Why Choosing Cruisers Academy Over ASA Schools Will Enhance Your Sailing Experience
- brady38
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
If you’ve been looking into sailing schools, you might have noticed that Cruisers Academy isn’t ASA certified. That often raises a question: does it matter? The short answer is no. In fact, not being an ASA school can be better for your sailing education and your confidence on the water. Let’s explore why.
This blog will share the following info...
Debunks ASA myths - ASA isn't government-approved, not required for most charters, doesn't lower insurance
Why we built our own curriculum - Based on real circumnavigation experience vs. standardized testing
What sets us apart:
Experienced captains who've actually lived the cruising life
Flexible, customizable courses adapted to your goals
Strong emphasis on crewmanship and communication
Real-world boat systems and practical skills
Course comparisons - How CA-1 and CA-2 consolidate and exceed ASA 101/103/105/119, and how our offshore courses go far beyond ASA 104
Tips for evaluating any sailing school - What to look for in instructors, reviews, and programs
Community advantage - Active alumni network of real cruisers helping each other worldwide
Clearing Up Common Misconceptions About ASA Certification
Let's clear up a few popular myths about ASA certification that make sailing feel more bureaucratic than it needs to be:
Myth #1: ASA certifications are government-approved licenses that prove you're a competent sailor.
False. ASA is a private, self-accredited organization—just like Cruisers Academy and every other sailing school. There's no government body regulating recreational sailing certifications in the U.S. The best sailors we know have real miles and real experience, not certifications.
Myth #2: You Need ASA Certification to Bareboat Charter
Also false. The vast majority of charter companies worldwide require only two things: a sailing resume/logbook and a credit card. Croatia is the only place that specifically requires ASA or equivalent certifications. Everywhere else? Your experience matters more than your certificate.
Myth #3: ASA certifications lower your boat insurance premiums.
Nope. Insurance companies care about your actual sailing experience and safety record, not even having your USCG Captain's license lowers your premium, it's 100% about experience.
In summary…
ASA has been around forever, and have trained many sailors- which is great! But it's also important to note they have also done great marketing to make people believe their certifications are essential. They're not. What's essential is actual competence and real world experience on the water.
Why We Built Our Own Curriculum: Real Experience Matters More Than Certificates
After spending a decade circumnavigating the world and then teaching thousands of students over the years, we realized something: the gap between passing an ASA test and actually being ready to cruise is massive.
So we built our own curriculum from the ground up—one rooted in what we learned sailing over a hundred thousand of mile across all the oceans. We've refined it over years of teaching, listening to student feedback, and watching hundreds of our graduates go on to charter, buy their own boats, and become true cruisers.
Our Sailing Fundamentals Bible demystifies concepts to make sure you have a solid foundation of the fundamentals to build on. Our Offshore Workbook is packed full of best practices, simplifying boat systems, how to manage blue water systems, practical weather routing and navigation skills, and checklists that you can modify to your own boat!
What Makes Cruisers Academy STAND OUT
Our Instructors Have Actually Done It (And Are Actually Good Teachers)
Here's something most people don't know about ASA: pretty much anyone can become an ASA instructor with no real offshore experience.
At Cruisers Academy, our small group of hand selected Captain's are the real deal. Our captains aren't just vetted for their sailing credentials; their personalities are vetted too. These are people WE would want to live on a boat with for an extended period. They're oozing Cruisers Academy culture—patient, encouraging, genuinely excited to share their knowledge.
Every single one of our captains has:
Over a decade of sailing experience
Extensive cruising background (many have live aboard sailboats for years!)
RYA Offshore certification and/or USCG Captain's license
Extensive teaching experience in high stakes environments
You're not learning from someone who just passed an instructor course, doesn't have verifiable reviews, or will yell at you to "teach". You're learning from captains who've sailed through storms, navigated thousands of miles offshore, managed boat systems in remote locations, actually lived the cruising life, and know how to teach it effectively. That real-world experience and teaching ability shows up in every lesson, every decision, every piece of advice they give you.
Our Courses Are Customizable to Your Goals
One major advantage we have over ASA: flexibility.
