ADULT SAILING

Welcome to our Adult Sailing Program!

CGSCIC Instructors and Coaches are Certified by the US Sailing Association. The US Sailing Association represents the highest level of professionalism and integrity in the sport of sailing. At Coconut Grove Sailing Club, we are very proud of our affiliation with the US Sailing Association and the level of quality it brings to our programs.


Beginners

BASIC KEELBOAT
The US Sailing Basic Keelboat course is the national standard for quality sailing instruction. Taught on a classic 23’ Ensign, this class includes keelboat concepts, boat and preparation, boat parts, nautical terms, rigging, sail trim, departure and return under sail, basic sailing maneuvers, points of sail, five basic knots, wind-sensing, use of navigational charts, basic navigation rules, emergency procedures, anchoring, and overboard recovery.
Goal: Thorough introduction to sailing. Big step towards US Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification.
Format: Classroom and water instruction.
Member: $575.00 per person | Non Member: 675.00 per person
Schedule: The first or second weekend of the month, 9am – 4pm both days.
Contact:  Rosa Lamela  adultsailing@cgsc.org


FLYING SCOT
Beginner lessons are also offered on this 19-foot sloop rigged sailboat. The Flying Scot is renowned for its stability and performance and boasts a large racing class here at CGSC and around the country. The boat comfortably fits two adult students with an instructor on board.
Format: Classroom and water instruction in 3-hour sessions. The time from start to comfort soloing can range from 12 hours to 24 hours, depending upon your learning speed.
Goal: Teach students basic sailing theory, parts of the boat, steering and tacking. Additional sessions will cover other essential topics in both classroom and on-the-water instruction.
Cost: $255 per person per 3-hr session
Schedule: This course is scheduled upon request.
Contact: flyingscot@cgsc.org


Intermediate

BASIC KEELBOAT CERTIFICATION AND COACHING
For the student coming out of our Basic Keelboat course, two-to-five private coaching lessons typically are required as final preparation for the certification exam.  These are two or three hour on-water coaching lessons per hour and can be shared with one other person.
Finally, the certification exam is both an extensive sailing test and an academic quiz of 80 questions.

*Experienced sailors who do not wish to take the course or coaching may challenge the certification procedure to attain the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification. They must pass the same test as students who have taken the Basic Keelboat course and have done the private coaching lessons.  Please note that our standards are high.  It is recommended that challengers purchase and thoroughly familiarize themselves with the US Sailing Basic Keelboat textbook beforehand.

Private lesson: $80 per hour for first person, then $40 for 2nd and 3rd person/hr
Keelboat Certificate test: $275
Contact: Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


SUNFISH: 1 – Day Course
US Sailing Certified coaches teach sunfish-specific sailing skills.  This course is for students coming out of our basic keelboat course or those with sufficient prior experience.  Please note that the sunfish is a small, somewhat physical boat.  It requires one to be in decent physical shape, and the weight limit is 215lbs.
Goal:  Upon completion of this course, the student can do our sunfish racing clinics.
Format: Land drills with tiller extension and mainsheet, capsize drill, rigging the boat, sailing, lunch, sailing, derigging. 
Member: $275 per person | Non-Member: $325 per person
Schedule: First Saturday of month, 9am – 4pm
Contact:  Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


SUNFISH RACING CLINICS
These occur various times a month, and they are a great way to get into small boat/dinghy racing.  You will learn how to handle a sunfish on all points of sail as well as gain knowledge of beginner racing rules and tactics.
Prerequisite: Attendance of the Basic Keelboat course or sufficient prior sailing experience:
Level:  Beginner racing
Format:  3 hours
Schedule:  Various times a month usually on Thursdays and Sundays in 3 hour sessions.
Member: $45| Nonmember: $65
Contact:  Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


FLYING SCOT INTERMEDIATE COURSE
Prerequisite: Completion of Basic Keelboat or Flying Scot beginner course.
Goal: The course can be focused based on student interest and the areas students would like to improve on such as tiller use and footwork, tacking and jibing, docking and departure, and spinnaker use to name a few.
Format: This is a 2-day, 6-hour per day on-demand course that combines classroom theory, on land simulation and water instruction. Begins with an Instructor on-board, then solo.
Member: $ 920 per person | Non Members: $1020 per person
Contact: Stefan Krumbiegel:  flyingscot@cgsc.org

FLYING SCOT SATURDAY RACING CLINICS
This is a great way to get sailors in the boat and racing in a casual learning environment while getting to meet fleet members.
Prerequisite: Completion of FS Intermediate course or previous sailing/cruising experience.
Format: 3-4 hour session that includes 3-4 short races followed by a debrief on the veranda.
Schedule: Saturdays from 10am to 1pm
Dates: 2024: Dec 14 and 21 | 2025: Jan 4 and 25; Feb. 1 and 22; Mar 15 and 22; April 12 and 16; May 4 and 25
Cost: $65/day


Advanced

FLYING SCOT SPINNAKER COURSE
In this basic course, students become confident to use the spinnaker on a boat.
Goal: discovery of the basic spinnaker sailing, terminology, step by step procedure, and troubleshooting techniques
Format: Classroom with simulator, on demand
Contact: Stefan Krumbiegel, flyingscot@cgsc.org


