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Annapolis Naval Sailing Association

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Training crew and skippers of larger sailing vessels on the Chesapeake Bay since 1968


ANSA is an American Sailing Associate (ASA) affiliate school and teaches to ASA standards, providing ASA certifications as described below.  Become a member to take classes with us.

Learn to sail on the Chesapeake Bay out of the beautiful Magothy River, South River, and West Rivers on larger sailing vessels, 30 feet and above with wheel helms.

ANSA offers the following ASA classes, check individual menu/pages for details and registration for each:

Introduction to Sailing
ASA 101 Keelboat 1 - Keelboat Sailing
ASA 102 Keelboat 2 - Sail Trim **** NEW CLASS - not a prerequisite for 103 ****
ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising

ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising
ASA 106 Advanced Coastal Cruising
ASA 114 Catamaran Cruising

ASA 111 Sailing Review/Refresh (contact us to arrange your personal session)
ASA 105 Coastal Navigation
ASA 118 Docking

In addition to our scheduled classes, we also offer private classes, flexible schedules, and classes on your own boat.  Contact training@ansa.org to discuss options.

A free club day sail comes with every class to give our members more opportunity to get on the water and continue sailing after their certification.

Contact the Rear Commodore for Training (training@ansa.org) with any questions.


Training Schedule

    • Sunday, August 30, 2026
    • 13:00 - 17:00
    • Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4338 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
    • 2
    Register
    Become a skipper for ANSA!
    As ANSA continues to grow, we are looking to expand our pool of skippers to support member sails, training, and to fully utilize our growing fleet.
    We know there are capable sailors within our membership who may be interested in stepping into a skipper role — and we’d like to gauge that interest.
    If you’ve ever thought about skippering an ANSA boat, this is a great opportunity to raise your hand and start the conversation.
    What We’re Looking For
    At a minimum, prospective skippers should:
    • Hold ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising) or higher
    • Be comfortable taking responsibility for a vessel and crew
    • Have solid boat handling skills, including docking and close-quarters maneuvering
    • Demonstrate sound judgment and a safety-first mindset
    What to Expect
    Becoming an ANSA skipper is a structured process designed to set you up for success. This includes:
    • On-the-water assessments
    • Mentorship with current ANSA skippers
    • Demonstration of boat handling, safety procedures, and leadership

    This is not a pass/fail test; it’s a development path to ensure consistency, safety, and confidence across our skipper ranks.

    Skippers may also use ANSA vessels for personal sails!

    Interested?
    If you’d like to be considered, please join us for this intro and meetup to get familiar with our fleet, meet current skippers, and discuss path forward.
    • Saturday, September 05, 2026
    • Monday, September 07, 2026
    • 3 sessions
    • Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4883 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Keelboat 1 - Basic Keelboat Sailing

    ASA 101 is an introductory sailing course provided over 3 days on a 30' keelboat with a wheel helm.  We sail in the West River and Chesapeake Bay.

    Class Fee: $495

    Veteran/Active Duty: $445

    Please purchase the textbook in advance of the class so that you can begin studying and doing the exercises.  

    Refer to the full class description here and policies and procedures to view prerequisites and requirements.

    You must be a member of ANSA to take a class.  Membership fees range from $55 to $75 depending on selected level.  Please join ANSA after your successful registration for this class.

    • Friday, September 11, 2026
    • Sunday, September 13, 2026
    • 3 sessions
    • Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4883 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
    • 3
    Register

    Basic Coastal Cruising

    ASA 103 is an intermediate sailing course provided over 3 days on a 30' keelboat with a wheel helm.  We sail in the West River and Chesapeake Bay.

    ASA 101 is a prerequisite as well as at least 24 hours additional sailing time.

    Class Fee: $475

    Please purchase the textbook in advance of the class so that you can begin studying and doing the exercises.  

    Refer to the full class description here and policies and procedures to view prerequisites and requirements.

    You must be a member of ANSA to take a class. Membership fees range from $55 to $75 depending on selected level.  Please join ANSA after your successful registration for this class.


    • Friday, September 11, 2026
    • 10:00
    • Sunday, September 13, 2026
    • 17:00
    • Port Annapolis, 7082 Bembe Beach Rd, Annapolis, MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Bareboat Coastal Cruising

    This course helps prepare you with first-hand, on board experiences useful for chartering a large, 30-45’, monohull sailing vessel.   The schedule will be three consecutive days with 2 nights, one at anchor and one at a destination port, weather and circumstances permitting.

    The goal is for you to be able to skipper a sloop-rigged, auxiliary powered keelboat of approximately 30 to 45 feet in length during a multi-day cruise upon inland or coastal waters in moderate to heavy winds (up to 30 knots) and sea conditions. The course discusses knowledge of provisioning, galley operations, boat systems, auxiliary engine operation, routine maintenance procedures, advanced sail trim, coastal navigation including basic chart plotting and GPS operation, multiple-anchor mooring, docking, health & safety, emergency operations, and weather interpretation.  The course is taught on board and you will rotate between the duties and responsibilities of skipper, lookout, navigator, and crew.

    Students will coordinate to provision for the sail.

    We will sail on a Dufour 430 with 3 private full-size cabins and 1 bunk bed cabin for instructors.