We've heard from our instructors who've also taught ASA courses that you're beholden to the curriculum and tests no matter what. If the weather is perfect for sailing but it's time to take a test, you have to skip out on ideal sailing conditions to sit inside looking at a paper, practicing vocabulary you likely don't need. At Cruisers Academy, we adapt in real time. If you're more interested in chartering versus buying a boat versus crewing on someone else's vessel, we can shift the focus to give you those specific lessons. Our captains have the experience and expertise to customize your learning on the fly—because they actually know this stuff inside and out, not just what's written in a standardized test booklet. Good sailing conditions? We're going sailing. Specific questions about systems or techniques relevant to your goals? We're diving into those. That's the difference between teaching to a test and teaching to build real sailors.
We Prioritize Crewmanship Because We've Lived It
Over a decade of full-time cruising taught us that your experience on the water is only as good as your crew dynamics.
Boats are pressure cookers where small miscommunications become big problems and poor crew dynamics can ruin a perfect day—or create dangerous situations.
That's why crewmanship is woven into everything we teach. We don't just show you how to trim a sail—we help you manage stress and communicate effectively when conditions get challenging.
Traditional programs touch on crew coordination. We make it central—because technical skills mean nothing if your crew can't work together when it counts.
Our Curriculum Teaches Real Sailing and Cruising, Not Test-Taking
Here's how our courses compare to the ASA path:
CA-1 Covers Both ASA 101 and 103 Material & more
Over 4 days on Lake Tahoe (June-September), you'll work your way through our CA-1 Sailing Fundamentals Sailing Bible, and spend time on the beautiful waters of Lake Tahoe aboard our Catalina 26' or Cal 30' sailboats. CA-1 consolidates what ASA splits into two separate courses (101 and 103), giving you a more efficient path to competence.
What we cover:
Boat anatomy, standing and running rigging (ASA 101)
Crewmanship and communication (ASA 101)
Points of sail, tacking vs. gybing (ASA 101)
Essential knots and safety protocols (ASA 101)
Understanding weather: reading wind cues, predicting conditions, understanding high and low pressure systems, and forecasting using real tools (ASA 119 - Marine Weather)
True vs. apparent wind (ASA 103)
Calculating passage time (ASA 105 - Coastal Navigation)
What makes your boat float (buoyancy and stability) (beyond ASA 101)
How to use nautical charts (ASA 105 - Coastal Navigation)
Navigation Rules/Right of Way (ASA 101)
Theory of anchoring and docking (practical hands-on in CA-2) (ASA 103)
What CA-1 Covers That ASA 101 & 103 Don't:
Weather Education (CA-1's Major Advantage)
High and low pressure systems - understanding what creates wind
Predicting weather using real forecasting tools
True vs. apparent wind - critical for sail trim and safety
Wind speed charts and interpretation
Weather at work in Tahoe - local conditions and patterns
CA-2: Covers Both ASA 101 and 103 Material
CA-2 builds on your fundamentals with advanced techniques that go beyond the ASA curriculum. You'll study:
Real world experience utilizing electronic charts, planning a course and setting sail (ASA 105 - Coastal Navigation)
A deeper dive into understanding global weather patterns & systems like Coriolis Effect, hurricanes and typhoons (ASA 119 - Marine Weather)
Tidal theory (ASA 105 - Coastal Navigation)
Man overboard procedures (ASA 106 - Advanced Coastal Cruising)
Mooring protocols (theory and practical) (ASA 103/106)
Hands-on docking practice (ASA 103/106)
Hands-on anchoring practice (ASA 103/106)
Intro to basic boat systems needed for overnight sailing/staying aboard (ASA 104 - Bareboat Cruising)
Navigational Hazard Review (ASA 105 - Coastal Navigation)
Common sailboat rigs (ASA 103)
True Wind Angles and Apparent Wind Angles (ASA 103/106)
Different ways to measure your sailing course (ASA 105 - Coastal Navigation)
Sailing log documentation (ASA 103/104)
Practical hands-on docking and anchoring (ASA 103/106)
what Cruisers Academy's Offshore Courses cover that asa 104 doesn't
ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising) is designed as a 2-3 day live-aboard certification course. Our offshore programs in the Sea of Cortez are 6-14 days of actual cruising aboard SV Lintika, a Passport 42' blue-water boat equipped with all the systems you'll encounter on any offshore vessel: electrical systems, water maker, tankage, main engine, thru-hulls, standing rigging, multiple sail configurations, anchor systems, and dinghy operations.
