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There are 11 million recreational sailors
in the United States. Each year another 600,000 new sailors take to the
water. US SAILING Training Programs offer a variety of services for
community sailing programs, commercial sailing schools, yacht clubs, park
and recreation facilities, camps and other organizations that want to add
sailing instruction to their list of programs. US SAILING’s network of
instructors, program organizers and sailing experts is the best in the
world. We make sailing accessible, safe and fun at all levels of the
sport.
View a flowchart of programs &
course types
LEARNING HOW TO SAIL
SMALL BOAT SAILOR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Many instructional sailing programs are offering
something for their beginning sailors - a US SAILING Small Boat Sailor
Certification Record Book (“Little Red Book”), perfect for recording skills
learned and tested in dinghies, multihulls or small, open daysailing
keelboats. Skills can be “signed off” by a US SAILING certified instructor
in one of two wind speeds. Upon completion of the skills in any one wind
speed, the student can send their completed record book to US SAILING, along
with the appropriate fee, and receive a US SAILING Official Logbook complete
with a colorful, holographic-style sticker noting level of skills completed
in one or more wind speeds. The student’s original record book will then be
returned for further possible use.
Students interested in more advanced
performance sailing can move on to the Small Boat Sailor Performance Sailing
Certification Record Book, or “Little Green Book”. The Little Green Book
documents accomplishment of such skills as rounding a mark or sailing a
windward leg, and can also be submitted to US SAILING for certification.
KEELBOAT CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
The Keelboat Certification System was developed with the cooperation and
encouragement from sailing schools, charter companies, the sailing industry
and US SAILING volunteers and staff. This program was developed to provide
high quality training and certification in keelboats for daysailing, coastal
cruising, bareboat chartering, navigation and passage making. The system
combines quality school, instructor and student standards with US SAILING
membership to build a long-term communication link between the student and
the world of sailing. Upon successful completion of each level the student
receives a sequentially numbered holographic sticker to place in the
Official Logbook of Sailing, serving as a record of their
accomplishments and a passport to worldwide sailboat rentals and charters.
The certification levels are as follows: Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising,
Bareboat Cruising, Coastal Navigation, Coastal Passage Making, Celestial
Navigation and Offshore Passage Making. Visit our
Keelboat
website for details.
POWERBOAT CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
US SAILING Instructors, Coaches, and Race Support Boat Operators, in their
duties, exercise precision powerboat skills and a thorough knowledge of how
to assist sailors and sailboats. To meet these demands, US SAILING provides
a rigorous, hands-on training program. Safe Powerboat Handling is a
flexible, entry-level course for both youth and adults, and Safety, Rescue
and Support Boat Operator covers precision, powerboat maneuvering
techniques, rescue procedures for sailboats and race support roles.
SAILING SMART
A learn-to sail program, Sailing Smart’s integrated modular sailing
instruction courses introduce recreational sailing and safe boating
practices to 10–13 year olds. The
curriculum is a 30-hour program that introduces students to the fun of water
sports through the use of both muscle-powered boats (canoes, kayaks and/or
rowboats) and wind-powered boats (small sailing dinghies).
TEACHING HOW TO SAIL
SAILING COUNSELOR
The Sailing Counselor course is designed to prepare
camp counselors and staff from community sailing, camp and scouting programs
to supervise small boat recreational sailing activities on sheltered and
protected waters. The emphasis is on safety and hands-on practice to
familiarize candidates with proper boating techniques and terminology.
WINDSURFING INSTRUCTOR
This course is designed for those instructors who are excellent
communicators and windsurfers and are seeking to teach beginners the sport
of sailing on sailboards. he Windsurfing Instructor course uses materials
designed by US SAILING specifically to guide instructors toward introducing
the sport of windsurfing safely and quickly, with a minimum of difficulty
for the student.
POWERBOAT INSTRUCTOR
An intensive course for those interested in
on-the-water teaching of safety and powerboat skills. Instructor candidates
must demonstrate classroom and on-the-water teaching skills as well as
proficiency in powerboat operation.
KEELBOAT INSTRUCTOR
Basic Keelboat Instructor
The Basic Keelboat Instructor Course is an
evaluation for experienced keelboat instructors to test and evaluate their
teaching and sailing skills. Candidates should anticipate singlehanding a
keelboat while demonstrating competency in sailing off a dock, mooring or
slip, tacking, jibing, stopping, backing the boat and returning to the dock,
mooring or slip. Basic Keelboat Instructor Candidates must also be able to
present material in a classroom environment with ease. This certification
also includes the successful completion of written exams as well as other
practical evaluations such as the swim test, Marlinespike Seamanship test
and overall demonstrative and communication ability.
Cruising/Coastal Navigation Instructor
The Cruising and Coastal Navigation Instructor Course is a live-aboard
evaluation for experienced Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising and Coastal
Navigation Instructors to test and evaluate their teaching, sailing and
navigation skills. This course includes the evaluation of the candidate’s
ability to handle challenging conditions and navigational situations during
daytime and nighttime, as well as their interpersonal skills in a
live-aboard environment. Candidates will live and sail aboard their
assigned boats. Those candidates wishing to be evaluated as Coastal
Navigation Instructors must stay an extra half-day for an additional
comprehensive written exam or take the Coastal Navigation test separately
through prior arrangement with the Keelboat Program office.
Coastal Passage Making Instructor
The Coastal Passage Making Instructor Course is an intense 5-day live-aboard
course, which evaluates a wide range of criteria including sail-handling,
helmsmanship, boat systems, passage planning, housekeeping, communication
skills and organizational ability. Candidates live and sail aboard their
assigned boats and are evaluated during day- and nighttime situations.
INSTRUCTOR TRAINER COURSES
Instructor Trainer courses train professional teachers/sailing instructors
in the methods and theories of the US SAILING Instructor Training Program.
The course provides Instructor Trainers with the tools, information and
confidence to successfully conduct an Instructor course. Instructor Trainer
candidates are expected to be highly qualified sailing experts with several
years teaching experience and hold current US SAILING instructor
certification. These intensive courses include: evaluation of communication
and interpersonal skills, practical sailing and safety boat skills
evaluations, team building techniques, sports techniques, video feedback on
teaching styles, lesson/program planning, record‑keeping, etc.
INSTRUCTOR JOB BANK
The Job Bank, a popular US SAILING program that connects US SAILING‑trained
instructors with sailing program directors, is an online member service. |
