FAQ’s: ASA 110 Small Boat Sailing Course

How much does it cost?

The price to take this six hour small boat course will be around US $400, UK £260, or 355 EUROS.

What will you get out of it?

This course is for someone with no prior sailing experience who wants to learn to sail a boat that has no ballast – a sailing dinghy – in conditions of up to 15 knots of wind. You will cover the basics of turning and sailing a boat as well as what to do when you capsize.

What are your limits on passing the ASA 110 Small Boat Sailing course?

You will be able to sail a small boat without ballast of up to 20ft in length in up to 15 knots of wind as a skipper. 15 knots is a fair blow and can make for very exciting sailing on most sailing dinghies and catamarans. 

Is the ASA 110 course theory based, practical or both?

With most dinghies you will have to learn to launch and recover the boat after every session on the water. You will also have a little bit of tuition ashore so you know what to do when you get afloat.

Most of the course however is practical (afloat) so you get the buzz for sailing and are not over burdened with difficult sailing theory too early.

Where can you take it?

You can take the ASA 110 Small Boat Sailing course anywhere that is accredited by the ASA to teach it. There are ASA accredited schools around the world so you can take it in most countries.

What level of experience do you need before you begin?

None – this is an entry level sailing course so no prerequisites are required.

What is the duration of the course?

The ASA 110 course takes 6 hours to complete.

What does it involve?

This course takes the complete beginner and gets them afloat, sailing competently in moderate weather conditions. You will learn to launch and recover the boat, tack, gybe and sail at all points of sail.

You will learn about essential safety equipment such as a lifejacket, as well as how to recover from an accident such as a capsize. You will also learn how to avoid a capsize by spilling the wind and bearing off in a gust.

Finally you will cover crew and skippers’ responsibilities, as well as the essential elements of the Rules of the Road that will prevent collisions with others on the water.

How do you progress after completing it?

From here it would be useful to progress to ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing, that introduces you to the basics of small yacht sailing. This will boost your sailing skills even further and enable you to undertake longer passages on a larger boat.

Does the ASA Small Boat Sailing course give you international accreditation?

No, sorry!

Further Resources:

Have a look around The Boating Hub for more information as to where to do the course at a location of your choice, and also at this American Sailing Association webpage for further useful information.