – Bareboat Chartering

 ASA 105 – Coastal Navigation

 ASA 118 – Docking Endorsement

 ASA 106 – Advanced Coastal Cruising

ASA certification requires both a written examination, and a practical skills evaluation (except for Coastal Navigation) in which you must demonstrate a wide range of boat and sail handling skills. The process of certification is an evaluative one. The instructor must witness your performance of the required operations correctly on command, and cannot be teaching at that time. There are two ways to attain ASA certification; either as part of a course or as a challenge.

A member may challenge the standards at any time. A challenge does not involve any instruction, requires from one half to a full day to conduct and involves an on-the-water practical evaluation and a written exam. Challenges must be scheduled in advance to assure the availability of boats and instructors. ASA 105 (Coastal Navigation) does not require an on-the-water evaluation, but it is a comprehensive test of all coastal navigation skills that requires four to six hours to complete.

Combined ASA 101/103 (Basic Keelboat Sailing / Coastal Cruising) Courses

Pentagon Sailing teaches the ASA 101/103 courses as combined course over two weekends, five times a year. This is part of our Basic Sailing program. This course combines the content necessary for ASA 101 and ASA 103 into about five equivalent days of instruction – two weeknight classroom sessions from 07:00-09:00 pm plus two full weekends – Saturday and Sunday (8:30 am to 4:30 pm). The last day (Sunday) is spent working with you on the written and practical testing for your ASA certifications. This intensive weekend course will require self-study time, before the start of your course, as well as additional study outside of the course hours to prepare you for the class and successful completion of the certification test.  We teach this class on our club-owned ~22’ keelboats located at Capitol Cove Marina on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC. All of the skills and requirements for ASA 101 and ASA 103 certifications are covered in this intensive course.

ASA 101/103 class dates and sign-up information can be found under the Basic Sailing program.

Prerequisites: None.

ASA 104 (Bareboat Chartering) Courses

This course is taught on the Chesapeake Bay and is designed for members who have already achieved the ASA 101 and 103 certifications. This is the next step in ASA’s certification program. This is a live-aboard course that provides a hands-on introduction to bareboat chartering. All of the skills and requirements for ASA 104 are covered in this comprehensive course. The last day is spent working with you on the written and practical testing for your ASA certification. Our ASA 104 course is administered through our Bay Skipper program.

Prerequisites: ASA 101 and ASA 103.

ASA 105 (Coastal Navigation) Course

Lectures and practical exercises are conducted during 16 hours of class time and augmented by home study and on-the-water practice. This class is typically taught over two Saturdays in February as part of the Winter Training program. Class topics include chart reading and interpretation, government publications, navigation instruments, use of tide and current tables, plotting of bearings, fixes, running fixes, dead reckoning, drift, set and much more. Students successfully completing this course can receive ASA 105 certification and will possess the theory and knowledge to make meaningful use of coastal navigation and plotting information. No previous courses required. Practical experience in applying these methods is gained in our Bay Skipper program.

Prerequisites: None.

ASA 118 Docking Endorsement Course

The student will learn the theory of prop-walk and prop-wash and will apply these while approaching a slip or dock. The students will learn to read the current and wind, and learn to make the necessary adjustments while docking.  Additionally, the student will learn to use spring lines while leaving and approaching a dock or slip. Our ASA 118 course is administered through our Bay Skipper program and typically done over several weekends during the year as part of our Close Quarter Maneuvering (CQM) class. If you’re interested in signing up, please contact the Training Commodore. Seats are limited; however, classes can be set up if there is enough demand.

Prerequisites: ASA 101 and ASA 103.

ASA 106 (Advanced Coastal Cruising) Course

Learn procedures and preparation requirements for advanced coastal cruising aboard a ~45-foot sailboat for daylight and nighttime operation. Subjects include sail and rig theory, practice for day, night and heavy weather, seamanship, engineering, troubleshooting, safety, weather monitoring and interpretation and more. Students will demonstrate various skills including trip planning, navigation, helmsmanship, man overboard rescue, anchoring and more. Our ASA-106 course is administered through our Bay Skipper program.

This course will be an advanced, hands-on learning experience with emphasis on seamanship, preparation, teamwork and safety. We will be sailing round-the-clock in some instances, rotating watches. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to safely act as skipper and crew on a sailing vessel 30’ to 50’ in length in coastal and inland waters, in any condition. A full description of the ASA course standards can be reviewed here.

This course is only taught once a year and only if the demand warrants. For 2013, the club is teaching the ASA-106 class July 27th through August 2nd, 2013. If you're interested in signing up for the 2013 course, please contact the Training Commodore. Seats are limited; however, the sail planning has started!

 Prerequisites: ASA 101,103,104,105.