Who can take an Adult Sailing Course?
Our Adult Sailing Courses are FREE to Sailing Center Members and St. Petersburg Yacht Club Members! (i.e. you must be a member to register for the course.) It is open to those 17 and up. This introductory keelboat course is great for beginners and those in need of a refresher.
When are the courses?
Courses are 12 hours long and happen in one weekend, 9-4 both Saturday and Sunday. They are primarily held on certain weekends during the summer and sporadically during the winter months. For course schedule and to register, please contact Shawn Macking at 727 822-3113.
What do I learn in the Course?
You will learn how to sail keelboats. You will learn the basics of sailing concepts, techniques, and safety. Instruction is a mixture of classroom time and time on the water with an emphasis on learning by doing. Specifically we will teach knots, rigging, disembarking, sailing on all points of sail, tacking, gybing, docking, and everything else you need to know in order to sail our fleet of six keelboats. The course is taught primarily on Rhodes 19s, an open day-sailer.
What can I do after the Course?
This course is part of a membership to the Sailing Center and it qualifies you to then use our boats for “free-sailing,” which means you may then enjoy the boats on your own time on a first-come, first-sail basis, and there is almost always a boat available for use. Keep in mind you will always need one other capable person on board as crew when you go out. Please read the Membership Information sheet for more on free-sailing rules. If by the end of the course you are not quite ready to strike out on your own, we will ask that you come back for an extra half course to get some more time in with the instructor. A little more time on the water with the class is usually all that’s needed.
What if I already know how to sail?
If you are an experienced sailor you may do a check-out with us, which will qualify you for free-sailing. This is usually an hour-long process, requires you to bring a crewmember, and that you please call us a day or more ahead of time to see if a certain morning or afternoon is available. You will be expected to show us you know all the basics to sailing our keelboats safely and capably, including rigging, disembarking, tacking, gybing, and docking. Rigging is often the biggest hurdle for people and many are asked to take either a half or a whole course as a refresher.
What about children?
There is a separate summertime program for ages 5-16 called Youth Learn to Sail. Click here for more information on Youth Sailing
What to Bring
Bring a big bottle of water. Some people bring snacks. Dress appropriately for a day of sun, salt spray, maybe rain, and time in the air-conditioned classroom. For your feet, wear something that will not slip and that can get wet. Old tennis shoes work great, as do sandals with good grip. We recommend you purchase a book called “Basic Keelboating” put out by U.S. Sailing. Many students like to study the concepts ahead of time, take notes in it during the course, and use it as a great reference for after the course. We are not able to sell the book, but please ask us for recommendations of where you can purchase it.
Days We Cannot Accomodate Free-Sailing
There are certain events and circumstances throughout the year that prevent us from allowing free-sailing. This is mostly during our busiest regattas when there is space limitations or limitations on safety equipment, namely powerboats. Below is the schedule of forseen events that we expect will prevent free-sailing. Please check back on these events about a week beforehand. Please note there may be unforseen equipment problems, such as powerboat breakdowns, that prevent us from hosting freesailing. Please check the Calendar for any updates. Keep in mind free-sailing is also limited by inclement weather and winds over 15 knots.
Events marked with an asterik (*) may (most likely) still permit free-sailing, depending on size and equipment demands.
