ASA 101
20 May 2017
A new adventure began this weekend as I started classes for the ASA sailing certification! The ASA (American Sailing Association) has a curriculum of classes designed to train someone in the operation, care, and legal regulations of a larger sized sailboat. ASA 104 (or the equivalent level locally if not in the US) is required in order to charter a sailboat in many cases, and in general it is a good idea to have the hands on training they provide. These classes lay a solid foundation to build upon and grow your abilities, and are a great way to get started on a captain’s license!
Luckily for me, there is an ASA certified school right here on the waterfront in Philadelphia. Wait… sailing in Philly? Yeah, right on the river off Penn’s Landing, and it was a great time actually! SailTime is a company that operates timeshares on sailboats – they have a couple 36 foot boats in their fleet, as well as a new 41 (which we just got to look at – ha!). You can sign up for their program which works similar to how a vacation home timeshare would work. You get time slots where you can take out the boat and go cruising along the river. They have a number of captains in their organization, and I had one of those captains as my instructor.
Saturday started out rather cold actually, not the type of weather you would prefer to have out on a boat, but I found it great weather in which to learn. After all, your problems on the water aren’t always going to happen in perfect sunny conditions, but in the cold wind and rain too. Get used to it now! There were five of us in the class, and the captain of course made a group of six. After introductions, we didn’t waste any time and headed straight out into the water on our 36’ Catalina sailboat. We left the marina past the historic ships Olympia and Moshulu, and while our boat was large to us, it was absolutely dwarfed by them. Imagine sailing out on the Moshulu, full sails out like the old days! Too bad it doesn’t actually move anymore.
Once on the river, the captain demonstrated how to unfurl the sails and steer the ship with the helm. We took turns putting out the sails and grabbing the wheel, each getting a feel for the pull of the rope and the sensitivity of the rudder. Continuing the theme of not wasting any time, the captain explained the concept of tacking – moving the bow through the wind and switching the jib sail from one side to the other. “Helm’s-a-lee!” would be called, and one of the crew would cast off the ropes from the port side as another on the starboard side would pull them in to tighten the sail to the wind. It was a hectic first go, but after a few tacks side to side on the river, it began to come naturally.
We cruised up and down the river, feeling the cool wind in our faces and the gentle rock of the boat on the water. There was a concert in the distance at the Camden amphitheater while on the Philly side the Spruce Street Harbor Park was bustling with crowds despite the weather. A long horn blast sounded, signaling the ferry from Penn’s Landing to the Camden Waterfront was heading out of port. The large dining ship Spirit of Philadelphia pulled out from port, taking passengers on a lunch cruise down the river. It was a great day out on the water.
Back at the dock we took a break for lunch then hit the books for the academic portion. Rules and regulations were explained, as well as helpful suggestions for not dying while out on the water. Here in Philly we are familiar with the Duck Boat accident, where the amphibious truck/boat that carried around tourists was struck by a larger ship and sunk, killing some of the passengers. The boat was stopped in the main shipping lane without a lookout, and was a familiar example of why such a lookout is necessary. We discussed the various lights on the boats and what they mean, who has the “stand on” or “give way” in certain situations, and what the various horn blasts mean, among many other things. Very important information and not any different than learning the rules of the road as you learn to drive.
Again on the water, we practiced a hard tack to come about, turning the boat 180 degrees completely under sail. We discussed the physics of how a sail can manage to push the boat forward, even when you are heading nearly into the wind. Fascinating stuff! We also did a “heave-to”, where we did a turn directly into the wind for a quick stop. The wind was gusty, at times pushing us hard and at other times barely even there, but we managed to pick up fairly good speed (for this kind of boat anyway). From Penn’s Landing up to the Ben Franklin Bridge and all the way down to the great ship USS United States, we covered a great distance on the river.
It was a long day, with a lot of information and a bit physically demanding as well. The overcast sky and chilly wind never broke, yet the day was still a perfect day on the water. Sunday would offer a bit more time on the river, some knot tying, reviews and learning more regulations, and then… the test!
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