ASA118 Docking Endorsement Class- Take our two-day ASA118 Docking Endorsement class and learn to get that big boat into a little slip. Delmarva Sailing School offers the finest docking class on the Chesapeake Bay. We suggest you consider the following when you compare sailing school docking programs:
- Is the docking class one day or two days? It is impossible to go through all the docking maneuvers that we teach in just one day, let alone practice any of them. It takes us a day and a half to teach our entire docking instruction program. If we only had one day, we would have to leave out many essential lessons, and there would be no time for practice. Day two is when we finish up all the docking skills taught and allow students to take turns performing the docking skills they choose (bow in, stern in, warping, pulling up alongside, etc.). This practice time is probably the most valuable part of our docking classes. Completing all the skills and having time to practice would be missed entirely in a one-day docking class.
- Most people charter or own a sailboat of approximately 40 feet. Does the school teach docking on a similarly sized sailboat? Most schools teach on a 30-foot sailboat, which is much easier to dock than our 39.5-foot Pearson sloop. Our docking class is a more realistic preparation for chartering or sailboat ownership, making it the finest available anywhere. When you complete our ASA118 docking class, you will feel like you finally have it and know how to dock a 39.5-foot sailboat.
- Many of our students plan to sail in Europe or Asia, where Mediterranean mooring is an essential skill. We teach Mediterranean mooring in our classes: we drop an anchor in front of a seawall, back to it, and tie up to it. Most schools don’t teach Mediterranean mooring, leaving their students unprepared for sailing in areas where it’s commonplace.
What do you think you’ll learn?
After review of the course materials, docking students learn how to steer in both a forward and aft direction and learn how to stop the boat under power in both directions. This gets the students used to switching gears and throttling up and down before getting close to hard objects.
Students take turns doing a standing turn in tight quarters.
Students learn to pull up alongside a dock and kick the stern into the dock, simulating a fuel-dock approach.
Students learn how to use warp lines to turn the boat in tight quarters using pilings. Students learn to warp in and warp out of slips.
Students learn the nuances of how to bow into a slip.
Students learn the nuances of going stern into a slip both from a distance and close in. By the time you finish, you are backing into a slip with other boats in close quarters.
Students learn how to Mediterranean moor and perform Mediterranean mooring at a seawall.
After completing all the ASA118 Docking class skills, we spent about half a day practicing what we had learned. Students take turns docking and undocking the boat throughout the day and choose whether to bow in, stern in, warp in, warp out, do a standing turn, pull up alongside, etc. This time, when the student decides which docking method they want to practice, is likely the most essential part of the class, because it lets students practice the docking methods they most need practice with, and it builds confidence.
Finally, the class ends with a written test and the ASA 118 Docking and Maneuvering Certification.
Facilities:
- Class taught in Rock Hall, MD, at Haven Harbor South Marina.
- In the evening, students can hang out at Haven Harbour South Marina, have dinner at one of the two restaurants, visit the Haven Harbour South store and boat chandlery, go for a swim in the pool, ride bikes that are available for free, or relax on the white sandy beach.
- Super clean bathrooms and showers are available 24 hours/day.
- Free Parking. Please see the Location page for more information on Haven Harbour Marina South.
How to save money?
Couples get 5% off. Bundle ASA118 Docking Class with ASA104 Bareboat Cruising and save 5% on ASA104/ASA118 or ASA103/104/118.
Price includes the following:
- ASA118 Docking and Maneuvering Made Easy Textbook.
- ASA118 Docking Endorsement Study Guide
- ASA118 Docking and Maneuvering Test.
- ASA118 Docking and Maneuvering Certification:
- Students sleep on the boat in the evening before their class start date and the evening of day one.
- Students can bring their own Personal Flotation Device (PFD) or use one of the boats’ Type V PFDs for free.
Class size: 3-4 students, with a maximum of 5.
Prerequisites: ASA101.
How to sign up?
Please visit our schedule below to see all sailing classes, including the ASA118 Docking Endorsement.
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.
| ASA101 Basic Keelboat-Two Days. No prerequisites | ASA102 Keelboat 2-Two Days. Must be ASA101 Certified. Not a prerequisite for ASA103 | ASA103 Basic Coastal Cruising- Two Days. Must be ASA101 Certified. ASA102 is not a prerequisite | ASA104 Bareboat Cruising-Three Days. Must be ASA101 and ASA103 Certified | ASA118 Docking Endorsement- Two Days. Must be ASA101 Certified | ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising- Seven Days. Must be ASA101, ASA103, ASA104, and ASA105 Certified | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January, February, March 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
| April, 2026 | 4/25-4/26MB | 4/27-4/28MB | 4/29-5/1MB | |||||||||||||||
| May, 2026 | 5/16-5/17BF 5/30-5/31DM | 5/4-5/5MB | 5/6-5/7DM 5/11-5/12DM 5/18-5/19BF | 5/8-5/10DM 5/13-5/15DM 5/20-5/22BF | 5/2-5/3MB | 5/23-5/29MB | ||||||||||||
| June, 2026 | 6/13-6/14DM 6/20-6/21RW | 6/1-6/2DM 6/8-6/9BF 6/15-6/16DM 6/22-6/23RW 6/27-6/28DM | 6/5-6/7DM 6/10-6/12BF 6/17-6/19DM 6/24-6/26RW 6/29-7/1DM | 6/3-6/4MB | ||||||||||||||
| July, 2026 | 7/18-7/19RW 7/27-7/28DM | 7/6-7/7BF 7/20-7/21RW 7/29-7/30DM | 7/8-7/10BF 7/22-7/24RW | 7/25-7/26MB | 7/11-7/17MB | |||||||||||||
| August, 2026 | 8/3-8/4RW 8/22-8/23DM 8/29-8/30DM | 8/17-8/18MB | 8/5-8/6RW 8/10-8/11DM 8/24-8/25DM 8/31-9/1DM | 7/31-8/2DM 8/7-8/9RW 8/12-8/14DM 8/19-8/21MB 8/26-8/28DM | 8/15-8/16MB | |||||||||||||
| September, 2026 | 9/12-9/13BF 9/19-9/20DM | 9/10-9/11MB 9/14-9/15BF 9/21-9/22DM 9/26-9/27BF | 9/2-9/4DM 9/16-9/18BF 9/23-9/25DM 9/28-9/30BF | 9/8-9/9MB | ||||||||||||||
| October, 2026 | 10/1-10/2RW 10/8-10/9MB 10/24-10/25MB | 10/12-10/13MB | 10/3-10/4RW 10/14-10/15MB 10/19-10/20MB | 10/5-10/7RW 10/16-10/18MB 10/21-10/23MB | 10/10-10/11MB | |||||||||||||
| November, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