FLYING SCOT SPINNAKER WATER PRACTICE
Prerequisite: Must be skilled at sailing a Flying Scot or similar dinghy.
Goal: Discovery of basic spinnaker sailing terminology, step by step procedure, and troubleshooting techniques.
Format: Water practice, on-demand
Contact: Stefan Krumbiegel, flyingscot@cgsc.org


INTRODUCTION TO CRUISING
This 4 hour day “learn to cruise” class is designed to acquaint the student with sailing a cruising boat; this is a non-certificate courses. All registrants participate in aspects of sailing and motoring a sloop rigged cruising boat.
Schedule: Classes are from 1 – 5pm,  2025: January 11, February 22
Member: $300 per person| Nonmember: $350 per person
Contact: Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


BASIC CRUISING COURSE AND CERTIFICATION
This course covers all concepts of sailing as well as basic boat systems, maneuvering under power, weather awareness, safety aspects and preparation, chart reading, navigation, and more. Most of the course will be on the boat with the third day reserved for practical skills and written test.
Prerequisite:
US Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification
Format: 3 days Basic Cruising Course
Schedule: 2025: Jan 24 – 26 | March 14 – 16 | May 9 – 11 | classes are from 9am – 4:30pm
Member:
1050 per person | Non Member: 1150 per person
Contact:
Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


BAREBOAT CRUISING CERTIFICATION
The course reviews basic cruising and considers planning an extended cruise, provisioning, power under difficult and emergency situations, anchoring for the night, advanced sail handling and trim, dinghy handling, and more.
Prerequisite: Basic Cruising Certification
Format: 4 Days Bareboat Cruising Class
Schedule: February 14 – 17 | June 27 – 30
Member: 1250 per person | Non Member: 1350 per person
Contact: Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org

 


COASTAL NAVIGATION

This course teaches you sailing skills that ensure safe and successful navigation in coastal waters without the use of a GPS. The student will learn the art of traditional techniques that sailors have used to safely navigate since the early years of navigation.

The student will learn the details of navigating with a paper Mercator chart, including: latitude and longitude, chart scales, chart symbols, how to determine direction and distance, and the relationship between time/distance /speed. The student will demonstrate the use of other sources of navigation information including Chart #1, Coast Pilot, Cruising Guide, and Light List.  The student will understand relative bearings and how to convert them for plotting. He will understand the Compass Rose and the correct application of variation and deviation. The student will be able to plot and label the following: a dead reckoning (DR) course; a course corrected for leeway; a course to steer given the set and drift of a known current; an estimated position (EP); a fix from 3 LOPs; a running fix; and a safe bearing and danger bearing.The student will understand the benefits and limitations of Radar, GPS, AIS, DSC, and MMSI. He will understand safety precautions in fog, and various fog tactics to minimize collisions.
Schedule: The US Sailing Coastal Navigation Course is classroom only; we are offering the course in 4 weekday evenings spread over 2 weeks starting at 5:30PM.  There are no prerequisites for this course.  Maximum number of students: 4
Dates Offered: Jan 6, 8, 13, 15, 2025 | March 24, 26, 31, April 2
Member: 650.00 per person | Non Member: 700.00 per person

Contact: Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


CELESTIAL NAVIGATION
There is perhaps no more magical or romantic seamanship skill than the art and science of celestial navigation. Even in today’s age of satellite navigation, there is no surer way of determining your vessel’s position at sea than with sextant and skill. Through this in-classroom course, you will gain the skills and confidence to navigate using the sun, moon, planets and stars without depending upon electronic aids to navigation. Some specifics the student will learn include:

  1. How to use a sextant to obtain accurate celestial body altitudes, and the proper application of all the corrections necessary to adjust a sextant altitude to an observed altitude, which is then used to obtain a line of position.
  2. How to calculate the time of meridian passage of the sun and how to determine the vessel’s latitude from the observed meridian altitude of the sun.
  3. How to determine the vessel’s latitude at twilight from the observed altitude of Polaris.
  4. How to covert longitude into time and vice versa.

Schedule:  This US Sailing Celestial Navigation course is done over 6 weekday evenings spread over three weeks starting at 5:30 PM.
Prerequisite:  US Sailing Coastal Navigation. Maximum number of students: 4
Schedule:  Feb 18, 20, 25, 27, March 4, 6 | April 21, 23, 28, 30, May 5, 7
Member: 925.00 per person | Non Member: 975.00 per person

Contact: Rosa Lamela adultsailing@cgsc.org


Register Today for our Adult Sailing Classes!

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Flying Scots Wednesday Night Racing

Come Sail & Race With Us!

Wednesday Night Racing is open to all comers!  Skilled or first time sailors are welcome to join in the fun.  Meet at the CGSC cranes located on the north end of the property where our fleet captain, Bud Price, will put you on a boat for some informal real life race experience.  We meet every Wednesday at 5pm during the summer months when daylight savings time is in effect and we return at dusk.  After the racing we have a chalk talk where we review the racing and discuss rules, incidents, things that went well on the course, things that need improvement, etc.  Usually the racing is recorded so the next day we post an online video to assist with the learning.  You need not be a member of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club but we are hopeful that if you find the racing fun and want to progress in your sailing you consider officially joining the Club and getting involved.

Register Today for our Adult Sailing Classes!

Click Here to SIGN UP