Our Packages
Why Choose Santa Barbara Sailing Center for Your Sailing Instruction
Choosing the Santa Barbara Sailing Center for your American Sailing Association (ASA) certification offers an unparalleled educational experience, starting with its unique location and venue. When deciding where to learn to sail, the size and layout of a harbor play a major role in your overall comfort and focus. Unlike the sprawling, chaotic mega-marinas of Marina Del Rey or San Diego—which house thousands of vessels, heavy commercial traffic, and a dizzying maze of fairways—Santa Barbara Harbor offers a beautifully accessible, localized environment that’s perfect for sailing. This intimate small-harbor setting significantly alleviates the high-stress anxiety of navigating crowded urban waterways, allowing students to focus immediately on essential sailing basics, maneuvers, and vessel controls rather than constantly dodging an intimidating gauntlet of inner-harbor congestion.
Maximum Time Sailing, Minimum Time Motoring
The physical efficiency and intimacy of the Santa Barbara Harbor translate directly into higher-quality time spent actually sailing. In a massive harbor like Marina Del Rey, it can easily take up to 40 minutes of slow, frustrating motoring just to clear the endless inner channels and breakwaters to reach the open ocean. In stark contrast, when training at the Santa Barbara Sailing Center, you can clear the harbor entrance and be out on the open ocean doing real sailing, under real conditions, in just ten minutes. This rapid transition from the dock to the open ocean ensures that your valuable instructional hours are optimized for actual sailing and open-water maneuvers, rather than wasting a significant portion of your lessons avoiding obstacles and idling through restricted wake zones.
Ideal Training Weather Without the San Francisco Gales
Santa Barbara also offers the ideal geographical alternative to the unforgiving and stressful training environments of Northern California. For instance, students learning to sail in the San Francisco Bay must routinely battle intense, exhausting 25-mph winds, strong currents, cold weather, and harsh, biting chop that can easily overwhelm a novice sailor. Furthermore, navigating out of that bay to reach the open ocean beyond the Golden Gate can take up to an hour and twenty minutes of intense transit. By choosing Santa Barbara as the base for your sailing instruction, you completely bypass these intimidating gales, currents, and lengthy time drains, allowing you to learn in reliable, confidence-building weather while still gaining immediate ocean exposure. It’s also worth noting that Santa Barbara is a major tourist destination with a comfortable Mediterranean climate, sunny weather, and an average high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius). You won’t find weather like that in San Francisco.
"Real Sailing" in the Channel Islands National Park
Another major point is that earning your sailing credentials in Santa Barbara gives you the distinct advantage of experiencing “Real Sailing” in the Santa Barbara Channel. While some students opt to learn on landlocked lakes or heavily protected, stagnant inland bays, those environments fail to teach true seamanship under real-world conditions. The Santa Barbara Channel offers genuine blue-water boating, including real wind, ocean swells, natural tides, and a variety of sailing conditions. Furthermore, our dynamic “classroom” sits right on the doorstep of Santa Cruz Island and the spectacular Channel Islands National Park, serving as the ultimate real-world training ground that gives you the practical, blue-water proficiency required to confidently bareboat charter anywhere in the world.
Advanced Training: Overnights, Anchoring, and Systems
It is within this pristine marine sanctuary that the Santa Barbara Sailing Center’s advanced certification courses truly excel. Unlike schools restricted to basic day sails off the coast, our intermediate and advanced ASA sailing courses take you across the Santa Barbara Channel to the Channel Islands for immersive overnight stays in the “Galapagos of the Pacific.” These multi-day voyages will push your education beyond basic wind and sail mechanics, covering critical real-world topics such as navigation, strategic anchoring in rugged island coves, meticulous galley provisioning, emergency procedures, communications, and troubleshooting advanced boating systems under real cruising conditions. By seamlessly blending the proven American Sailing Association curriculum with our optimal geographic location, the Santa Barbara Sailing Center ensures your journey toward certification is safe and efficient and thoroughly prepares you to command a yacht on the open ocean anywhere in the world.
Day Sailor Package
Become a Competent Day Sailor of Sailboats up to 27' and Feel Secure in Familiar Waters
Includes ASA 101 Certification Course (Basic Keelboat Sailing – LEVEL 1), ASA Certification Fee, Sailing Made Easy Textbook, ASA Logbook, and Damage Insurance Fee, plus…
FREE 12 frequent sailing hours aboard our Capri 22’s.
FREE Club Membership Initiation Fee of $629.70 (does not include $65.90 per month dues).
Per Student Cost
$1,517.37
All prices include taxes and fees.
We accept major credit cards only. We do not accept cash or checks.
Coastal Cruiser Package
Become a Competent Day Sailor of Sailboats up to 50’ with Inboard Diesel Engines and Get Familiar with the Santa Barbara Coastline
Includes ASA 101 Certification Course (Basic Keelboat Sailing – LEVEL 1), ASA 103 Certification Course (Basic Coastal Cruising – LEVEL 2), ASA Certification Fee, Sailing Made Easy Textbook, Coastal Cruising Made Easy Textbook, ASA Logbook, Damage Insurance Fee, plus…
FREE 12 frequent sailing hours aboard our Capri 22’s.
