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Offshore Cruising

Sailing away is a dream shared by people the world over, but for most it remains just that–a dream. Until recently, the reality of voyaging in a small boat was unattainable by all but the rich or most daredevil among us. Today that has changed. Modern boats and the technology needed to navigate them across great distances in relative safety are now within reach. Whether you are interested in short-term cruising projects or long-term, open-ended cruising, our classes will provide you an opportunity to better understand the “how to’s” and “what if’s” of a cruising project.

When you go cruising, you and your boat form a system. Once mastered, you own a magic carpet that you can use to transport yourself physically and transform yourself spiritually.

Are you ready to find out what offshore cruising is all about?

Songline’s cruising classes are a great way to find out what it takes to actually away. How? Your crew just finished a six-year, 40,000 mile family voyage and they are eager to share their experiences and know-how.

Class Synopsis

Cruising is more than knowing how to sail. It is even more than great seamanship. Cruising is the whole thing–a way of life. During our classes you’ll share the lessons learned by one family who did it by sailing with us aboard Songline—our magic carpet.

Take this class if you want to:

Get a boat and sail away.

Charter or trailer a boat on cruising adventures.

Just get a better sense of what sailing away is really like.

What skill level is recommended for people taking this class?

You will get the most out of this class if you possess basic sailing skills equivalent to those provided by ASA sailing schools at the bareboat certification level.

The Learning Experience

Our aim is to have fun while learning. Many of the topics we cover will be practiced during a micro-voyage. You will be invited to help plan, provision, navigate, sail, anchor, weather route, explore, and problem solve all aspects of the voyage. We will also discuss issues, methods, and resources related to the cruising project.

Topics

First Steps From fantasy to reality

Brainstorming a voyage

Personal Preparation Developing the cruising mind-set

Assessing and developing sailing skills

Skipper leadership-crew followersip

Cockpit management and control
Breaking Away Financial preparations

Health and health insurance

Kids and school

Pets and boats

Jobs and employers

Family and friends

Voyaging safety net
Boats Choosing the boat

Buying the boat

Insuring the boat

Preparing the boat
Shoving-off Departure planning

Rallies, buddy boats, and helper crews

Provisioning and stowing everything 
Underway Short-handed sailing

Living underway

Cooking and eating underway

New jobs, old jobs

Everything breaks

Self-sufficiency

Baby the boat — baby the crew
Landfalls Ahoy Captain!

Port entry and departure

Port officialdom

Official and unofficial fees

Transforming the boat into a home and back again

Finding what you need

Leaving the boat

Anchoring

Dinghies and wheels

Strangers in strange lands 
The Cruising Community Cheap beer and potluck dinners

Buddy boating

Crowed anchorages

Experts that aren’t

Group decision making 
Staying in Touch VHF radio

High Frequency Radio

Satellite phones

Hollering
Scary Stuff Really rough sailing

Dicey approaches

Things that go bump in the night

Water in the boat

Pirates and bad guys

Guns and other WMDs
Weather and Passage Planning Predicting the weather

Weather windows

Contingency plans

Weather resources
Safety at Sea Visualization exercises

Rules and routines

Smart troubleshooting

Avoiding major mistakes

Panic avoidance

Sixth sense 
Personal
Changes Culture Shock

New ways of seeing
Coming Home Visiting home

Ending the cruise

Every class is tailored to fit your experience and aims. We operate in a close relationship Pacific Yachting, in Santa Cruz, California,  an ASA certified sailing school. If you book your charter or class through one of our affiliates, you may be able to benefit from special pricing on ASA programs.

Business Classes

Songline’s skipper, Captain Marc Hersch,  has been providing organizations with systems thinking and continuous improvement training since 1989. While consulting for a Japanese company, he discovered that sailing provided a perfect simulation of a system of enterprise. He went on to develop several on-the-water seminars that are both fun, instructive, and maybe even tax-deductible!

Contact Three Sigma Systems for details about these unique business classes

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