Sailing Courses
Learn to Sail

Sailingcourses | Learn to Sail

CASA Naval's Sailing Courses

Our courses are up to international standards comparable with the CYA (Canadian Yachting Association) and ISPA (International Sail and Power Association) and come with CASA Naval certifications to successful candidates.

Discover Sailing Introduction (6 hours)

Preparation of vessel, familiarization and use of safety equipment.

Basic rope work.
Bending on and hoisting of sails.
Inspection of engine and start-up procedures.

Casting off and leaving dock. Practicing tacking and boat handling under sail.

Let the fun begin.

Basic Learn to Cruise (BLC) 5 Days

Boat handling under power and sails.

Nautical terminology, engine familiarization and some maintenance.

All points of sail and sail trim. Emergency and rescue procedures; Tide and current computation. Basic navigation and chart work. Rules of the road and regulations. Selecting a good anchorage and etikett in general.

Safety and health concerns will be discussed as good doctors are easier to find on the golf course than on the sea.

Basic Coastal Navigation (BCN) 2 Days

Chart work, plotting, laying a course using charts, divider, parallel ruler and a compass.

Application of the tide and current tables, calculating set and drift and compass fixes within sight of land.

Like with everything in life: First you must know where you are in order to know where you're going.

Intermediate Learn to Cruise (ILC) 5 Days

Theory of sailing, how and why it works. Basic meteorology, basic rigging and engine maintenance. Use of the cruising spinnaker. Safety at sea and first aid. Passage planning and provisioning for short trips. More navigation, like safety bearings, running fixes when only one object is visible at a time etc.

Don't worry, in the beginning we were confused too.

Night and Offshore Navigation (NON) 3 Days

Navigation by dead reckoning, plotting using traditional and modern aids like GPS, plotter and RADAR are on the program. This is essential when sailing in limited visibility and in high traffic areas.

Recognition of aids to navigation like lights and bouys, interpreting charts and application of the rules of the road.

It's been said: At night all cats are gray but at sea in the night that's not good enough.

Advanced Learn to Cruise (ALC) 5 Days

We do long distance sailing to other countries and international procedures are good to know, however, things change constantly and we learn as we go.
Heavy weather sailing, planning and provisioning for safety will be demonstrated and explained.

Even more basic knowledge about meteorology and radio communications and procedures with other stations are necessary to make or break a trip, so learn them well. Repairs at sea and dealing with emergencies is another thing to learn because there are no tradesmen at sea aside from yourself.

Celestial Navigation (CN) 2 Days

A useful skill is to be able to navigate using celestial bodies and a sextant to plot and navigate by day and night.

In the electronic age the use of a compass, paper charts, dividers and paralel rulers became backburner items and it sure is easier to use modern navigation instruments but electronics and saltwater are not the best of friends and there are times when you would love to know how to use those forgotten skills.

Offshore Learn to Cruise (OLC) 14 Days

We teach basic safety and first aid instructions aboard pertaining to life at sea, passage making and planning long distance trips for provisions, considering spare parts, watch keeping, meteorology, chart reading and interpretation of weather instruments. Dealing with human factors is also important as nothing spoils a trip faster than an unhappy crew.