    Private full size Cabin, 1 sailor: $1,395

    Private full size Cabin, 2 sailors: $1,695

    You must be a  member of ANSA to sail with us. /ansa.org/join-us/ 

    Please refer to the full class description here to view prerequisites and requirements.

    • Monday, September 14, 2026
    • 10:00
    • Wednesday, September 16, 2026
    • 17:00
    • Port Annapolis, 7082 Bembe Beach Rd, Annapolis, MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Bareboat Coastal Cruising

    This course helps prepare you with first-hand, on board experiences useful for chartering a large, 30-45’, monohull sailing vessel.   The schedule will be three consecutive days with 2 nights, one at anchor and one at a destination port, weather and circumstances permitting.

    The goal is for you to be able to skipper a sloop-rigged, auxiliary powered keelboat of approximately 30 to 45 feet in length during a multi-day cruise upon inland or coastal waters in moderate to heavy winds (up to 30 knots) and sea conditions. The course discusses knowledge of provisioning, galley operations, boat systems, auxiliary engine operation, routine maintenance procedures, advanced sail trim, coastal navigation including basic chart plotting and GPS operation, multiple-anchor mooring, docking, health & safety, emergency operations, and weather interpretation.  The course is taught on board and you will rotate between the duties and responsibilities of skipper, lookout, navigator, and crew.

    Students will coordinate to provision for the sail.

    We will sail on a Dufour 430 with 3 private full-size cabins and 1 bunk bed cabin for instructors.

    Private full size Cabin, 1 sailor: $1,395

    Private full size Cabin, 2 sailors: $1,695

    You must be a  member of ANSA to sail with us. /ansa.org/join-us/ 

    Please refer to the full class description here to view prerequisites and requirements.

    • Friday, September 18, 2026
    • Sunday, September 20, 2026
    • 3 sessions
    • Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4883 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Keelboat 1 - Basic Keelboat Sailing

    ASA 101 is an introductory sailing course provided over 3 days on a 30' keelboat with a wheel helm.  We sail in the West River and Chesapeake Bay.

    Class Fee: $495

    Veteran/Active Duty: $445

    Please purchase the textbook in advance of the class so that you can begin studying and doing the exercises.  

    Refer to the full class description here and policies and procedures to view prerequisites and requirements.

    You must be a member of ANSA to take a class.  Membership fees range from $55 to $75 depending on selected level.  Please join ANSA after your successful registration for this class.

    • Friday, September 18, 2026
    • 10:00
    • Monday, September 21, 2026
    • 16:00
    • Port Annapolis
    Register

    Advanced Coastal Cruising

    Sail with ANSA for 4 days, 3 nights, including 2 overnights down and up the Chesapeake Bay.  We will go where the wind takes us but include sailing through the night at least one night or more depending on conditions.  Sailors will provision, plan, navigate, stand watches and focus on safety and advanced sailing techniques.  We will sail on a Dufour 430 sloop with 4 cabins.

    The goal of ASA 106 is to enable sailors to safely act as skipper and crew of a sailing vessel from 30 to 50 feet in length in inland and near coastal waters (within 200 miles of shore) in any weather conditions on a liveaboard coastal passage of at least 48 hours underway, including a continuous underway period of at least 24 hours.  We will remain within the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries for this class.

    Class fee: $1,595

    Prerequisites for this class include ASA 101, 103, 104 and 105, Coastal Navigation.

    Purchase your text book in advance, view prerequisites and class knowledge and skills outline here:

    https://americansailing.com/learn-to-sail/certifications/asa-106-advanced-coastal-cruising/

    There will be an advance Zoom session to meet up and do some planning and prep.

    • Saturday, September 26, 2026
    • Sunday, September 27, 2026
    • 2 sessions
    • Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4883 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Close Quarters Maneuvering (Docking)

    Learn to dock a wheel helm 30' vessel with prop wash and prop walk (no bowthruster) in a variety of conditions and locations.  

    This is a two day class.  Class fee is $315.

    You should have the equivalent training and experience of ASA 103, Basic Coastal Cruising, as a prerequisite.  Additional class details and requirements HERE.

    Please purchase the textbook for this class in advance and read the book to get the most out of the class time.  

    You must be a member of ANSA to take a class.  Membership fees range from $55 to $75 depending on selected level.  Please join ANSA after your successful registration for this class.



    • Friday, October 16, 2026
    • Sunday, October 18, 2026
    • 3 sessions
    • Hartge Yacht Harbor, 4883 Church Ln, Galesville, MD
    • 2
    Register

    Keelboat 1 - Basic Keelboat Sailing

    ASA 101 is an introductory sailing course provided over 3 days on a 30' keelboat with a wheel helm.  We sail in the West River and Chesapeake Bay.

    Class Fee: $495

    Veteran/Active Duty: $445

    Please purchase the textbook in advance of the class so that you can begin studying and doing the exercises.  

    Refer to the full class description here and policies and procedures to view prerequisites and requirements.

    You must be a member of ANSA to take a class.  Membership fees range from $55 to $75 depending on selected level.  Please join ANSA after your successful registration for this class.

© ANSA
The Annapolis Naval Sailing Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization in Maryland and a Chapter of the United States Naval Sailing Association 

Contact webmaster@ansa.org if any problems or questions concerning this website.

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