103 Textbook in the Works
We are currently in the throes of designing the next new ASA textbook–an accompaniment to the ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising course. Last week, the…
Author: Nik
September’s Photo of the Month
This month’s theme was “Lessons in Action.” We received all sorts of photos, from textbook man overboard drills to non-textbook lessons “from the school of…
Driving on your cell phone
Cell phones and driving don’t mix–and that goes for driving a boat too. Recently USCG crew members were involved in two boating accidents due to…
Oil be d#$ned, sailors sail on!
Emerald Coast Yachts is located in Pensacola Florida, one of the coastal communities closest to the Gulf oil spill. But what started out as a…
Sailing Selflessly
I met Lee Winters through Twitter (@SOSChildrenUSA). He is circumnavigating solo (the old-fashioned, sane, take-your-time way)–and he’s doing it to raise awareness for the nonprofit…
Ocean Vs. Plastic
Whereas the Great Ocean can lick three layers of antifouling paint right of the bottom of your boat and deteriorate your huge zinc plates within…
Thousands of Words of Wilderness
Trying to capture July’s Gulf Islands flotilla with one-dimensional words would be futile. The wild beauty and solitude of the Canadian cruising ground is best…
Flotilla Fever
Three weeks from today I’ll be touching my toes in the Adriatic, commencing ASA’s first-ever Croatia flotilla! Jimmy Tanaka, an ASA Instructor, just returned from…
Sailing Through Cancer
On a beautiful freshwater lake in Maine, James Rey has spent the summer trimming the sails of his new O’Day 25. He spends almost every…
A Global Flotilla
I wasn’t aboard for this June’s San Juan Islands flotilla, but seeing the photos folks brought home, I wish I had been! The San Juans…
A Flock on the Fleet!
Some of the best moments for cruisers are when we get to experience natural wonders up close. ASA Member Whitney Garner submitted an intriguing photograph…
August Photo of the Month
We had our first Photo of the Month competition on Facebook last week. The above photo of the grand yacht Whisper, submitted by George Bekris,…
Managing Weather
In this guest post, Captain Tony Wall of Biscayne Bay Sailing Academy recounts delivering a 46′ sloop–while managing the effects of a nearby hurricane. As…
Sailing with Whales
I assume by now you’ve all seen this: But it’s so completely insane I had to repost the picture. (And have you seen the video…
U.S. National Ocean Policy
In 2009, President Obama declared June National Oceans Month, recognizing that “From the abyssal plains of the Pacific to the shallow coral reefs and seagrass…
Thou Shalt Not Dump Oil
Boaters are well aware that it is strictly illegal to dump oil at sea. We’re all required to have “Discharge of Oil Prohibited” placards in…
Sailing With Style
The first edition of ASA’s brand new monthly e-newsletter, Sailing With Style, was sent out last week. Did you get it? Don’t miss out: you…
“Hrvatski Voda Flotile”
(That’s what the shirts from our Croatia Flotilla will read!) As ASA staff members return from attending the recent San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands…