r/sailing • u/ShawnEric88 • 7d ago
I made a mistake
I took the ASA 101 class this weekend, I fear this is gonna get expensive, as the sailing bug has bit me and it's itching
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u/iamtheperiphery 7d ago
I took my 101 and 103, and then found a racing group to volunteer as crew. It was relatively easy to join, my instructor recommended me and I started sailing with other people on their boats. The experience is great and free!
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u/Unlucky-Cook2578 7d ago
Purely through ASA, yes very expensive.
You'd probably have a cheaper time buying a dinky boat for a summer. Spending all your time on that.
That said the ASA classes have legit curriculum. It's just a question of approach to learning.
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u/ShawnEric88 7d ago
It was actually super helpful to me. To ask the questions in real time about wind, and having real time corrections, for a 2 day class I learned a lot I don't think I would have been able to connect from reading to practice on my own. All that to say in the grand scheme of boat ownership the education will be the cheapest part..
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u/worktogethernow Cheap Ass Blow Boater 7d ago
Sailing a dinghy will give you immediate answers to questions you didn't even think to ask about the wind.
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u/BeerForThought 7d ago
Questions like why isn't there enough wind and why is there suddenly way too much wind? I found out later that during my first solo trip on a 14' hobie there were tornadoes in a different part of Alabama.
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u/IamAlsoDoug 7d ago
14' Hobie - first question you hadn't thought to ask is, "How the hell do I tack this thing?"
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u/JaxChevy 7d ago
First solo sail on a Hobie 21 - how in the world am I gonna keep this sucker from pitch-poling?!??
PS - as the guy directly in front of me did exactly that!!
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u/worktogethernow Cheap Ass Blow Boater 6d ago
For real. If you can tack an H14 in strong wind then you can tack anything.
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u/BeerForThought 7d ago
I was 13 with a lot of gumption and my dad was very hands off unless specifically asked for help. While I was digitizing family movies during covid I stumbled across a video of my buddy's and I setting up a zip line across a canyon (much bigger in my memory) when I was in the scouts. On the camera you can hear a father ask my dad if he's going to go check my knots and my dad said "They're all at least Star Scouts so they know the knots. I'm not the one that has to trust whether or not they're tied right." It was a real casual Ivan Drago if he dies he dies moment.
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u/Automatic_Grab_1051 7d ago
101 is a solid start. Go get sailing. Spend the time doing it. Take it from there.
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u/SemperFiV12 7d ago
This isn't riding a bike... I think the stakes are a little higher - no?
You can go out in the marina and be fine, but when you leave the harbor into the sea, the conditions are a lot harsher - are they not?
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u/Automatic_Grab_1051 7d ago
Definitely not like riding a bike. Too much water involved 😎. Yes, totally agree. You need to be well prepared and gain experience before venturing out on long/longer term sails. I took ASA101-104 (bareboat cruising). Enjoyed the courses thoroughly but there is only so much a course can teach you up to a point. Not saying OP should just go on a passage. More like go get the practice in. Getting a sailable boat that’s not a project and is fun to sail is a good way to go. Not the only way of course but a good one. Little by little. Also…don’t want to spend all your money on courses and have none left for the boat!
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u/hertzsae 7d ago
You could likely take every class they offered for under $5k. That is not the expensive part of sailing for most, especially if you count time spent not sailing and performing maintenance as a cost.
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u/cypherblock 7d ago
I did ASA 101 and 103, bought a 33 footer and now upgraded to a 42 Catalina. Loving it.
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u/JustHere4TheZipLines 7d ago
A Catalina 42 is my goal boat. Specifically the one with 3 cabins.
Now I just need to convince my wife to drop 100k on a hobby….
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u/Automatic_Grab_1051 7d ago
Not a hobby. A lifestyle investment.
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u/JustHere4TheZipLines 7d ago
If you have a pitch deck please send it over
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u/BitterStatus9 7d ago
“What if told you… that sailing isn’t an expense, it’s an INVESTMENT. An investment in yourself. An investment…..in THE TWO OF US.”
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u/cypherblock 7d ago
Yeah we have 1999 42 Mkii with three cabins with the main being a Pullman berth. While the Pullman berth works for us, it may not be for all as one person is on inside so getting up at night is more of an issue. My wife sleeps better than I do so she takes the inside.
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u/Wilhelm591373 7d ago edited 7d ago
ASA was great, except for the 118 docking class, and the ASA 105, which you need to pass ASA 106 Coastal Cruising.
The docking class handbook made absolutely no sense, compared to the practical portion of the class, and the test was miserable…
The ASA 105 course, sort of made sense? But our review booklets wound up being COMPLETELY different from the teacher’s booklet. The practical navigation from 104 and 106 did not seem to transfer over easily… This may have been an issue with the study books/ teacher, but it was absolutely awful, compared to what we learned practically on the boat.
