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The Missing Piece Between Certification and Confidence

You Passed Your Sailing Course. Now What? Learn how a digital logbook helps build experience,...

sailboat racing in a storm

Storm Tactics

Legendary sailor John Neal shares 412,000 miles of hard-won storm wisdom: heavy-weather sailing starts with...

The coast of half moon bay at sunset

The Storm That Rewrote Half Moon Bay

Christmas 1979. A routine holiday sail down the California coast — and a winter storm...

American Sailing Names David Taylor Chief Executive Officer

A thirty-year business builder and ASA-certified sailor takes the helm of the world’s most respected...

Sailing Guadeloupe with Sea Dog Sailing

Ahhh Oui! Guadeloupe American Sailing Captain and CEO of Sea Dog Sailing, Stacey Brooks, sails Guadeloupe and wants to share her experience with fellow sailors. Listen to her describe the Guadeloupe sailing experience and you will change your tune about planning your next charter. As the plane wheels kissed the tarmac in Guadeloupe, I could feel a rush of happiness

The Benefits Of Sailing For Kids

As a kid, I never sailed. I lived close enough to the ocean that people I knew would go there, but my working-class father never really saw it fit to head to the shore for a day at the beach. He certainly did not need to be on a boat. “I have legs that work perfectly fine on land. I

Featured Instructor: Captain Dimitris Bampakos

Captain Dimitris Bampakos of Fairwinds Sailing School Corfu is This Month’s Featured Instructor If your bucket list has space for another sailing destination you should consider Greece. If you add Greece, you need to add Captain Dimitris Bampakos. His love for sailing and the ocean is only exceeded by his love for the sailing grounds of Corfu, Greece. His passion

Channel Islands Class/Flotilla with Blue Pacific Yachting

Have you wanted to sail the Channel Islands of California? This May, American Sailing School Blue Pacific Yachting is organizing two flotillas to these islands with an opportunity to work on your sailing education. Take your sailing to the next level? This could be the trip for you! Blue Pacific Yachting is headed to the Channel Islands TWICE this May!

The Anatomy of a Boat

The parts of a boat will soon become second nature when you learn to sail.

Product Review: Nomadix Towel

Don’t judge me but I used this towel for three weeks without washing it. Sometimes you have to sacrifice in order to get a full idea of what a product can do. Before we get into the thick of it, let me explain that I have had a second Nomadix towel in a drybag, on my boat for more than

Featured Sailing School: Reef Runner Sailing

Learning to sail is a bucket list item for many people but learning to sail with your significant other is a twist on doing things to strengthen your relationship. This month’s featured school, Reef Runner Sailing does just that. A husband and wife team sharing their love of the ocean with potential cruisers. If you ever considered leaving your

2022 Sailing Adventures with American Sailing

Do You Need Sailing Vacation Inspiration This year, join American Sailing as we sail to destinations near and far. From the tropical waters of the British Virgin Islands to the culturally rich anchorages of Croatia we encourage you to go sailing with us. Join groups of American Sailing Members in New England and the Chesapeake Bay aboard Arabella or hop

Featured Instructor: Captain Jeremy E. Elwell

Captain Jeremy E. Elwell at Reef Runner Sailing School is This Month’s Featured Instructor A quick read into Captain Jeremy’s back ground and you might be motivated to leave your life, get on a boat and find a new wife. Sailing does that to you and this month’s featured instructor is an example of the sailing lifestyle taking you in

10 Phrases You Never Knew Came From Sailing

Sailing was the hinge of western civilization for hundreds of years, as result sailors’ slang & terminology are rooted in the English lexicon and still exists profoundly to this day.

Frederick Douglass: The Sailor You Should Know

In October of 2021, I sailed on the Chesapeake Bay on an American Sailing Charter. As with all of these charters, I am fortunate enough to meet many great people who love to sail. We anchored in Cambridge, Maryland, on this particular charter and went ashore. I am almost embarrassed to admit to this, but I never really understood the

Parts of a Sailboat – The Sails

It’s safe to say a sailboat is only as good as its sails when you consider that capturing the wind’s energy is the premise behind what sailors do to propel their boats in a forward direction. A good captain will trim those said sails to be as efficient as possible and the proper heading will help with overall performance, but

Product Review: California Cowboy

American Sailing has a new partner in its member benefits program and it may be one of the most useful products that casual sailors will utilize. If you are a racer and you do not need superfluous stuff on your boat, you may think I am wrong. If you are a racer and you love to celebrate your Wednesday night

Featured School: Marina Sailing Newport Beach

Marina Sailing is California’s largest sailing club. Since 1962, they have offered a welcoming environment for new sailors to learn and pursue their sailing passions. As a member, you have access to six beautiful locations maintaining a fleet of over seventy yachts. On top of that, there are thousands of members to share your passion with. The Newport Beach

Twelve Steps To Becoming A Sailor

While scrolling through Facebook I was introduced to the Women’s Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay (WSA) sailing group. This post appeared and I had to share it with our American Sailing Readers. We all have dreams about sailing and the author of this piece, Yosh Han, outlines her twelve steps to living her life as a sailor. Even though

What to Expect When You Go Sailing With Friends

This Multi-Part Series will focus on what to expect when going out for a leisure sail with friends. This is different from what you might expect when taking your first sailing lesson or sailing with an instructor. Part #1 Getting To The Boat You arrive at the sailboat with excitement for your first day of sailing. You’ve listened to Jimmy

A Love Letter to Sailing

It is that time of the year when we feel like expressing our love for the special people and things in our lives. This year I am professing my love for sailing. This is my public love letter to sailing. Share your love letters to sailing and we will publish some of them on the American Sailing website and on

11 Tips For Bareboat Cruising

Night sailing is a bit of a different animal so we’ve cobbled together seven tips to keep in mind as you sail off into the wild black yonder.