Hello from Pennsylvania

[jplevens215]

Well, like many, the dream of cruising for all my days has led me once again to seriously consider ASA certification, and of course, learning and dreaming about sailboats and living with/aboard (eventually), aquiring, discussing etc.

I was first exposured to sailing as a teen, and its becoming an activity that my participation in more fully has always been on the back burner in my mind. My plan and hope is that a few weekends/weeks of onboard ASA cert classes will help me determine if i need to immerse myself more fully in sailing.

So as I rome around the various topics on this forum, I hope to learn a lot, but also hope that my time here will provoke me to move closer to making my sailing dreams a reality.

I'll search, because I bet it's been asked before, but any tips on best sailing schools in mid-atlantic area, and advantages of one over the other... what to look for in a school, etc would be great.

Greetings and thanks for being here!

[Badsanta]

Welcome. I would check out maryland sailing school in Rockhall maryland. Lots os classes from basic to ocean crossing. You can live aboard durring the classes. That really saves on hotel bills . I am just a happy student.

[Waterway Guide]

Welcome aboard! Good luck with the dream, and I think you're in the right place for good info on just about anything. We took our classes in Deltaville, VA -- well done, but nothing I'd say was particularly special about it compared to what we might have experienced elsewhere.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here.
Sorry I can't answer your question but nearly all the ASA courses are pretty good so would look for a school that teaches their curriculum first. I'm not certain why US Sailing isn't as popular among CF users but I don't see it recommended much. I used to teach Basic Sailing for US Sailing and their curriculum was pretty good.
kind regards,

[oblivionboyj]

Hello!

I live in PA as well. Since I'm new to sailing I'm planning on taking classes here, at the Nockamixon lake school...
http://www.nockamixonsailingschool.com/index.html
I can't comment on the content yet, but its where I'm going since its convenient.
Hope that's useful

[Tim R.]

Welcome. I grew up in PA. Spent many days windsurfing there. Lake Galena and Nockamixon were my favorites. Now I go to Nockamixon to mountain bike when I am visiting family.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jplevens215.

[jplevens215]

Well thank you all for the replies. I have been sniffing around the CF and other sailing related sites learning much, dreaming, and preparing myself for more hands on.

After much investigation of myriad sailing schools, (and overcoming scheduling conflicts, etc.) I am taking the ASA 101 at Nockamixon School. Mostly because they had an opening when it was best for me, and it wouldn't require a lot of travel.

Subsequent to successful completion of the 101 class, I am flirting with a live-aboard 103/104 combo at MD School of Sailing in October. I am also considering an alternative live aboard at Blue Water School of Sailing in FLL because I have an airline credit that i have to burn before the end of October, and both the MD school and the FLL School are about the same price for the live aboard classes. I am guessing the Chesapeake in Oct is stunning, but don’t know much about hurricanes in FL at that time of year. Anybody have any comments about which location would be the best for weather in late Oct?

Anyway.. Excited to finally get on the water, and hopefully soon will join a good PA based sailing club. Thinking about Liberty Sailing Club in Philadelphia since it's so close to my house. The idea would be getting some water-time by crewing for their weekly races, etc. Any other Phila/NJ/DE sail club recommendations would be welcomed.

Trying to figure out how to (economically) do the US Sailboat Show in Annapolis in Oct too. Any good 'fishin'-hole' tips on how to accomplish that on the cheap would be appreciated.

Thanks again all! I'll keep ya posted about my ASA 101 experience.