Step One

A yachting vacation, experience the lifestyle.
Take a learning vacation on a yacht crewed by experienced sailors and educators. Sail with us to sample the cruising life style. This would be analogous to what in the movies a Director would call an "Establishing Shot". It gives you a taste of what life is like for two on a 40' -  50'+ class cruising boat while setting the stage and framework for your five year plan.

ASA training & certifications (101 to 104 (bareboat charter)) These courses are available from many ASA schools. We suggest either: selecting a school close to home or selecting one that is near the area you are most likely to do your first charters. We teach for many of the schools in Florida including: Sailing Florida Charters (Tampa Bay Area) and Island Dreamer (Miami and the Florida Keys).  Several of these schools offer a fleet of charter boats on some of the finest cruising grounds in the US.

Daysailing, Daysailing, Daysailing including some racing There is nothing that can replace time on the water actively sailing to learn to feel and sense the environment of wind and wave and how a sailboat responds to them. We recommend joining a local sailing club (e.g. Windpath or Sailtime) and sailing every chance that you can. Join your local Yacht club for their "beer can regattas" (translation: not so serious fun races) where pick up crew are always welcome. The crucible of racing provides lessons that are invaluable in cruising, and yet are hard to learn from just cruising. Some even choose to purchase a small day sailor to have personal access to sailing as well as a first small step to learning boat ownership and maintenance