ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising

ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising Class:  We have offered ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising classes, including circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula, since 2009 and have taught more ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising classes than any other sailing school on the Chesapeake Bay.

We offer an all-on-the-water live-aboard program conducted over seven days.  ASA106 is our most advanced class on inland and near-coastal ocean waters. It requires nighttime sailing, advanced navigation skills, sailing on a watch schedule, radar use, AIS use, and many challenging weather, wind, and sea conditions. Students learn advanced sailing techniques and seamanship skills.

Class is taught by Captain Michael Brown, a US Coast Guard ocean master with over 45,000 ocean miles.  Captain Mike has personally taught the class over two dozen times on our Pearson 39′ sloop, ‘Gallivant’.

Price includes on-board breakfast and lunch. Dinners are eaten at local restaurants if you are inland. When sailing on the ocean, dinner on the boat is included.  Also includes all slip and mooring fees, the ASA106 textbook “Advanced Cruising & Seamanship” by Bill Gladstone, the ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising Study Guide, the ASA Test, and the ASA Certification. Class size: 3-4 students, with a maximum of 5.  Sleep aboard for free all nights of the class and the evening before the class begins.

Prerequisites for ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising Certification: ASA101, ASA103, ASA104, ASA105.  Students who do not have all or any of the prerequisites can describe their sailing experience and, if approved, participate in the class.  

A typical class schedule is shown below:

Circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula is performed in 7 Days. Students sail north from Rock Hall to the Chesapeake & Delaware canal and stay in a slip in Summit North Marina for the night. Next, students sail the Delaware River and Delaware Bay to Lewis, DE, and then jump out into the Atlantic Ocean, sailing approximately 150 nautical miles to Norfolk, VA.  Students sail approximately 4-20 miles offshore on the ocean until they round Cape Charles and reenter the Chesapeake Bay.  Students then head north to Rock Hall, MD.  Stops in the Chesapeake Bay depend on wind and seas and desires, but usually include Deltaville, Reedville, Solomon’s Island, Herrington Harbor South, or others.

Our 106 class is excellent and takes students to a higher level. Much time is given to understanding failure analysis and what to do when things go wrong. ASA106 students should be prepared for long days of sailing, as we log many miles each day to complete this 430-nautical-mile journey. Learning to sail at night around ships, interpreting navigation aids, and analyzing weather are all included.

The couple’s price includes 5% off.  

How to sign up?

Please select the class date you want from the schedule below.

After selecting the class date, please contact Captainmike@delmarvasailingschool.com or 410-810-4230 to confirm availability.  Once we confirm availability, you can sign up by scrolling back to the top of this page and selecting single or couple and then following the prompts to enter your credit card information.