What better way to learn to sail, or hone your existing sailing skills, than on a sailing vacation in the Caribbean? We have ASA sailing schools in the BVI and St Vincent; some of the most idyllic cruising grounds in the world, offering first-class tuition, consistent breeze and 365 days of sunshine.
Our schools are American Sailing Association certified facilities offering you first-class tuition with our great Instructors. All of our ASA courses are taught on our private boats as opposed to renting a cabin with other people; it’s just you and your friends or family onboard. Our courses are personally tailored around your own vacation schedule; you let us know when you would like to take your Learn to Sail adventure. You will experience a true ‘liveaboard’ experience; all of your study and practical work takes place on your private yacht as you sail the beautiful Caribbean.
After your safety briefing and initial theory work, you will depart from your Horizon Yacht Charters Base, having provisioned and organized your snorkel equipment, and sail to the next stunning anchorage; all the time working through your ASA certification with your ASA Instructor.
Over the course of a week you will gain the knowledge and experience to charter sailing boats anywhere in the world, and embark on your own sailing adventure. The emphasis at Horizon Yacht Charters Caribbean sailing schools is on gaining hands-on experience at your own pace. Typically, the day will be split between theory work and practicing new skills through sailing exercises.
Once anchored for the afternoon; put the books away and enjoy a swim, a snorkel or spend time exploring ashore. After all, it’s your Caribbean vacation!
The American Sailing Association introduced certifications to the United States over 35 years ago. Today, with 350+ sailing schools worldwide and 508,000 ASA-certified sailors, ASA represents the largest and most trusted network of schools in the United States.
Learn to sail in the Caribbean with Horizon Yacht Charters way and achieve American Sailing Association certification. Contact our Caribbean sailing schools here.
The American Sailing Association (ASA) program has structured levels of sailing standards, which are examined at progressive certification levels at our Caribbean sailing schools. Students who learn to sail with Horizon Yacht Charters receive an ASA Logbook that lists the standards, certification and records sailing experience. All courses and examinations are run by our ASA qualified instructors. When a certification level is successfully completed, your ASA Logbook is signed and stamped so that any charter or rental fleet operator can see your level of competency. The most popular American Sailing Association courses we offer are as follows:
If you have little or no experience, then we recommend that you begin with ASA 101 (Basic Keelboat) and ASA 103 (Coastal Cruising). If you are on a week’s charter, these two courses can be taught in 5 days, giving you a couple of days to practice your new-found skills at the end of the week or to simply relax in the Caribbean sunshine.
Those that have cruising experience and basic seamanship skills should also add ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising) to their instruction. The three courses can be taught in one week, but don’t forget you are on vacation too so you may want to extend a few days to relax. We also offer the catamaran ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran) certification.
Horizon Sailing School offers first-class tuition on first-class yachts in first-class cruising grounds – the beautiful British Virgin Islands & the stunning Grenadines!
You will set sail from your Horizon Yacht Charters Base and experience the best of a Caribbean sailing vacation, whilst at the same time earning your American Sailing Association learn to sail certifications.
While onboard, you’ll learn to sail through hands-on experience, gaining the knowledge and experience to charter sailboats anywhere in the world, and embark on your own sailing adventure – a perfect learning vacation!
Mornings will be spent in your floating classroom learning and practicing new skills. In the afternoons, you’ll set sail and refine these newly learned skills along the way. Once anchored for the afternoon, you’ll be free to explore, lime, try out some watersports or relax with a well-deserved Caribbean cocktail!
The American Sailing Association (ASA) program has structured levels of sailing standards, which are examined at progressive certification levels at our Caribbean sailing schools. Students who learn to sail with Horizon Sailing School receive a Logbook that lists the standards, certification and records sailing experience. All courses and examinations are run by ASA-qualified instructors. When a certification level is successfully completed, your logbook is signed and stamped so that any charter or rental fleet operator can see your level of competency, allowing you to sail all across the globe!
ASA 101 Prerequisites: None
To learn to sail, Non-Sailors must sail a boat of about 20 feet or more in length in light to moderate winds and sea conditions in familiar waters without supervision. A preparatory Standard with no auxiliary power or navigation skills required. Successful candidates earn a National Safe Boating Certificate approved by NASBLA and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Obtain your ASA 101 qualification and learn to sail with Horizon Sailing School!
ASA 103 Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing Certification (ASA 101)
Sailors must cruise safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary-powered sailboat of about 20 to 30 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions.
Obtain your ASA 103 qualification and learn to sail with Horizon Sailing School!
ASA 104 Prerequisites:
ASA 104 is an advanced cruising Standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as skipper or crew of a 30 to 50-foot boat sailing by day in coastal waters. The Standard includes knowledge of boat systems and maintenance procedures.
Obtain your ASA 104 qualification and learn to sail with Horizon Sailing School!
ASA 114 Prerequisites:
Obtain your ASA 114 qualification and learn to sail with Horizon Sailing School!
