Vacation Sailing

Overview

Vacation courses allow you to add the joy of sailing to a family getaway or personal trip.  Offered in fantastic locations such as the beautiful Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, majestic Lake Michigan, or the tropical Caribbean in the British Virgin Islands, these courses are perfect for everyone, no matter what their experience in sailing. Check the locations of Advanced Offshore Classes and Adventures which are often in other interesting or exotic sailing locales.

The Family & Friends option at any level is particularly valuable and appealing to a lot of sailors because this is often your core sailing or chartering group.l

Below are the courses offered in the Apostle Islands.  Many of these courses are also offered in the British Virgin Islands and on Lake Michigan.
Click here to view the BVI schedule.
 Click here to view the Ludington, MI schedule.
Basic Coastal Cruising / Bareboat Charter
 Basic Cruising (103) and Bareboat Charter (104) are taught on our 34'-36’ cruising auxiliary sailboats as a four-day liveaboard course. Course fee includes course materials - ASA textbooks, Sailing Fundamentals and Cruising Fundamentals, class notes and ASA Certifications.
Bareboat Charter
 This is the second part of a two-part bareboat certification program. This is a three-day live-aboard course normally held on a 34' - 36' cruising auxiliary sailboat on Lake Superior. Students learn to maneuver the boat under power, dock, anchor, and navigate in differing weather conditions. Successful candidates will receive bareboat charter certification upon completion. Instructor is ASA certified as well as a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain.
Family and Friends
Many families have one or two members who are interested in being certified by ASA at any level. There may be one to four family members who would like to become familiar with the boat, contribute as crew, etc., but not have to meet the standards of ASA and Northern Breezes. Often these are the very crew the prospective certifying student will have on their own yacht, whether chartered or owned. The one or two members who are going to become certified in this course will be expected to meet all the national and international standards of the American Sailing Association for their certification level. The crew will be taught on a personalized basis based on age, interest and experience level. The crew will accomplish many skill sets and feel empowered as sailors. "Crew" will receive Northern Breezes' Crew Certification. We will do Family and Friends at every level from Basic Small Boat and Basic Keelboat through Advanced Coastal Cruising Offshore.
Crew Certifications
Northern Breezes awards crew certifications for sailors too young to be certified or not wishing to go through the rigorous ASA coursework who are attending class with a student being certified.  These certifications are offered at a discounted rate and are most often achieved through Family and Friends courses.
Apostle Islands Boat Charter
 This is a great opportunity to take a sailing vacation on your own! We offer 34 to 36 foot boats to graduates of out Bareboat Charter program to charter on their own, sailing through the Apostle Islands (one of the top 10 places in the Unites States to sail).
Advanced Coastal Cruising
This is one of our favorite courses because it brings together everything you've learned before plus many new items such as night sailing and the rigors of a twenty four hour transit at a much higher level. This course teaches more advanced skills for the sailor with cruising experience. This is a four day live aboard course held on a cruising auxiliary sailboat
Cruising Catamaran
 This is an advanced cruising course for sailors with cruising experience. Graduates are certified to act as skipper and crew of a 30-50 foot multihull sailboat by day in coastal waters. Students will learn all aspects of skippering a cruising catamaran.
Flotilla Sailing
 Most skippers are recent graduates who like the idea of having an experienced sailing instructor on a nearby boat. Often a quick review of anchoring or reefing techniques, the navigation for the day and boat systems is most of our involvement. Chartering a flotilla boat as skipper with your own crew is less expensive than chartering independent of the flotilla because of our special arrangements with the charter company.
Sail & Dive Adventure
 Join us for our sail and dive option. You dive off our big, beautiful 38 foot Athena Catamaran which is 23 feet wide! Forget about the big dive-boat crowds, you are with a small group of divers. When you're done diving . . . sail and enjoy this beautiful boat and all the unique places it can take you.

[Back to Northern Breezes Sailing School schedule.]

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