ASA BEARINGS November 2017

ASA Bearings Newsletter

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In October the ASA school directory was viewed 14,503 times.

Lenox Grasso, ASA Instructor Coordinator

Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria. These six North Atlantic Ocean hurricanes formed within 31 days in Aug and Sep of 2017. After a comparatively quiescent decade of Atlantic hurricane activity, nature returned in vengeance with some of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded that have caused a diluvial disaster, a mass migration, and an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico.

Some of the hardest hit areas are among the most popular sailing destinations in the world. Some ASA affiliates were entirely destroyed. To assist in the recovery effort, the American Sailing Association has built a charity fund that has raised almost $30,000 for affiliates in need of resources for recovery. Financial grants, boxes of textbooks, logbooks, certification materials, and other forms of support have already been distributed to several schools within the region. Sometimes, however, delivery of these resources has been a problem due to the loss of infrastructure.

To find out more about the impact on our Affiliates as well as which ones are back up and running and open for business, please continue reading on asa.com >>

The Bahamas: ASA Affiliates Open For Business

by Lenox Grasso, ASA Instructor Coordinator

When Hurricanes Irma and Maria thrashed through the Caribbean in September, they were so powerful that they sucked water away from beaches in the Bahamas. The hurricanes did not completely spare the Bahamas, a 100,000 square-mile nation comprised of 700 islands. Several of the southeastern islands, including Duncan Town on Ragged Island, saw 9-to-12-foot storm surges. But the tourist areas of the Bahamas recovered quickly with minimal damage, and the islands on which ASA affiliate schools are located were mostly untouched.

Two ASA affiliates in the Bahamas are Abaco Sailing and Cruise Abaco Sailing School both of which are located in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island.

Three more ASA affiliates are located in Nassau, New Providence. They are Navtours-Bahamas Sailing School the Sailing Academy of Florida-Bahamas, and Sandals Beaches Royal Bahamian Resort and Spa All ASA affiliates in the Bahamas are open, operating, and eager for your business!

ASA Kudos Column : Captain Barry Sroka

After the conclusion of a class or clinic, whenever a student takes additional time to write to ASA, it is usually something about the clinic that was problematic or praiseworthy. Happily, this time it’s the latter. A recent ASA 201, 203, 205 IQC graduate, Shaun Northcutt, has written us about his clinic instructor:

“I just want to send a quick note to the ASA powers that be to laud the talents of Barry Sroka who conducted an IQC clinic at Sunrise Sailing Academy on Lake Lanier in Georgia back in September. Barry is an incredibly gifted professional and a delightful individual. His teaching methods made a challenging task proceed seamlessly. ASA is fortunate to have a gentleman like Barry as a brand ambassador and I recommend his services to anyone. Also, it’s nice finally to put “sailing instructor” in the occupation field on my recent marriage license instead of my wife’s suggestion, ’Goofball on a Boat’. Thank you ASA and please pass along my warm accolades to Captain Sroka”.

From an instructor clinic in Gainesville, GA

(From left to right: David Lewis, Matt Roberta, Barry Sroka (IE), Shaun Northcutt)

Congratulations, Barry, on yet another job well done! Barry has been an ASA member since 2000, an instructor since 2001, and an IE since 2010. He is also an ASA Facility Site Evaluator. He holds ASA 201, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210, 211, 214, 217, 218 certifications and a USCG 100-Ton Master License. When not augmenting his sailing log of over 50,000 sea miles, Barry lives with his wife, Carole, in Aiken, South Carolina.

Everyone here at ASA extends our warmest wishes to our affiliates and instructors for an abundant, joyful, fun, and safe, Happy Thanksgiving. Having fun and being safe speaks to the heart of ASA’s mission. As we enter our 35th anniversary year, reflecting on all the things that sustain the ongoing success of ASA for which we are most grateful, primary among them is the group of more than 300 loyal and dedicated affiliates, and the nearly 3000 creative and talented instructors who teach at those schools. All together, we have certified nearly a half million sailors!

When one thinks of all the moving parts within this association, the thousands of sailing certifications bestowed each year, and how well this all works, most of the time, among ASA, affiliates, and instructors, all of whom depend upon one another, it is truly amazing and cause to be thankful

Thank you for your continuing support of ASA. Happy Thanksgiving.

Useful links for Instructors & Affiliates

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