What our offshore cruising courses cover compared to ASA 104, 105 & 106
Cruise planning & provisioning (ASA 104)
Marine diesel engines & electrical systems (ASA 104)
Plumbing - freshwater/head systems (ASA 104)
Basic coastal navigation - charts, GPS, dead reckoning (ASA 104)
Navigation & plotting - plotting positions, determining courses to steer (ASA 105)
Tides & currents - interpreting tide tables, current tables, calculating set and drift (ASA 105)
Navigation tools & rules - GPS, and Radar (ASA 105)
Weather forecast interpretation (ASA 104)
Advanced sail trim techniques (ASA 104)
Advanced sail handling - managing reefs, heavy weather tactics, advanced sail trim (ASA 106)
Night sailing & watchkeeping - executing overnight passages, managing crew, navigating at night (ASA 106)
Boat systems & seamanship - troubleshooting engine/electrical systems, anchoring, maneuvering (ASA 106)
Emergency procedures & MOB/PIW recovery (ASA 104/106)
Boat handling & maneuvering under power (ASA 104)
Dinghy/tender operation (ASA 104)
What Cruisers Academy Offshore Adds (that ASA 104 doesn't):
Actual Blue-Water Boat Systems:
Water maker operation - not just theory, hands-on desalination
Electrical system management - solar, batteries, charging systems on a real cruising boat
Thru-hull locations & management - critical safety knowledge
Tankage systems - fuel, water, holding tanks on offshore vessels
Standing rigging inspection - what to look for and why it matters
Real Weather Education:
PredictWind - the actual tool cruisers use (not generic forecasting)
Coriolis Effect - understanding global wind patterns
Global high & low pressure systems - why weather moves the way it does
Storms, hurricanes, typhoons - recognition and avoidance
Tides & currents - deep dive into how they affect passages
Advanced Sailing Techniques ASA 104 Doesn't Cover:
Heaving to - critical heavy weather tactic
Balanced helm, weather helm, leeward helm - fine-tuning boat performance
Reefing in real conditions - not simulated, actual practice
Watch procedures day & night - efficient crew rotation systems
Night sailing - extended experience, not just anchoring at night
The Cruising Life (Not in any ASA course):
Crew dynamics & communication - managing relationships on passage
International logistics - checking in/out of countries, choosing destinations
Boat ownership & maintenance - what it actually takes
Best practices from a decade of cruising - learned the hard way, taught efficiently
Apps we actually use - real tools, not textbook recommendations
Marine medical kit - what you need offshore
General practices aboard - daily routines that work
Practical Tips for Evaluating Sailing Schools
If you still aren’t convinced on the Cruisers Academy way, please take our advice for booking ANY sailing courses by doing the follow:
Check instructor backgrounds: Are your teachers seasoned sailors with real open ocean miles? Do they have a bio you can check out?
Read Instructor Reviews: Can you verify your instructors teaching skills by reading reviews about them? (Check out more than 100 five star CA reviews)
Look for hands-on experience: Does the school prioritize time on the water during good questions over classroom test taking?
Student to Instructor Ratio: How any other students are in the course? With Cruisers Academy, you will generally have 3-4 students total (max of five) students to each teacher.
What kind of boat: Does the program utilize boats that have the systems you will want to learn about?
Consider your goals: If you want to cruise confidently, be sure that the courses you select are live-aboard courses and not coming back to the dock each night.
Cruisers Academy More Than a Sailing School
Our slogan is "more than a sailing school" for a reason. We're not trying to fit the ASA mold. We're building true sailors and cruisers through a curriculum designed from decades of real-world experience.
Whether you're taking your first steps with CA-1, advancing your skills with CA-2, or preparing to go offshore in the Sea of Cortez, you're learning from people who've done it—and who've taught hundreds of others to do it successfully.
So no, we're not an ASA school. And honestly? We think that makes us better.
Ready to learn to sail the way sailors actually sail? Check out our courses and see what real-world sailing education looks like.
CA-2: Advanced Sailing
Join a Community of Actual Cruisers
When you complete a Cruisers Academy course, you're not just getting an education—you're becoming part of our alumni community. This isn't a Facebook group of people who took a weekend course and never sailed again. Our graduates are actively buying cruising boats, planning passages, and looking for crew who've been trained the same way they have. They're reaching out to each other for advice, sharing anchorages, meeting up in foreign ports, and forming the kind of sailing partnerships that last a lifetime. This is a community you can actually depend on and lean into—people who speak the same language, share the same values, and are out there doing it. Many of our alumni have found their long-term cruising crew, sailing partners, and closest friends through Cruisers Academy. That network is worth as much as the skills you learn.
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