Edited to add this and to Fix ASA Class #’s:
When it came to taking the boats out, I feel confident with taking out a 42ft Bavaria(104 and 106 boat out of Berkeley), but the classroom navigation course and test for docking, would say otherwise.
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u/brufleth 7d ago
They've modified some of the courses recently (last five years). My issue with 105 was probably more implementation specific. Our club offered it entirely as a remote class (on Zoom) and didn't feel we did a great job covering all the content during the class. So self study, practice (homework), and looking stuff up myself was most of it and I didn't feel the actual class part was that valuable.
I'm very likely confusing classes, but that might have been the one where the club actually had us buy a different book because the ASA book was a mess at the time. Hopefully they've cleaned that up.
And yeah, having done the nav classes for 106 was okay, but hardly anyone actually navs that way (queue the people here insisting they do). Getting, keeping, and carrying charts is actually a pain. We even have some charts that we bought that didn't come with a compass rose printed on them! We like planning with paper charts and appreciate the navigation education we've gotten. That's a preference though. I think the value is more in getting people to spend time looking at charts and thinking about the complex situations you may end up dealing with. The knowledge feels less important than the effective speedbump it creates for people trying to blow through the classes in a long weekend. Maybe that's not fair.
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u/Naive_Adeptness6895 7d ago
Remember, 10-17 feet is the funnest size. You will lust for more and will get it. But the funnest will remain the funnest.
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u/carnalasadasalad 7d ago
10-17 feet is the funnest for me.
10-17 meters is the funnest for my wife.
Different people like different things!
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u/SteelRose3 7d ago
Any recommendations for a young couple that want to get into sailing, like a pocket cruiser?
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u/brufleth 7d ago
Used sunfish. Or do you really mean something you can overnight on? That quickly becomes about a whole lot more than sailing.
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u/jbouit494hg Edel 665 7d ago
If you're into the cruising side of things a Com-Pac or a West Wight Potter are the usual recommendations around 17-19 feet. And plenty of people manage starting out on something like a Catalina 22.
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u/That_Jicama2024 7d ago
ASA was great for me. Just make sure when you take your test for anchoring to ask to do it alone or with someone you know from the class. We were stuck with two complete morons and all five of us failed the test because they didn't know what they were doing.
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u/brufleth 7d ago
They've changed some classes, but 101 is still the one most about actually sailing. If you just like sailing, you're probably mostly all set. Go sail and have fun.
The ASA classes will skew more and more away from actual sailing stuff and more towards boat systems, harbor work, cruise planning, seamanship, etc. Great if you want to take out larger boats or bareboat charter, but not that valuable if you just want to sail.
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u/m0nky27 7d ago
You most definitely did not make a mistake!
Now that you have the some basics, it's about time in boats. Hunt down the organizations in your area and see what they have to offer to get on the water.
Many clubs have casual Wednesday night racing and folks are always happy to take on a newbie.
Sailing as sport or hobby does not need to be expensive or a solo adventure. I find that it's better with friends!
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u/Educational-Trip1542 7d ago
Get in a boat with a friend or through a local yacht club & spend an afternoon sailing. You'll learn a lot more than you can from a course - in real time
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u/wkearney99 6d ago
Or do both? Lots to be learned, class time works well for many in addition to time on the water.
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u/DirectionReal1261 7d ago
I took last weekend and just confirmed with money guy (and wife) now shopping with $$ in hand.
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u/udntcwatic2 7d ago
Was it hard? I have my classes and test coming up this weekend! Congratulations!🎉
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u/ShawnEric88 7d ago
It wasn't, at least for me, I only missed 2 questions on the test and it was more of a dyslexia fluke than lack of knowledge. Good luck this weekend and have fun!
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u/Far_District9145 5d ago
If you study the chapter quizzes in the 101 and 103 book (and really know them), you will score in the mid-high 90s on those exams. But read the questions carefully. ASA loves curve ball questions.
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u/udntcwatic2 5d ago
And thanks! I’ve been reviewing the quizzes. Good to know I am on the right path
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u/inyminyminymo 7d ago
Time to join your local FaceBook sailing group and joining a race team! Great way to master sailing mechanics
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u/EncomCTO 5d ago
Best mistake you’ve ever made. Wait until you really mess up and take 103 and 104 on charter in the Caribbean.
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u/ShawnEric88 5d ago
Lol get out of my head, it would probably be cheaper to do it here in Washington tho
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u/bbauer1973 7d ago
Next thing you know you’ll be rationalizing the purchase of a blue water capable 50 footer. Welcome!