Catamaran Cruising Courses
Catamarans are twin-hulled boats that offer a great deal of “level” sailing when under full sail. Catamaran Cruising is popular because the boats usually have private cab
ins in the two hulls and a large, open salon and galley above with 360o views of the horizon, big trampoline forward for sunning, and spacious seating in the cockpit area.
Offshore Sailing School provides a variety of options for its Live Aboard Cruising course on catamarans including learning in the British Virgin Islands on a Moorings 4300 catamaran (or larger cats on request) and on a beautiful Leopard 46 in Florida. Both courses described below are available every week, with a minimum of two (maximum four unless a family) required to start a course.
Live Aboard Catamaran Cruising
If you and your sailing buddies or family like to sail relatively “flat” when on the wind and plan to charter catamarans with The Moorings or others on your next vacation (after learning with Offshore Sailing School, of course), the Live Aboard Cruising Course on Catamarans is the way to go.
You’ll learn all about big boat sailing and Catamaran Cruising with the addition of special techniques specific to sailing big cats. Different anchoring arrangements are often used. These boats tend to have more windage so specific docking maneuvers are taught to make your landing easy. Tacking angles vary from single-hulled (monohull) sailboats. Shortening sail in heavier weather can also be distinctive to a catamaran. Crew overboard recovery differs to a certain extent. All these and more are presented in an addendum to the Fast Track to Cruising® textbook you receive in advance to study. We cover what you need to know to make your catamaran chartering or catamaran cruising adventures more fun and relaxing.
Fast Track to Catamaran Cruising
If you are a beginner with little or no sailing experience, take our new Accelerated Fast Track to Cruising - one of our Catamaran Cruising courses. All it takes is a week to go from novice to ready-to-cruise. The first two days you'll learn how to sail on an exhilarating Colgate 26. Then you’ll board a big catamaran for five days of heavenly sailing and learning as you move from island to island. When you finish the catamaran portion of Fast Track to Cruising – all done in just seven days – taking the next step is a breeze! Picture this: palm trees, deep blue skies, azure oceans, a sandy beach waiting just a short dinghy ride away. You’re there!
Learn In-depth Navigation on a Catamaran
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If you want more catamaran cruising experience, we have a super six-day course that thoroughly covers coastal navigation. This “next step” up from Live Aboard Cruising is Catamaran Live Aboard Navigation, designed to give you the most comprehensive Coastal Navigation instruction you’ll find in an ideal classroom setting – all on a large cruising cat while sailing from port to port.
The huge airy salons on our catamarans, with 360o visibility and lots of natural light, are a boon for studying charts close-up and using navigation tools to find your position after taking sights on objects nearby. Because the boat stays so flat underway, plotting courses with a lot of variables involved are gentle on your eyes (and stomach too).
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Not only do you review techniques desired for safe and confident catamaran boat handling, you are actually practicing real-time the exercises required in the Coastal Navigation course. Each morning you’ll work on a new set of navigation exercises with expert instruction from an Offshore Sailing School certified and licensed instructor, then set sail and navigate through the islands and along coastlines, putting to use all that you have learned.
Colgate Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Chartering Certifications, or US SAILING Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising Certifications are required to take the Catamaran Live Aboard Navigation course. Why? This catamaran cruising course is not about learning how to cruise on a catamaran; it is the platform for learning in-depth coastal navigation with the added advantage of getting to know more about what catamaran sailing is all about.
Where you can learn on a catamaran
Click here to get a quote on our catamaran cruising courses.
Call 888-454-7015 and talk to one of our friendly sailing advisors.