OS Sailing Pathways

A Path to Independence

Sailing lessons specifically designed to build the confidence to bareboat charter, sail, or cruise on your own.

We don’t just offer sailing lessons. We offer our students and alumni pathways to building the experience and confidence necessary to safely bareboat charter, sail, or cruise on their own. We help students who have never been around boats before all the way to teaching the advanced seamanship necessary to safely complete ocean passages and blue water cruising.

This is why we have adopted the American Sailing curriculum. American Sailing has been in operation for more than 30 years. With over 400 sailing schools worldwide and more than half a million certified students, it is the largest and most widely recognized sailing certification body in the world.

That said, we see that a solid curriculum and standards is not enough on its own. So we have organized the American Sailing curriculum into the OS Sailing Pathways. The critical component that most sailing schools overlook is the actual experience on the water and building up your sailing resume.

OS Sailing Pathways blends the required curriculum, on the water training, and practical experience outside the classroom, into specific levels that provide a more accurate representation of your seaworthiness at any point in time.

This is what is really important when you are responsible for the safety of others and the vessel - do you have the EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING to handle the situation. Not what certifications or stamps you may have accumulated.

Hybrid Learning Model

We believe the best way to learn is to be in a safe and positive learning environment. We prioritize hands-on experience on the boat underway while also providing the necessary tools and resources to ensure our students master the theory and necessary knowledge to be successful. We provide multiple pathways and sailing programs to gain confidence and practical experience through our sailing community events, bareboat charter memberships, adventure learning vacations, and alumni sailing and flotilla events.

Like learning and becoming proficient with any new skill, there are three key elements that our sailing pathway curriculum covers at each level:

Knowledge and theory
On the water training
Opportunities to practice and build experience

Based on our Hybrid Learning Model, our classes are broken into two main parts. When you sign up for a class, you are picking the dates for your on the water training. Before you show up to the dock for your on the water training, you must successfully complete the self-paced knowledge and theory portions of the class to prepare you for the written exam.

We have found that most students prefer to learn these knowledge and theory concepts in the comfort of their own home vs. being read to in a classroom by a traditional instructor. If you prefer to learn in a formal classroom environment, please contact us to schedule a class. We will need to add a day on-site to accommodate teaching the materials so not to sacrifice the on the water training.

Knowledge and Theory

For each ASA class, there is an associated textbook with practice test questions covering the material. In addition, the ASA 101 and 103 courses have an accompanying ASA Online Prep course that is helpful in reinforcing and learning the knowledge and theory for the class.

We require students to complete the knowledge and theory portion of the class before the on the water class starts. We provide online live instructor hours to help along the way. There is a written proctored exam consisting of 100 multiple choice questions that you must score at least 80% to pass.

Students may enroll and begin studying the materials for our ASA 101 and 103 classes up to one year before they plan to take the on the water training.

This hybrid learning model also allows us to help students world-wide as long as they are willing to spend a weekend in Austin, Texas for their on the water training and written exam. You may want to plan for a longer weekend, as there are so many fun things to explore here. Contact us if you would like recommendations for Airbnb or other accommodations close to the marina.

Being prepared and taking the time to study the necessary knowledge and theory for your class before you take the on the water training is critical to your success. This allows us to maximize the important part of your training which is the hands-on experience on the boat underway.

For our ASA 101 and 103 classes, plan to spend 8 - 10 hours studying the materials and 1 - 2 hours for the written exam. Most of our students will do this over a period of weeks or even months prior to attending the on the water training sessions.

On the Water Training

Our ASA 101 and 103 on the water training is two days. We spend most of our time on the water underway. Classes start at 9:00a sharp, and we are typically finished at 4:00p. These sessions are typically held on back to back days during the week (Tue / Wed) or on the weekend (Sat / Sun). We also offer Friday classes for back to back weeks. For example, you can sign up for two Friday classes on the 1st and 2nd Friday of the month.

On the water training is spent underway learning, practicing, and demonstrating to your instructor the skills from the American Sailing standards and our lesson plan for the class. At the end of the two days of on the water training, if your instructor passes you, they will sign your logbook and submit your information to American Sailing for your official seal to be mailed to your for your logbook.

If for some reason you are not ready to pass after two days, we work with your schedule to get you back out on the water for more practice until you and your instructor feel confident that you are ready to be signed off. There is no extra charge for these sessions.