As an accredited provider of American Sailing Association (ASA) courses, we have some of the most popular ASA sailing tips on hand!
For a head-start on your learning, or to simply refresh your memory on certain aspects of sailing, watch the various ASA sailing tip videos below, or follow us for our own tips & tricks!
The American Sailing Association is the leading authority on sailing instruction & sailing schools in the United States. You can learn to sail through Horizon Sailing School, an ASA-certified school with certified sailing instructors and immaculate yachts. Through our sailing classes, Horizon and ASA will help you learn sailing, safely & with confidence. Students who learn to sail with Horizon Sailing School receive a Logbook signed off by an ASA-certified instructor that lists the standards, certification and records sailing experience. ASA Certified Students can go from basic sailing lessons to advanced sailing courses, enjoying sailing experiences around the world.
To find out more about a Learn to Sail vacation with Horizon Sailing School, contact us and we will be delighted to assist.
If you have any queries on sailing tips, or suggestions on additional tips to include on our website, we would be delighted to hear from you – send us an email and we’ll see what we can do!
“We’ve sailed with Brian as a skipper only and as an ASA instructor. He is as patient with a large family as he is in a one on one teaching role. Brian has an intuitive mastery of sail trim that he passes on to his students with ease. It’s clear he has not only been sailing his entire life but that he is a natural teacher as well. His knowledge of Grenada, St Vincent and all in between is matched only by his rapport with the locals. If you walk around any of the Windward Islands with Brian, you immediately feel like a local as everywhere he goes he is warmly greeted. Without a doubt, Brian has made each of our charters that much more enjoyable and we’ve walked away with more sailing knowledge gained in 7 days than we might have learned in years of trial and error.” – John Baldschun
This is what one of our clients had to say recently: “The three of us loved Donna. She is obviously very skilled and experienced, but joins this with a delightful, engaging manner. She evaluated, but also shared much of her substantial knowledge of sailing in your local waters. We liked her so well we were sorry to part.” Andy L, Dec 2016
Another client has said: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you! We had a phenomenal trip! BVIs are an amazing place. Would like to especially praise Donna. She did a great job of balancing teaching my ASA 104/114 and vacation time for others on the boat. Her energy and enthusiasm for sailing are obvious. Everybody on the boat consider this one best all time trips. Already planning the next charter”. Joe Parkey – 1/2 – 1/9 2020
“Incredible week sightseeing, snorkeling, great stops for overnight. Cara’s knowledge of sailing is tremendous, answered all our questions, always made us feel safe, and was a great teacher.”
“Cara was awesome, gave us her personal cell phone number, and responded to questions happily. A pleasure to have a board”
Chris’ training will focus on safety, doing things the right way and thorough understanding of the water. While I am still a novice skipper I feel as if I know more than a lot of the skippers that I watched during the week. If you follow his instruction you too will be a better skipper. No shortcuts and you will ensure a safe happy trip for you and your family.
If you want an instructor or just a skipper ask for Chris. You will not be disappointed.
We will be back and I will recommend this charter company to my friends and family”. Patrick Anglim – January 13th 2020
“Greg is an excellent sailor/skipper! His knowledge and explanations were fantastic” ~ Kaczmarek
“Greg and Laura are off the charts! If you are lucky enough to sail with them, you will have the sail of your dreams” ~ Hilary Cohen
“Selwyn Maxwell was professional, friendly, sensitive to guest needs, cheerful and an excellent tour guide. He was always conscious of safety and comfort.” ~ Nattall
“Selwyn was an excellent captain, very attentive and good to work with. Highly recommend him!” ~ Stricker
“Selwyn had top-notch local knowledge and sailing experience” ~ Kelly Family
“Outstanding experience! Great local knowledge. Captain is highly experienced to handle any situation. Captain flexible with plans and showed me all the local highlights”, Yacht: Bavaria 40 Transitions, Dates: 9th to 19th December 2021. ~ Client: Diane DeGroot
“My husband and I chartered a catamaran for 9 days and arranged to have a certified ASA instructor to take ASA 101,103,104,& 114. I have to say we feel really lucky to have Brian as our instructor. He is the only local certified ASA instructor in the Grenadines…I was incredibly impressed with his knowledge and his teaching styles. We were able to complete all 4 courses and had a lot of fun in the process. I would highly recommend him as a hired Captain or Instructor. He was definitely was a huge part of what we loved about our trip! We will be hiring Brian again for our next trip to the Grenadines.” ~ Natasha & Andi Marcher 2019
“Heiden was great – made trip super easy and fun” ~ Morris
“Heiden was fantastic, very friendly with the kids and extremely professional.” ~ Sirgue
“The family are not natural sailors so we were a bit apprehensive but we had a great trip. Heiden was very helpful and really helped with the kids. We had a great time!” ~ Langford
“We could not have been better treated in a 5 star hotel. Everything was superb!” ~ Gittins 2010
“Michael and Ellie were excellent crew and we were well looked after in every way.” ~ Harris 2012
