Sailing Certification & Sailing Certificates from Offshore Sailing

 Colgate Sailing Certification

Celebrating teaching sailing since 1964, Offshore Sailing School is proud to have the oldest and most progressive sailing certification education system in the United States, if not the world. Steve Colgate, who founded Offshore Sailing School, developed all the curricula for our sailing certificate courses and long ago wrote and published textbooks for his Learn to Sail, Cruising and Performance courses. 

Over the years, Offshore Sailing School textbooks have been fine tuned by Steve and Doris Colgate into the best educational tools for recreational sailing and sailing certification available today. For some specialized courses the Colgates have chosen excellent books written by other experts. They never stop moving forward, with a new – Fast Track to Sailing – published by McGraw-Hill in 2009.

Lasting over 45 years has brought many awards and recognitions to Steve and his team. Throughout Steve has been intimately involved in the sailing industry, national and international ruling organizations and his own love – cruising and racing – competing in America’s Cup trials, the Olympics and national and international competitions in small and big boat racing. Just a few years ago he was back on an America’s Cup Twelve Metre in the 150^th celebration of that race and did his 20th Newport to Bermuda Race in 2008. There is no other educator with such impeccable sailing credentials.

Given all the ads and hype out there, many ask “what is the true value of sailing certification?” The reality is none of the recreational sailing certifications available in the United States are legally required. Nor is a sailing certificate necessary for chartering or renting boats. The largest charter company in the world – The Moorings – says on its website that sailing certification is NOT required to charter their boats.

All you need are strong skills, confidence and knowledge to sail your own boat or charter one from a reputable company. And that is what you will always get from Offshore Sailing School. The real value in sailing certification is the personal validation you get from a job well done.

Tests have always been administered in Offshore Sailing School courses, as Doris remembers well when she learned to sail at Offshore Sailing School in 1967. An on-water test sail at course end without the instructor aboard is also required. A passing grade gives you Colgate Sailing Certification at your chosen course level. These tests are the result of combining the day to day experience and knowledge of Offshore’s fine teaching faculty with Steve Colgate’s vast experience, standards and long years teaching sailing. There is no Colgate match. He is the pre-eminent sailing educator in the world, still at the helm of our company and wowing the industry since 1964. 

Every course noted below has textbooks that far exceed the depth of information found in other books for similar courses. Most gratifying are the comments that come from our client base, many of whom are top educators, professionals and leaders with years of training experience in their own fields. We urge you to read as much of the book as you can before arriving for your course; you will be far ahead of the curve and very comfortable on your first day out if you do. Call and find out how to receive your sailing certification from Offshore Sailing School today!

US SAILING Certification

If you opted for US SAILING Certification, you will receive US SAILING books and tests instead of those provided in the Colgate Sailing Certification system. This is the only other program in the United States that comes close to Offshore’s high standards. An extra fee is charged to cover the books and administration of this US Sailing certification program, as well as membership in the governing board of sailing in the United States, appointed by the U.S. Congress in the 1800s.

 In this case, your textbooks are those developed by US SAILING’s National Faculty, which Steve Colgate was involved in while heading the US SAILING training committee, then made up of the four top schools in the nation. He has given much to the development of the US SAILING certification system, but not all – requiring that his team go beyond the standards set by US SAILING. For the best learning experience, please read your textbooks before you start your course. If you choose this system, you may also want to purchase Steve and Doris Colgate’s textbooks on line or with your sailing advisor.

RYA Accreditation

Offshore Sailing School also offers courses through the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training system — popular abroad in many countries. This system allows you to start from the beginning on big cruising sailboats. RYA courses are knowledge-based and therefore taught in such a way that instructors must evaluate your practical ability, experience and know-how as it develops while learning on (in our case) a 43’-51’ cruising yacht. Offshore is recognized by the RYA to provide three practical levels of certification for recreational sailors: Competent Crew, Day Skipper, and Coastal Skipper. Currently, this certification through Offshore Sailing School is available only in the British Virgin Islands and Offshore Sailing School is one of only two U.S. schools authorized to provide these programs.

 

The last word on prerequisites and certifications

If you started in another sailing certification system, we’re happy to get you into the Colgate or US SAILING system through an online resume. During your course, you will be given the opportunity to “challenge” either system’s prerequisite test if you are starting beyond the Learn to Sail level with Offshore Sailing School. If you would like further clarification of this, please email doug@OffshoreSailing.com.

Whether or not you are capable of managing your own boat or chartering from a reputable charter company, is dependent on the caliber of education you receive. At Offshore Sailing School you are guaranteed to receive the absolute best – ready for confident boat ownership or chartering with The Moorings after just two courses.

Over our many years in business we have had countless numbers of clients come to us after taking a less than adequate course elsewhere. Buyer beware! Many schools cut corners and don’t cover all you need to know. If they boast "no classroom instruction, everything is taught aboard the boat" you will be missing out on some of the most crucial aspects of learning.  At Offshore, we reinforce everything you do on the water with indepth knowledge taught in the classroom.  In cruising courses, even when you live aboard throughout, there is a classroom session each morning before you set sail. 

Regardless of whom you learn with and what sailing certification program you go through, you may still find renters and charter companies that won’t recognize your sailing certification. Generally this happens because they offer their own courses and/or adhere to whatever system they are part of. Unfortunately, that kind of small business attitude is out of our hands.

We ask every client for instant feedback and our COO works closely with our entire faculty to sure make they are all the best of the best in sailing instruction. Some schools hire instructors we previously interviewed and found lacking in their depth of knowledge, people skills, and ability to teach. Yet, they end up with some sort of instructor certification just the same from another certification system or school. 

Bottom line: No matter how good we say we are, no matter how good our sales team is, no matter how high our standards – in the end it is our instructors that leave you with lasting impressions and the education you expected.

You are not required to take the sailing certification exam at the end of a course with Offshore Sailing School. However, most do because it provides validation of a job well done. All we ask is that you have the proper prior experience and skills for the course level you choose; that you have a wonderful time, and learn more than you ever thought possible!

Click here to get a quote on any Offshore Sailing School course and learn how you can earn your Colgate Sailing Certification.

Call 888-454-7015 — in U.K. 0808-234-4681