Practice and Building Experience

This is where too many schools and instructors just sign your logbook and say good luck! We understand that it is much more important to continue practicing and building on the water experience. This is why our sailing pathways all require additional on the water time in order to get to the next level. For example, our students who have completed ASA 101 may not start the on the water training sessions for ASA 103 until they have satisfied the experience requirements for Level I in our sailing pathways curriculum.

In order to ensure our alumni continue to progress, we organize community sailing events, offer bareboat charters on Lake Travis, and provide adventure learning vacations and alumni flotillas worldwide. All our sailing programs are designed to provide a safe fun learning environment for our students and alumni continue to build relevant experience on their sailing resume. When your goal is to go sailing confidentially and safely on your own, you need more than a class or certification.

We do this because or goal is not to give out stamps or issue as many certifications as we can. Our goal is to help you become a competent and confident Mariner. This takes practice, and a lot of commitment on your part and ours.

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Putting It All Together Into Sailing Pathways

Combining all three elements together you get a Sailing Pathway for a specific level. Refer to the OS Sailing Pathways chart below for the various levels and how they build upon each other. When you read the chart, start at the top and each activity needs to be completed as you progress from left to right across a level before moving on to the next level.

What is a Qualifying Day?

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) uses the term qualifying days or sea days as part of the sea service records in order to grant various credentials. These credentials include mariners credentials such as the USCG 100 GT Master - Near Costal license.

The US Coast Guard sets a standard for a qualifying day as four (4) or more hours of underway time is credited as one (1) qualifying day. This standard applies for vessels that are under 100 GT (gross tons). For vessels more than 100 GT, eight (8) hours or more will be credited as a single qualifying day. For recreational mariners, 8 or 12 hours will never be credited more than a single qualifying day.

Adopting these standards as you accumulate experience aboard vessels will help you if you ever decide in the future, even the far distant future, to apply for a U.S. Coast Guard credential.

We recommend using Charter Rode as your digital logbook and sailing resume. Charter Rode has adopted these standards and all sailing resumes are summarized using the standard of four (4) or more hours logged in a day will be counted as one (1) qualifying day. If you enter 3.9 hours in your logbook entry, it will not be counted as a qualifying day. It must be at least four hours to count as a qualifying day.

See the crediting sea service documentation from the US Coast Guard for more information regarding the qualifying day standard.

Level I

Level I students are new to sailing or even new to boating. The goal of Level I is to learn the fundamentals of how a sailboat works (knowledge and theory) and learn the basic maneuvers (tack, jibe, raise/lower sails, crew overboard, etc.) to confidently serve as crew aboard any sailboat. Level I students build experience as crew aboard our community sail events practicing their skills and putting their knowledge to the test before moving on to Level II. Level I students will have between 0 and 5 total qualifying days on their sailing resume which is typically to 0 - 25 hours.

If you are completely new to boating, we offer an Introduction to Sailing class that you may find helpful before starting your Level I ASA 101 training. Please contact us for scheduling and details.

Once you complete your ASA 101 with Outbound Sailing, you have access to all of our OS Alumni sailing programs including our community sailing events and the OS Alumni Charter Club program where you will be able to take out our Hunter 28 on your own with family and friends.

Level II

Level II students continue to build upon the fundamentals of their knowledge, theory, and skills working towards the goal of confidently serving as Skipper for any keelboat (monohull) up to 35' during daylight hours in light to moderate conditions. Level II students may confidently serve as crew aboard any sailboat. Level II students continue to build experience (40 hours) after they complete the ASA 103 class as crew aboard our community sail events, as Skipper by bareboat chartering Outbound Sailing boats, or with Outbound Sailing Alumni aboard their vessels. Level II students will have between 6 and 15 qualifying days on their sailing resume which is typically 30 - 75 hours.

Once students complete Level II, including their 40 hours practice as Skipper or Crew, they become Level III students which are eligible for our Adventure Learning Vacation advanced sailing classes - ASA 104 and ASA 114.

Level II alumni may also take advantage of our sailing programs including community sailing events, OS Alumni Charter Club, bareboat membership on Lake Travis, and OS Alumni Flotilla events.

Level III

Level III students complete the theory and knowledge self study prep and optionally the written exam before departing for the 7 - 10 day liveaboard adventure learning vacation classes. These classes are conducted aboard bareboat charter monohulls or catamarans up to 50’ in length in various locations around the world including: The US, British, and Spanish Virgin Islands; The Bahamas; The Grenadines; Greece; Croatia; Tahiti; New Zealand; and Australia.

Level III students may choose to complete both ASA 104 and ASA 114 during a single trip or split them up into two separate trips. The goal for Level III students is to confidently bareboat skipper a charter monohull or catamaran (if completed ASA 114) up to 45' on their own with their friends and/or family. Students at this level will typically choose easier / less stressful charter destinations such as The U.S. Virgin Islands, The British Virgin Islands, or The Bahamas.

For students who wish to progress to the ASA 106 level (Level IV), they will be required to complete the classroom only ASA 105 Advanced Navigation class. If a student is not interested in learning the advanced seamanship knowledge, theory, and skills (ASA 106), they will continue to accumulate / log experience on their sailing resume working towards Level V, Mariner, and Credentialed Mariner levels. Level III students will have between 16 and 30 qualifying days on their sailing resume which is typically 80 - 150 hours.

Level III alumni may continue to take advantage of our sailing programs including community sailing events, OS Alumni Charter Club, bareboat membership on Lake Travis, and OS Alumni Flotilla events.

Level IV

Level IV students typically are interested in nighttime / overnight sailing, making ocean crossings or passages, blue water cruising or generally advancing their sailing knowledge, theory, and skills. Students will complete the knowledge and theory self study prep before departing for the 7 - 10 day liveaboard adventure learning vacation classes. Students must complete the written exam (fill in the blank) during the trip. Students may not combine this class with any other as they will also be expected to help lead Level III students completing ASA 104 / 114 classes on the trip.

Students completing ASA 106 typically have accumulated enough experience on their sailing resume to progress to Level V. Level IV students will have between 31 and 40 qualifying days on their sailing resume which is typically 155 - 200 hours.

Level IV alumni may continue to take advantage of our sailing programs including community sailing events, OS Alumni Charter Club, bareboat membership on Lake Travis, and skipper their own boat on our OS Alumni Flotilla events.

Level V

Level V Alumni have accumulated enough knowledge, theory, skills, and experience to bareboat charter nearly anywhere in the world. In certain locations, such as the Mediterranean, Alumni will need to pay a fee to American Sailing to send them their International Proficiency Certificate (IPC). In order to qualify for an ICP you must have completed ASA 104. Active Alumni who continue to participate in our community sailing events, adventure learning vacations and flotilla events will continue to build their experience on their sailing resume on their way to the Mariner level. Level V Alumni will have between 41 and 74 qualifying days on their sailing resume which is typically 205 - 370 hours.

Level V alumni may continue to take advantage of our sailing programs including community sailing events, OS Alumni Charter Club, bareboat membership on Lake Travis, and skipper their own boat on our OS Alumni Flotilla events.

Mariner

As Alumni continue to build their skills and experience, they will achieve the Mariner level at 75 qualifying days. Many will continue to build their experience and accumulate hours, miles, and qualifying days and have no interest in sitting for the U.S. Coast Guard Exams. Alumni at this level have a minimum of 75 qualifying days on their sailing resume which is typically 375 hours.

When Alumni reach the USCG minimum of 360 days, they become eligible to prep and take the USCG written exam to be issued the lowest level credential from the U.S. Coast Guard. Some of our Alumni will become sailing instructors and continue to share their passion for sailing by teaching others.

Alumni at the Mariner level may continue to take advantage of our sailing programs including community sailing events, OS Alumni Charter Club, bareboat membership on Lake Travis, and skipper their own boat on our OS Alumni Flotilla events.

Credentialed Mariner

Alumni that have accumulated the minimum of 360 qualifying days (1,440 hours) become eligible to prep and sit for the U.S. Coast Guard written exam. This will allow Alumni to be hired as a Captain professionally. Depending upon the type of vessel and the location (inland lakes vs. nearshore for example), the minimum sea service (qualifying days) requirement can jump up to 720 days (2,880 hours) or more. The next time you meet a credentialed USCG Captain, tip your hat and offer to buy them a drink. They have dedicated a lot of time and energy to earning their professional credential!

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