Our Basic Keelboat classes provide the novice or untrained sailor with a firm foundation in sailing. It is the first of the 5 classes in the U.S. Sailing Certification progression to proficiency.
The content of Basic Keelboat provides you with the understanding and practice time you need for the complexities of sailing in conditions governed by tides, changeable winds and currents. Because of our school's location, the class includes the added bonus of learning on-water navigational aids in a commercial harbor. The detailed content and practice time inherent in this sailing class ensures that you come away with a solid understanding of sailing that will allow you to progress to larger boats and bigger waters, if you so desire, with ease and with confidence.
"Hank was an excellent instructor. He was very laid back but consistently went over the important things again and again until we had learned them. I also liked the rate at which he introduced new things to learn. We would always review previous lessons and then he would introduce new concepts at a reasonable pace. We have told all our friends about the course..." - Lee & Holly F., N. Charleston, SC
The course is divided into 2 parts so that you may take the 6 days together or in two 3-day blocks, at your convenience.
"My wife and I finished up BK2 last weekend and had a blast! Cyrus and Alan were great instructors and took advantage of some challenging weather conditions to really put our skills to the test. Kudos to what you and your instructors are doing to share their knowledge and passion for sailing. Keep up the good work!" -- Chris P., Hilton Head, SC
All OSA classes accept no more than four students per instructor, guaranteeing you a high level of personalized attention.
"Mostly, I felt a benign sense of confidence during and after the fantastic weekend class taught by Greg. This of course is especially important given our upcoming trip to Greece." - Kelly D., Charleston, SC
Basic Keelboat 1
Length of Class: 3 days Prerequisite: none Certification: pending completion of BK 2
Skills covered:
* Parts of the Boat * Parts of the Rig * Knot Tying * Line Management * Sail Bending and Flaking * Points of Sail * Tacking and Jibing * Reefing (Shortening Sail) * Docking under Power * Crew Overboard Recovery
Length of class: 3 days Prerequisite: Basic Keelboat Part 1 Certificatiion: US Sailing Basic Keelboat
Skills covered:
* Sail Trim * Sail Handling * Close Quarters Sail Control * Starting and Stopping * Speed Control * Docking under Sail (when conditions permit) * Sail Planning * Chart Reading and Line of Sight Navigation * Rules of the Road * Crew Overboard Recovery Practice
"Steve is an AWESOME instructor. He is the picture of calm, cool and collected. He purposely allows the students to get into trouble so they force themselves to adjust and adapt. Even when I was totally lost, his calm demeanor and his attitude to make the students think was a true example of encouraging the students to learn and not just follow commands.
I have a great deal of admiration and respect for Steve." - Jeff Miller
