Prerequisites & Certifications


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  • Course Prerequisites

    Students must be in good health and fit for activities aboard a boat underway. Following are The Maryland School of Sailing & Seamanship minimum prerequisites for student acceptance into each sailing course level. Satisfaction of these prerequisites plus additional sailing related experience and training will be considered in this evaluation.

    BKB - Basic Keelboat Sailing: 
    • Minimum age: 18 years
    BCC - Basic Coastal Cruising:
    • Completed 4 days of basic sailing instruction in monohull sailboats, or  
    • Captained monohull sailboats of 15 feet for 25 days
    ICC - Intermediate Coastal Cruising:
    • Completed 8 days of basic sailing instruction in monohull sailboats, or
    •  Captained monohull sailboats of 20 feet for 20 days.
    ACC- Advanced Coastal Cruising:
    • Completed 13 days of basic and intermediate sailing instruction in monohull sailboats and Captained monohull sailboats of 27 feet for 12 days, or
    • Captained monohull sailboats of 27 feet for 40 days.  
    • Successfully completed the ASA105 Coastal Navigation course and exam or a similar course and exam from others. 
    • Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 30.0 
    • Agree in advance to a potential five day weather delay in the scheduled cruise completion date.
    OFS1: Entry Level Ocean Training Cruise; Norfolk to Bermuda and Bermuda to Norfolk
    • Completed 20 days of basic and intermediate sailing instruction in monohull sailboats and captained monohull sailboats of 35 feet for 30 days, 
    • or Captained monohull sailboats of 35 feet for 60 days
    • Successfully completed the ASA105 Coastal Navigation course and exam or a similar course and exam from others.
    • Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 30.0
    • Agree in advance to a potential five day weather delay in the scheduled cruise completion date.
    CON- Coastal Navigation:
    • Minimum age: 16 years  
    CEL- Celestial Navigation:
    • Minimum age: 16 years
    • Successfully completed a coastal navigation course or written exam, or has equivalent experience

    Requirements for ASA Certification

    Following are the requirements for students seeking ASA Certifications through The Maryland School of Sailing & Seamanship:  

    ASA101- Basic Keelboat Sailing Certification:
    • Studied all assigned course literature, and
    • Completed our BKB course and passed the ASA101 exam, or
    • ASA101 certification may also be achieved by passing the ASA101 written and practical exams if a student has previously Captained monohull sailboats of 15 feet in length for 25 days and successfully completed our BCC course.  
    ASA103- Basic Coastal Cruising Certification:
    • Has ASA101 Certification, and
    • Studied all assigned course literature, and
    • Completed our BCC course, and
    • Passed the ASA103 written and practical exams.
    ASA104- Intermediate Coastal Cruising Certification:
    • Has ASA101 and ASA103 Certifications, and
    • Studied all assigned course literature, and
    • Completed our ICC course, and
    • Passed the ASA104 written and practical exams
    ASA105- Coastal Navigation Certification:
    • Passed the ASA105 written exam
    ASA106- Advanced Coastal Cruising Certification:
    • Has ASA101, ASA103, ASA104 and ASA105 Certifications, and
    • Captained monohull sailboats of 27 feet for 12 days, and
    • Studied all assigned course literature, and
    • Completed our ACC course, and
    • Passed the ASA106 written and practical exams.
    ASA107- Celestial Navigation Certification:
    • Has ASA105 Certification or equivalent training and experience, and
    • Passed the ASA107 written exam
    ASA108- Offshore Passagemaking Certification:
    • Has ASA101, ASA103, ASA104, ASA105, ASA106 and ASA107 Certifications, and
    • Captained monohull sailboats of 35 feet for 30 days, and
    • Studied all assigned course literature, and
    • Completed our OFS1 ocean training cruise and received a favorable written recommendation from the Captain, and
    • Completed Celestial Navigation skills tasks during offshore passage as described in the ASA Logbook Offshore Passagemaking Standard items 36, 37 & 38, and
    • Provided a written analysis of the questions posed in the ASA Logbook Offshore Passagemaking Standard items 1 through 34

    Challenges

    The ASA101 certification level may be challenged when taken in conjunction with an ASA 103 course taken at our School. The fee for this challenge, including study materials, is $250 plus a $39 ASA Member Fee,  in addition to the ASA 103 course fee.

    The ASA105 and 107 certification levels may be challenged by taking a written examination at our facility or at a public library for a fee of $225, but this fee does not include study materials.

    The ASA105 and ASA107 courses may also be taken as part of our Home Study 105 or Home Study 107 programs for a fee of $325 each including study materials and written examination..

    Refer to our School Store for a description of the Study References for our courses.
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