“I want to learn how to sail, which course should I take first?”

None – only a desire to learn how to sail and have fun!

A dinghy is generally sailed by one or two people and the boat usually ranges from 10 feet to 16 feet long. A dinghy requires the weight of the skipper/crew to keep the boat upright and prevent it from capsizing. See our dinghy Learn-to-Sail courses in the Learning Centre.

A keelboat is larger in size and more stable than a dinghy. It has a large (usually lead) fin attached to the bottom of the boat that does the work of keeping the boat upright. See our keelboat Learn-to-Cruise courses in the Learning Centre.

Advantage Boating is a proud member of Sail Canada and provides the following on-the-water boating education programs:

• Sail Canada Learn-to-Cruise: Keelboat instruction (sailboats greater than 22 feet in length)
• Sail Canada Learn-to-Sail: Dinghy instruction (smaller 1-2 person sailboats ranging between 13-16 feet in length)
• Sail Canada Learn-to-Power: Powerboat instruction (owner provided vessels)
• Private instruction on your vessel or one of Advantage Boating’s boats
• Custom courses for couples, families or groups of friends.
• International Yacht Training: Training leading to ICC (International Certificate of Competence) certification.

Both these courses emphasize practical “hands-on” and “on-the-water” learning.  We aim for about 85% of the course to be taught either dockside or out on the water.

Start Keelboat Sailing is a 14 hour course.  After successful completion of the Start Keelboat Sailing course you will be competent to act as crew onboard a smaller keelboat in up to moderate winds.

Basic Cruising is a 28 hour course.  After successful completion of the Basic Cruising course you will be competent to act as skipper onboard a smaller keelboat sailing in light to medium winds in familiar waters during the day.  Our Basic Cruising course includes a membership at both the Nepean Sailing Club and Britannia Yacht Club.

For our local Learn-to-Cruise courses we use boats that range in size from 22 to 24 feet in length. The boat you will learn on will most likely be a Sonar, a Tanzer 22, or a Shark.  All boats are safe, comfortable and a pleasure to sail. Our Live-aboard courses in Kingston and the Caribbean are taught on boats ranging in length from 30 to 45 feet. Our CANSail 1, 2 and 3 courses are taught on 420 dinghies.

We offer several options of formats for taking your Basic Cruising course:

• Weekends: 28 hours over two consecutive weekends, Saturday & Sunday from 9 AM – 5 PM.
• Weekdays Daytimes: 28 hours over four consecutive weekdays (usually Monday-Thursday) from 9 AM – 5 PM.
• Weekday/Weekend Daytimes:  28 hours over 4 consecutive days (Thursday-Sunday) from 9 AM – 5 PM.
• Weekday Evenings: 28 hours over 8 evenings running twice a week (Monday/Wednesday course or Tuesday/Thursday course) from 5:30 – 9 PM.
• 6-day / 5-night Live-aboard course usually taking place Sunday to Friday (in Kingston)
• 1-week Live-aboard courses (Saturday-Saturday) in the British Virgin Islands (during the winter).

We keep our class sizes small to ensure personalized learning. There is a maximum of 4 students per boat for our keelboat Learn-to-Cruise courses.  Our dinghy Learn-to-Sail courses are taught on dinghies which each have a maximum of 2 students per boat with a maximum number of 6 dinghies per class.

Immediately after registering online for an Advantage Boating course you will receive a payment receipt from Chase Paymentech. Within 1-2 days of your course registration you will receive a “Welcome email” with confirmation of your course, the date, location and time for your course, as well as additional details and/or instructions about your course (eg. information on whether there are pre-course online learning materials and how to access them).

If you are registered for a Basic Cruising or CANSail 1/2 course, you can also expect to receive a second “Reminder email” one week prior to your course  starting to introduce you to your instructor along with any specific course reminders.

• Pre-course preparation:

  • Access to online learning materials and resources to help you prepare.
  • Theory course access: Complimentary Basic Cruising Theory course if you register before April 1.

  Course materials: A hard copy of the Basic Cruising Skills textbook.

  Certified instruction: A Sail Canada-certified instructor onboard.

  Safety equipment: All onboard safety gear, including PFDs (personal flotation devices).

  Exam and registration fees: The cost to write the exam in the same calendar year as your course, including registration with Sail Canada and Ontario Sailing.

  Logbook and seal: A Sail Canada logbook with an official seal upon meeting course standards.

  Certification: Sail Canada Basic Cruising certification (crew or skipper) upon successful completion.

  Pleasure Craft Operator Certification (PCOC): Often called the Transport Canada “Boating Card,” if you don’t already have it.

  Club memberships: Introductory membership to Nepean Sailing Club and Britannia Yacht Club for new members.

  Bonus: Our popular Advantage Boating “Live.Love.Sail” t-shirt after completing the exam.

Course materials: A hard copy of the Advantage Boating CANSail Handbook.

Safety equipment: All onboard safety gear, including PFDs (personal flotation devices).

Certified instruction: A Sail Canada-certified instructor coaching from a nearby coach boat.

Certification: Sail Canada CANSail 1 or 2 certification upon successful completion of the standard.

Registration fees: Registration with Sail Canada & Ontario Sailing

Club memberships: Introductory membership at the Nepean Sailing Club for new members.

You will receive an email outlining the details of what to bring specific to your course, but here are some suggestions to get you started.  We sail rain or shine so please dress for the weather.  There is room on the boat for a small backpack.  

• Bottom layer:  Shorts & T-shirt on warm sunny days.  In the spring or on cooler or windier days, long pants & a long sleeve t-shirt (athletic bottom layers are a good option).  You will want to wear something that wicks moisture away from your skin since cotton tops and jeans or sweatpants are very uncomfortable when they are wet and tend to stay wet.
• Mid-layer:  A sweater or insulator-type jacket if it’s a cool or windier day
• Outer-layer:  Waterproof (rain) / Windproof jacket and/or pants.  
• Head:  A Hat.  On those sunny days, you’ll want to wear a sun hat and don’t forget sunglasses and sunscreen. On cooler days you may even want to wear a warmer touque.
• Footwear:  Non-marking closed-toed shoes that you don’t mind getting wet.  Socks (wool are good) if it’s cool
• Hands:  Some people prefer to wear gloves to help provide you with “grip”.  These can be as simple as dollar store rubber grip “gardening” gloves or as fancy as leather “sailing” gloves available for purchase at the Chandlery or MEC.  For cold weather sailing you can even purchase sailing neoprene gloves (LINK)
• Small snack or lunch if your course is all day, water bottle.
• Change of dry clothes to leave in your car or on shore
• PFD / Life Jacket:  If you have your own PFD, we ask you to bring it along with you. Wearing a PFD is mandatory during your course when on the water. If you do not have a PFD, we will provide you with one to be used for the duration of the course (sizes XS-XL, chest sizes 34” to  48”)

Sail Canada (www.sailing.ca) and the CanBoat (https://www.cps-ecp.ca) are the two largest organizations providing boating education in Canada.  The majority of Sail Canada courses emphasize practical on-the-water learning leading to National certification in both larger (keelboats) and smaller (dinghy) sailboats.  Sail Canada also offers Nationally recognized classroom courses such as coastal and celestial navigation and race management courses. Sail Canada also offers other Government of Canada required boating education courses such as VHF-ROC(M) and PCOC.  Sail Canada courses are recognized around the world. Sail Canada courses are taught by Nationally Trained and Certified instructors. The CanBoat primarily offers classroom only education during the off season by volunteer instructors.

Check out our popular Sail Share program!