FREE Day sail aboard our 27’ or 28’ Catalina Yacht.
FREE Club Membership Initiation Fee of $629.70 (does not include $65.90 per month dues).
Per Student Cost
$2,390.40
All prices include taxes and fees.
We accept major credit cards only. We do not accept cash or checks.
Bareboat Charter Package
Become Qualified to Charter Cruising Yachts with Inboard Diesel Engines for Multiple Day Vacations
Includes ASA 101 Certification Course (Basic Keelboat Sailing – LEVEL 1), ASA 103 Certification Course (Basic Coastal Cruising – LEVEL 2), ASA 104 Certification Course (Bareboat Cruising – LEVEL 3), ASA Certification Fee, Sailing Made Easy Textbook, Coastal Cruising Made Easy Textbook, ASA Logbook, Bareboat Cruising Made Easy Textbook, Damage Insurance Fee, plus…
FREE 12 frequent sailing hours aboard our Capri 22’s.
FREE Day sail aboard our 27’ or 28’ Catalina Yacht.
FREE Club Membership Initiation Fee of $629.70 (does not include $65.90 per month dues).
Per Student Cost
$3,642.69
All prices include taxes and fees.
We accept major credit cards only. We do not accept cash or checks.
Advanced Coastal Cruiser Package
Become Qualified to Bareboat Charter Cruising Yachts up to 50’ with Inboard Diesel Engines; Emphasis on Heavy Weather/Night Sailing
Includes ASA 101 Certification Course (Basic Keelboat Sailing – LEVEL 1), ASA 103 Certification Course (Basic Coastal Cruising – LEVEL 2), ASA 104 Certification Course (Bareboat Cruising – LEVEL 3), ASA 105 Certification Course (Coastal Navigation – LEVEL 4), ASA 106 Certification Course (Advanced Coastal Cruising – LEVEL 5), ASA 114 Certification Course (Cruising Catamaran), ASA Certification Fee, Sailing Made Easy Textbook, Coastal Cruising Made Easy Textbook, ASA Log Book, Bareboat Cruising Made Easy Textbook, Coastal Navigation Workbook, Cruising Catamarans Made Easy Textbook, Damage Insurance Fee, plus…
FREE 12 frequent sailing hours aboard our Capri 22’s.
FREE Day sail aboard our 27’ or 28’ Catalina Yacht.
FREE Club Membership Initiation Fee of $629.70 (does not include $65.90 per month due
Per Student Cost
$6,097.89
All prices include taxes and fees.
We accept major credit cards only. We do not accept cash or checks.
Q&A
How does scheduling work?
We regularly post new course dates. We are flexible when scheduling courses and will create a program that adapts to your days off and general availability.
Do I receive sleep aboard accommodations?
Students in our 103, 104, and 106 courses can sleep on the class boat the first night at no extra cost. 101 students cannot sleep aboard.
Can I do multiple certification courses on consecutive days?
We do not schedule multiple certification courses on consecutive days. The American Sailing Association recommends extensive practice time between
levels to become a competent sailor. Free practice time is included with all of our packages to encourage students to practice before advancing to the next level.
How much studying is involved?
We recommend reading your textbook in its entirety before the first day of class and memorizing key concepts, terms, and diagrams.
Can I bring someone along that does not want to achieve certification?
Yes, but the individual would still need to pay for the full cost of the course since they would be filling a spot.
How does parking work?
If you park in the Santa Barbara Harbor, the cost is $20 per 24 hour period ($3.50/hour). You need to keep your parking ticket and pay upon exiting. The lot is a Santa Barbara City Lot.
What is an average gratuity to give?
Gratuities should be based on your overall experience with each instructor at a particular certification level. We usually suggest 22-25%. You can give cash directly to your instructor or put the gratuity on a credit card with our front desk receptionist in the office.
What is your cancellation policy?
Purchases are 100% non-refundable. Refunds are not available for any cancellations. We highly recommend trip insurance which can be purchased upon booking. In the event you need to cancel or reschedule, you can contact us 72 HOURS before the scheduled event time for a house credit, this includes all activities at the Santa Barbara Sailing Center. Any classes, private charters, and camps that are rescheduled are subject to a 10% rebooking fee. No-shows will not receive a refund or house credit for any cruise, charter, class, camp or rentals. If you are running late for a public cruise and call before we close (9-6pm summer, 9-5pm winter), you will receive a house credit that never expires.
What happens in inclement weather?
For ASA 101, we will usually reschedule to another date. For other ASA levels, inclement weather provides a great opportunity to further your sailing skills.
What happens if I sign up for a particular package now but want to upgrade to another package later?
You are allowed one package upgrade. If you wish to advance further in the program than your package allows, you may purchase additional courses with your club member discount.
When do I begin paying dues for my club membership?
Your first month’s dues of $65.90 will be charged when you purchase your membership.
When can I use my free day sail on the Catalina 28’?
Your day sail on the 28′ can be used Monday-Friday from Memorial Day – Labor Day and on any day of the week the rest of the year. It cannot be used on July 4th.