Fast Track to Cruising®

Announcing the fastest way to get certified to cruise. We'll take you from novice to confident cruising sailor in a high-energy, fun-filled learning experience. You sail, study, work hard, and challenge your limits. Combine our basic sailing lessons (Learn to Sail course) with our Bareboat Cruising Preparation or Live Aboard Cruising course at extra savings! In less than 7 to 10 days, you are ready for a lifetime of cruising.

Prerequisite for Course:
None

Certification (3 levels):
US SAILING Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising

Course Texts (4):
US SAILING Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising, plus Fast Track to Cruising by Steve and Doris Colgate

Check rates & availability or make a reservation

	Textbooks are included with course tuition, or can be ordered here at the Online Bookstore

How Fast Track Works | Course Schedules
What You Learn | Locations for Fast Track

As you move from the Colgate 26 the larger cruising yacht, you and your crewmates learn to work as a team, accomplishing set tasks and sharing the satisfaction of a job well done. You learn the dynamic responsibilities of a skipper and the rewards of being a knowledgeable crew.

Your classroom is a brand-new 36 foot Hunter in the Bareboat Preparation course or a new 43-49 footer for Live Aboard Cruising. You'll graduate with the skills and confidence to take the next step –– cruising on your own, plus charter discounts from The Moorings. And when you're ready to charter, just ask your sales advisor to book your bareboat charter for you. Click here for more information about The Moorings.

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Fast Track to Cruising® Course Schedules

Take the Learn to Sail portion in three action-packed days, or at a more leisurely pace over four days, depending on the location you choose. The three-day schedule includes 1-1/2 hours of classroom each day, followed by 5-6 hours of on-water instruction with a break for lunch ashore. Your classroom is a brand-new 35-46 foot Hunter in the Bareboat Preparation course or a new 46 footer for Live Aboard Cruising.

You can take the three-day Learn to Sail course and the cruising course back-to-back at the same location, or take them separately, at different locations if you wish, within 12 months. Either way, you lock in your Fast Track discount if you book the whole program on your first call.

On your last day, you and your classmates chart a course and sail on your own, without your instructor aboard. No other sailing school does this at the ''learn to sail' level; it's the ultimate test of Offshore's ability to give you what you came for and then some -- proof positive of your growing confidence in sailing skills.

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What You Learn

Areas covered in the
Learn to Sail course:

• Nautical terminology
• Rigging and sails
• Getting underway
• Proper winch techniques
• Finding wind direction
• Points of sailing
• Tacking and jibing
• Interaction of wind and sail
• Maneuvering in close quarters >Wind pressure and lift
• Heeling and stability
• Apparent wind
• Wind shifts
• Sailing wing and wing
• Stopping and starting under sail
• Spinnaker techniques
• Crew overboard pick-up
• Sailing backwards
• Rudderless sailing
• Sail trim and sail shape
• Boat balance
• Hull speed
• Mooring and anchoring
• Docking under sail
• Most used knots
• Right-of-way rules
• Grounding situations
• Heavy weather techniques
• Steering with a compass
• Sailing in currents
• Weather and lee helm
• Introduction to navigation
• Reefing (shortening) sails

Areas covered in the Live Aboard Cruising course:

• Keeping a log
• Planning meals and storing food aboard
• Preparing meals aboard
• How to tow dinghy

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Areas covered in the Cruising course:

• Planning a cruise
• Boat layout and sail plan
• Operation of engine, stove and head
• Engine maintenance
• Fueling techniques
• Battery and charge systems
• Water/battery conservation
• Thru-hull systems
• Maneuvers under power and sail
• Proper handling of halyards and lines
• Proper use of winches
• Sail trim and shape
• Apparent wind and sail selection
• Mainsail furling use
• Genoa roller furling use
• Overboard recovery procedures
• Heavy weather and reefing
• Heaving-to
• Sailing wing and wing
• Boom preventer use
• Docking and anchoring
• Knots and their applications
• Log procedures
• Piloting techniques including set, drift and leeway calculations
• GPS navigation
• Rules of the road
• Danger bearings
• Coast Guard requirements
• VHF use
• Courtesy - lights and signals
• Use of safety harness
• Emergency tiller use
• Distress signals

Course Locations - Fast Track with Live Aboard Cruising:
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Captiva Island, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida