Keelboat lessons are taught in the SanJuan 21 keelboat. The local fleet of SanJuan 21s is the largest and most active in North America. 

Club membership not required to take lessons with us (members get discounts on lessons and can use the Club's Co-op Boats).

Participants learn through both on-land instruction and on-boat time in a keelboat with a Sail Canada accredited instructor with, in some cases, decades of sailing experience. They distill their knowledge down to the essential elements you need to know to have a memorable learning experience and set you up for success with your sailing.

Start Keelboat Sailing course

• For people wanting to crew on a keelboat
• 15 hours of instruction
  
• 3 participants per course / 1 instructor
• Course details (pdf)

Basic Cruising Skills Book
New 2019 revised edition. 208 pages. Illustrated.

This book covers all skills for Sail Canada's introductory Learn to Cruise program. Guides a novice sailor through the language of sailing, rigging sails and lines, and safely operating the sailboat under power or sail. Also covers basic navigation, the Canadian buoyage system, tides and currents, reefing in heavy winds, heaving to, and recovering a person overboard.

This book can be purchased direct from the Club and it is available at a discount for all Keelboat sailing lesson participants (order when registering for a course).

Skipper Course

• For people wanting to skipper the Club's Co-op Keelboats
  
• This course builds on the Start Keelboat Sailing Course and uses content from the Basic Cruising Standard Course you'll need to sail locally (departing and returning to the dock under sail, additional understanding and experience with being the boat's skipper, seamanship, sail reefing sails, additional weather skills)
• Good refresher course if you sailed or took lessons a while ago and want to get back into sailing.
  
  
  

Basic Cruising Standard Course

• Participants will get the most out of this course if they have had some sailing experience. This course or the Helm Course (or comparable experience) are required to skipper the Club's Co-op Keelboats.
• Participants develop the sailing skills required to charter sailboats (Note: most all sailboat charter companies require a PCOC, Coastal Navigation course completion, VHF radio certification and sailing experience).
• 28 hours of instruction
  
• 3 participants per course with 1 instructor
• Basic Cruising Standard courses are full for 2019. If you would like to be on the wait list for this course, please email us.
• Course details (pdf)
  
  
  

• Sign up for the Club's free Crew List, build your sailing experience and go sailing with experienced sailors.
• Come to a social at the Club, meet some skippers, find out who is looking for crew, see if you can get a crew spot.
  
• Join the Club and sail the Club's Co-op Keelboats.