American Sailing Journal

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// Changing Lives With Hands Across The Sea

This year 117 schools in the Eastern Caribbean will benefit from 90,050 books shipped to them from a donated warehouse in Boston, Massachusetts. The kids will most likely never meet the throngs of volunteers who sorted, packed, donated and helped along the way to make this happen. They will know that Hands Across The Sea was behind the generosity and their libraries will be beaming with the energy that comes with new found resources. Continue Reading...

Show Your Support!

When you donate to the ASA/Hands Across the Sea Caribbean Getaway Sweepstakes, you are entered to win a one-week, four-person bareboat charter in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Tobago Cays courtesy of ASA Affiliate Horizon Yacht Charters. Or you could win a luxurious seven-night stay for four (two rooms) at The Verandah Resort & Spa in Antigua or at the St. James’s Club, Morgan Bay, St. Lucia, courtesy of Elite Island Resorts.

Enter Sweepstakes >>

// ASA 101 Exam Day at Santa Barbara Sailing

Join Lauren on her adventure as she embarks on a journey to learn to sail with Santa Barbara Sailing Center. Follow her as she gets her feet wet as a beginner, gains experience, and earns her ASA certifications. The ultimate goal is to complete ASA 104 and go bareboat chartering somewhere exotic.

In this episode Lauren is headed into the final day of ASA 101 exams - the written test and the on-the-water drills. Having studied, practiced her knots, and played on the Sailing Challenge app will she breeze threough the exams and take one step closer to becoming a sailor?

// From ASA 101 to Unforgettable Adventures Crossing Oceans

There are some truly amazing circle-the-globe races out there. There’s the Volvo Ocean Race, the Vendee Globe, the Barcelona World Race, the Golden Globe Race, to name a few. But let’s face it, most of us are not going to be blasting through the Southern Ocean in an Open 60 any time soon, so we watch and live vicariously through the lives of professional sailors.

Ah, but hold on... maybe it is possible to have such an experience without devoting a life to climbing through the ranks of the competitive sailing world. Maybe there’s a way an ordinary Joe or Jane can sail a million dollar race boat and make it happen just the same. There is - it’s called the Clipper Round the World Race and they will not only gladly accept you but will train you and help you every step of the very long way.

Find Out More >>

// What Type of Boat Is This Quiz

We hear it all the time, “that’s a beautiful boat” but what do they really mean? Does anyone even know that all sailboats are not equal? Take this quiz and you’ll find out if you know what you have been sailing on.

Take Quiz >>

// Let’s Talk About Sextants!

Ah, the sextant... that odd magical contraption that sleeps in an aged wooden box and stored in a seldom-used locker. Every once in a while you break it out and it’s glorious to behold - there’s poetry in its very existence. You look at the curves and the shiny mirrors, then you spin the dials - they feel substantial and real. You gaze at the increment markers and numbers and hold it in your hand just as Captain Cook’s navigator did with something oh so similar. As you feel the weight of this incredible innovative invention you mutter, “I wish I knew how to use this damn thing...” And you put it back into the really cool wooden box.

It’s okay; you’re not alone in any of these emotions. It really is an amazing tool and so many of us would like to have a better understanding of it. It’s in all the magazines and books - “don’t rely solely on battery operated modern electronics. They will fail or you will run out of batteries.” It’s so true and you know it, but this thing looks like a puzzle that you don’t have the time or inclination to figure out. Maybe so, but let’s talk about it anyway.