ASA Course Guide

Not sure which ASA level fits you best?

This course guide maps out your options, from foundational skills to advanced passagemaking, so you can choose the training that matches your experience and your cruising goals.

ASA Course Guide

Not sure which ASA level fits you best?

This course guide maps out your options, from foundational skills to advanced passagemaking, so you can choose the training that matches your experience and your cruising goals.

Which course is right for me?

Close-up of boat rigging and sails, high up on a sailing ship with a cloudy sky in the background.

Which course is right for me?

  • Certification: ASA 101 Basic Keelboat

    Prerequisites: None

    New to the helm or coming back after a break? This course teaches the essentials that matter most: trim, tacks, gybes, docking, rules, and practical safety. It’s the ideal first step for ASA certification and progression to 103 and 104.

    If you’re already comfortable navigating and docking on your own or chasing overnight runs, choose the higher course.

  • Certification: ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising

    Prerequisites: ASA 101

    This course moves you to independent coastal cruising. You’ll skipper 25 to 35 ft auxiliary keelboats by day in moderate conditions while planning multi-day trips, anchoring, docking, managing systems, reading weather, and practising basic coastal navigation and seamanship.

  • Certification: ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising

    Prerequisites: ASA 101 & 103

    Ready to take command? This course is for sailors prepared to lead a crew, plan routes and provisions, and run the boat stem to stern while practising advanced sail trim, coastal navigation with GPS, docking and multiple-anchor mooring, auxiliary engine use, weather interpretation, and emergency drills in moderate to heavy conditions. If you want casual day sails or are still building the basics, wait. If your goal is confident bareboat chartering and truly self-reliant cruising, this is your course.

  • Certification: ASA 105 Coastal Navigation

    Recommended Prerequisites: ASA 101 & 103 (Optional)

    Ready to move beyond day sails and actually chart your own passages? ASA 105 Coastal Navigation is for sailors who want to plan multi-day routes, read and interpret charts, tides, and currents, plot and correct positions, convert true and magnetic, run dead reckoning, take bearings, set a course to steer, and apply the Navigation Rules with confidence. If you still lean on GPS for everything or are early in the basics, wait. If your goal is safe, accurate coastal passages you can execute even when the screen goes dark, this is your course.

  • Certification: ASA 106 Advanced Coastal Navigation

    Prerequisites: ASA 101, 103, 104, & 105

    For sailors ready to turn coastal miles into true passages, this course pushes you beyond fair weather into confident command day or night. You’ll practise advanced sail handling, heavy weather tactics, night navigation, man-overboard recovery, emergency response, and managing a vessel’s systems underway, with longer runs that demand real decision-making and leadership. Finish ready to plan and execute extended coastal passages under all conditions.

  • Certification: ASA 114 Cruising Catamaran

    Prerequisites: ASA 101, 103, & 104

    Ready to take the helm of a multihull? This course teaches the why and the how of catamarans, then proves it on the water. You’ll learn what sets two hulls apart, master twin-engine handling, spin a boat in its own length in tight marinas, and dock with precision. We also focus on safety and seamanship: jacklines, man-overboard recovery, capsize risks and avoidance, heavy-weather habits, and smart crew management. By the finish, you’ll understand hull design, rigging, and onboard systems, trim for performance under sail and power, and run a cruising catamaran with confidence on coastal routes and beyond.

Choose Your Classroom

Scenic mountain lake on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by dense evergreen forest with a small tree-covered island in the centre.

Vancouver Island, Canada

Available Course Packages:

ASA 101 & 103

ASA 103 & 104

ASA 105 & 106

Boat type: Monohull

Aerial view of a lush green island in the British Virgin Islands with sandy beaches and turquoise Caribbean waters, a signature destination for Saltline Sailing liveaboard adventures.

British Virgin Islands (BVI)

Available Course Packages:

ASA 101 & 103

ASA 103 & 104

ASA 105 & 106

Add On: ASA 114*

Boat type: Monohull or Catamaran*

Aerial view of beachfront houses in Antigua and Barbuda with white buildings, palm trees, and oceanfront dining on a rocky shoreline above turquoise water with a sailboat in the distance.

Antigua and Barbuda

Available Course Packages:

ASA 101 & 103

ASA 103 & 104

ASA 105 & 106

Add On: ASA 114*

Boat type: Monohull or Catamaran*

Anchored boats on a large bay near La Paz in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, with arid mountainous coastline and a partly cloudy sky over calm water.

La Paz, Mexico

Available Course Packages:

ASA 101 & 103

ASA 103 & 104

ASA 105 & 106

Add On: ASA 114*

Boat type: Monohull or Catamaran*

Harbour in the Croatian Adriatic with boats floating in turquoise water, a coastal town along the waterfront, and hillside views in the background.

Croatia

Available Course Packages:

ASA 101 & 103

ASA 103 & 104

ASA 105 & 106

Add On: ASA 114*

Boat type: Monohull or Catamaran*

Aerial view of a tropical coastal landscape with two lush green islands, turquoise waters, and a coastal town with many houses and boats, under a partly cloudy sky.

Grenada

Available Course Packages:

ASA 101 & 103

ASA 103 & 104

ASA 105 & 106

Add On: ASA 114*

Boat type: Monohull or Catamaran*

Traits of a Saltline Sailor

  • Adventure-Driven

    You love the idea of threading into new harbours by day and exploring trails, coves, and beach bars by night.

  • Outdoor Enthusiast

    You get as excited about swimming, snorkelling, hiking, and exploring ashore as you do about a perfect sailing leg.

  • Hands-On Doer

    You would rather trim a sail, plot a course, or dock the boat yourself than watch from the sidelines.

  • Curious Learner

    You ask questions, like to understand the why behind every manoeuvre, and want more than a checklist of skills.

  • Safety-Minded

    You respect the ocean and want to understand the systems and procedures that keep everyone safe.

  • Team Player

    You are ready to work with a crew, communicate clearly, and support others as everyone learns together.

Ocean waves crashing against rocks with foamy white water and turquoise hues.
American Sailing certified logo with a circular design and a red A silhouette in the center.

ASA Recognized

Globally Respected

But what does that mean for you, and for Saltline?

  • ASA is an international network of over 400 sailing schools, charter companies, and certified instructors across the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. Since its founding, it has trained and certified hundreds of thousands of sailors through a structured, tiered program that begins with entry-level courses and progresses into advanced navigation and cruising skills.

  • Saltline delivers training through the American Sailing Association’s proven curriculum and certification pathway, providing students with industry-recognized, top-tier training. These certifications are widely accepted by charter companies and sailing organizations worldwide.

  • Being ASA-Certified and providing ASA Certification means Saltline is not just “any sailing school.” It’s part of a global standard for safe, competent, and responsible sailing education for the next generation of sailors.

Full Course Curriculums

Your next chapter starts on deck.