How to Become an ASA Sailing Instructor

At Delmarva Sailing School, all on the water Instructor Qualification Clinics are conducted on a 39 foot Pearson sloop.

ASA201 Basic Keelboat Sailing- $499

November 6-7, 2024
April 12-13, 2025
October 18-19, 2025

ASA202 Keelboat 2- $299

November 8, 2024
April 14, 2025
October 20, 2025

ASA203 Basic Coastal Cruising- $299

November 9, 2024
April 15, 2025
October 21, 2025

ASA204 Bareboat Cruising IQC- $299

November 10, 2024
April 16, 2025
October 22, 2025

ASA206 Advanced Coastal Cruising IQC- $299

November 11, 2024
April 17, 2025
October 23, 2025

ASA218 Docking Endorsement IQC- $299

November 12, 2024
April 18, 2025
October 24, 2025

ASA216 Dinghy and Outboard Engine IQC- Date TBD - $299

ASA205 Coastal Navigation & Piloting IQC- Date TBD - $299

ASA217/207 Celestial Navigation IQC- Date TBD- 2024 - $299
ASA217 and ASA207 candidates must be available during day and evening before the IQC date.

All Instructor Qualification Clinics are run by Captain Michael Brown, ASA Master Instructor and USCG 50 Ton Ocean Master.

If you want to become an ASA Certified Sailing Instructor, you must earn Instructor Certification for any ASA Certification level you want to teach. ASA student level classes include ASA101, ASA102, ASA103, etc. The instructor level certifications are similar but all begin with a 2 such as ASA201, ASA202, ASA203, etc.

In order to gain ASA Instructor Certification you must attend an ASA Instructor Qualification Clinic (IQC) at an ASA Affiliated Sailing School. The ASA Affiliated Sailing School will have an ASA Certified Master Instructor who will evaluate your sailing knowledge and skills.

Testing is fairly rigorous with a written test similar in difficulty to the USCG exam. There is also on the water evaluation of your sailing ability. An ASA201 IQC typically takes 2 days, followed by one day each for ASA202, ASA203, etc.

You do not need to already have a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential to participate in an ASA IQC but, in order to teach ASA Certified Sailing Classes on an auxiliary sailboat, you must have a US Coast Guard issued Merchant Mariner Credential. (MMC). The minimum MMC required is Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) commonly referred to as a “6-pack” or “Charterboat Captain's License.

In order to sign up for an IQC at Delmarva Sailing School, please visit the How to sign up page.