Learn to Sail

                                                                                                                                       Our Newest Video of the Windjester shot March of 08

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The Sonoran Sport Center Sailing School offers ASA certification on four levels: Basic Keelboat, Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Charter, Cruising Catamaran.

This year marks our 20th in San Carlos.  Learning to Sail around the coast of Sonora is to put it mildly stunning. For more trip pictures click here and for our trip calendar click this link Calendar

                              

We do get the chance to eat a lot of fresh fish on our live aboard trips

Why do you want to learn to sail? What is your ultimate goal? Do you want to charter boats around the world or do you plan to own your own boat and sail off into the sunset. If you live close to San Carlos or the Sea of Cortez perhaps our sailing club is right for you. Click here for info on our sailing club. Email or call us and we will talk honestly with you about ASA certifications with out the hype that many other sailing schools feed you. If learning how to sail is your priority and not a piece of paper that says you passed a class then you have found the right sailing school.

                                                                                                                                                                       

 

Vince Radice is Our senor instructor and the owner of the company and has extensive local knowledge of the area and over 10,000 nautical miles logged, including a Pacific crossing from the west coast of Mexico to the Marquesa Islands. 

Lets sail the Sea of Cortez!!!

 Experienced sailors who do not have an certification and wish to obtain one should email me about challenging any of the courses listed.

 

 

                                                                Best of 06 sailing video, thanks to all of you guys!!!!!!

         

Our Boats

The Sonoran Sport Center offers multi hulls and mono hulls to train on. I could try to explain the differences between the two styles of boats, monohulls or multihulls but why not sail both types and then you decide. There is no better way to round out your sailing experience! We have also added a new boat to our program, a 1988 41 foot Morgan Classic Center Cockpit named Windjester   . This boat has all the bells and whistles and is an excellent boat to do your Bareboat Charter certification on. Just click on the links and see for yourself. Pricing for the Windjester   will be slightly different from our 36 foot trimaran Windsplitter but very competitive.

Piver 36 Windsplitter                                           Morgan 41 Windjester   

      Hartly 28 Chantik                                            Ericcson 23 Namaste  

*All courses listed below can be taught as Non ASA certified courses so if learning to sail is your interest but ASA certification is not we can come up with a package for you at a greatly reduced price!

*Not sure if you want to take a full certification course? Take our Discover sailing course only $175 dollars and that includes up to 4 people!!!! We will spend around 4 hours on the water and if you decide you would like to get certified then we will credit you for an ASA 101 basic keel boat course.

*All teaching materials are included in the packages below, that includes text books and ASA log books. If you would like to get a head start on your study's before you come down we can recommend several great books on sailing for you.

our local day sailing packages

Prices listed in box below are based on non live aboard sailing trips that depart from the marina San Carlos and return to the the marina San Carlos each day. Each American Sailing Association course listed below, other than the discover sailing course, has a duration of approximately 2 and 1/2 days of instruction or 16 hours.  

5 day sailing packages

Combination courses listed below are based on a five day format with three days of local sailing and a two day live aboard.

* Add $200 dollars per person to do this package using Windjester as your live aboard boat.

5 day live aboard packages

Following prices are for Multiple overnight trips departing from the Marina San Carlos and returning 5 days later from either Baja California or the northern coast of Sonora. These trips are recommended if you really want to get a feel for what living on a sail boat and cruising in the Sea of Cortez is all about.

5 day 4 night Live aboard Certification to Baja or Northern Coast of Sonora

8 day combination packages

Combination course packages listed below are for highly motivated individuals who are very serious about learning how to sail. These prices are hard to beat when you consider where you are sailing and the fact that you are getting one on one instruction. Sailing schools in California often charge almost twice as much as we do and there is no comparison to the sailing experience that you receive here in the Sea of Cortez. Sailing with the possibility of sighting up to 17 different mammals, snorkeling with over 800 different species of fish. Kayaking and beach combing secluded beaches and bays. That won't happen in Florida or California! Click course itinerary for an idea of what you can expect to accomplish in an 8 day sailing course.

Pricing for Windjester will be as follows

8 day combination packages, 5 local days 3 day live aboard, on Windjester  our 41 foot center cockpit are as follows

If you would like to spend the non live aboard portion of your course on board Windjester instead of paying for a hotel add another 85 dollars to your cost.

The following packages are for Windsplitter our 40 foot trimaran

*New Package*This new package combines all four levels of certification, Basic Keel Boat, Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Charter and Cruising Multihull. The package consists of 8 days of sailing. 6 local days of sailing from our mooring in San Carlos and a 48 hour live aboard to San Pedro Island or Isla Tortuga to snorkel and kayak with our local Sea Lion Population.  For the duration of the courses students are allowed to live on board the boat at no extra cost thus saving money on hotels!!

  Our Courses

Basic Keel Boat Sailing Standard

Prerequisites: None, persons with previous sailing experience may challenge this course to move to next level.

General Course Description: You will learn to sail a boat of around 25 feet in length in light to moderate winds and sea conditions in familiar waters without supervision. No auxiliary power skills or navigation skills are required to take this course. The Basic Keelboat Sailing course is approved by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard as a recognized Safe Boating Course. As such, it meets all requirements for mandatory education and licensing for every state in the United States.

    This course covers aspects such as sailing terminology, navigation rules, crew overboard, and knots. You will receive approximately 18 hours of instruction. There are written and practical tests. Upon completion of this course you will be qualified to charter the boat you have trained on and day sail on you own. Topics to be stressed include.

Basic Coastal Cruising Standard

Prerequisites: Basic Keel Boat Sailing certification. Persons with sailing experience may challenge course.

General Course Description: Abel to cruise safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on a an auxiliary sailboat of about 30 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions. 

     Topics stressed in this course will include gear and safety equipment, interpretation of marine weather forecasts, interpretation of NOAA nautical charts, proper anchoring techniques, boat handling under power and sail, reefing/heaving to, person overboard and much much more.

Bareboat Chartering Standard

Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing and Basic Coastal Cruising certifications. Sailors with previous experience may challenge this standard.

General Course Description: An advanced cruising Standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as a skipper or crew of a 30-50 foot boat sailing by day in coastal waters. The Standard includes knowledge of boat systems and maintenance procedures.

Topics include trip planning, living afloat, weather, boat systems, through hull valves below the water line and a great deal of Seamanship and Sailing Skills.

Coastal Navigation

Areas covered in the course:

Cruising Catamaran

• Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat and Basic Coastal Cruising certifications. The Bareboat Charter Standard is also a prerequisite and can be attained either by itself prior to this course or in conjunction with it.

• General Course Description: An advanced cruising standard for individuals with cruising experience. The individual can act as a skipper or crew of a 30-50 foot Multihull sailboat by day in coastal waters. The standard includes those skills unique to a 30-50 foot Multihull.

Bareboat Rental Price list

If you would like a skipper add $100 dollars a day to the fee. There are many great dive sites and anchorages around the San Carlos area. Many clients request a captain for a day or two so that they can be shown some of the better dive sites available. Your check out fee is waved if you hire a captain for a day or longer.

*ASA members receive 10% discount on any services