Society for the Education of American Sailors - We're All About Sailing

SEAS Monmouth has several courses designed to develop the knowledge and skills of members interested in sailing keelboats, which are larger, and more challenging to handle. We offer formal courses, which combine classroom and on-the-water sessions, and less formal, water-only courses. And, through our numerous keelboat activity sails during the week, we offer abundant opportunities for students to get the additional practice they need to perfect their new skills.

Boat Handling

Boat Handling is a formal class designed to teach the basics of all common boat-handling maneuvers on sailboats equipped with engines (inboard or outboard), including entering and leaving a slip, docking/undocking, anchoring, and tying up to and leaving a mooring. The student will learn the effects that wind and current forces have on their boat, and how to apply this understanding to the basic boat handling maneuvers. This course provides 4 hours of classroom and 9 hours of on-the-water instruction conducted on 22 ft (w/outboard) and 30 ft (w/inboard) sailboats. This course is focused on handling a sailboat under power, and includes no sailing instruction. Some experience with a sailboat is recommended, but not requied. A NJ Boating Safety Certificate is required for this course. The course cost of $175 includes text and handouts. Course scheduling is subject to demand. For more information on this course contact Ray Kimber at .

Advanced Sailing

Advanced Sailing, also a formal class, concentrates on advanced sailing topics on both the Rhodes 22 and Catalina 30 Keelboats, including sail trim, reefing, gibing, and use of all the boat's sails. The student will learn to perform common boat maneuvers under sail including tying up to and leaving a mooring, and anchoring. Sailing-related rules of the road will also be reviewed. This course, complementing the Boat Handling course, is designed to provide prospective skippers with the training and practice to maneuver keelboats under sail, as well as to sail effectively under various conditions. The only prerequisite is SEAS Basic Sailing or equivalent experience.

Advanced Sailing consists of two 2.5-hour weekday evening classroom sessions and 2 to 3 water sessions (two weekend sessions and possibly one weekday evening session.

Course Scheduling is subject to demand. For more information contact Ray Kimber at . The total class size is limited to 8, and water sessions are limited to 4 students.

Informal Foundation Courses ("Mini-Courses")

These courses are 2.5-hour, single-session classes covering specific sailing and sailing-related topics, such as engine operation/repair, navigation, sail trim, etc. They are usually held on Wednesday evenings, on the particular boats required for the course. See the complete list of Mini-Courses for more detailed descriptions, and refer to the Classes and Training calendar for specific dates and contact information.