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

You do not need to own a boat to sail with SEAS: we own the boats. All you have to do is get out on them and sail. SEAS Monmouth offers two ways to go sailing: as a crew member OR as a skipper.

Crew

Crew is any member (or guest) who wants to go sailing, reserves a seat on the boat by contacting the Skipper (listed in the calendar,) and makes the applicable suggested donation. Since SEAS is all about education, all Crew are expected to participate in the operation of the boat, with guidance from the Skipper as needed. Participation as Crew is an important way to develop the skills necessary to become a Skipper, if that is your goal. Many Crew have no desire to become a Skipper, and that's perfectly fine. Donations can be made online, given to the Skipper or made by using a Crew Pass obtained in advance. For more information visit the Boat and Crew Passes page. Guests must sign a liability release form before they can sail.

Skipper

A skipper is an experienced sailor who has been certified by the Skipper Certification Committee to be qualified to handle a specific boat or range of boats. This includes having the skill to operate the boat and to direct crew in the operation of the boat, having knowledge of the local waters, and having good judgement about conditions, especially regarding decisions about whether to leave at all, and when to return early if conditions change. Skippers are encouraged to lead activity sails and share their knowledge with members who are less skilled.

Boats

SEAS Monmouth provides lots of sailing opportunities in the local sailing area via planned club activities or private reservations on our fleet of boats consisting of: Small Boats (daysailers and Lasers) on the Shrewsbury River in the Oceanport and Long Branch areas; our 22 ft keelboat, "Rhodes Less Traveled", in Sandy Hook Bay, from Altantic Highlands; and our 30 ft keelboat, "SEAS the Breeze", in the Raritan Bay from Keyport.

Small Boats

There are two types of Small Boat sailing activites. The 18' Harpoon and 18' American daysailers are sailed each Thursday evening from their slips in Marina Bay Club marina in Oceanport, NJ. The boats are each skippered by an experienced SEAS captain. In addition, two Saturdays (or Sundays - see calendar) a month we bring our daysailers and our fleet of Lasers to the Blackberry Bay Cove beach area in Long Branch for a day of open sailing. These are our "Small Boat Day" events. There are usually experienced sailors on hand to provide coaching for all the boats. Both of these activities are excellent opportunities for recent Basic Sailing graduates to get more practice time and sharpen their skills on small boats. Consult the Sailing Calendar for specific schedules and contact information for each activity, including the Small Boat Days.

The daysailers can also be reserved by qualified skippers for their own use at times other than when they are scheduled for club activities by contacting the Small Boat Reservations Coordinator, Jim Buonincontri, at 732-925-0574 or . There are nominal suggested donations for the private use of these boats. See the Boat Reservations page for more details.

Keelboats

Our Rhodes 22 “Rhodes Less Traveled” sails every Wednesday and Friday evening from its home port in Atlantics Highlands Municipal Marina. There are also several weekend activity sails each month (check the Sailing Calendar). Activity sails are opportunities for all sailors to practice their boating skills as crew and to develop the skills to become Level 1 and Level 2 skippers. Everyone who has a NJ Boating Safety Certificate (NJBSC) can have tiller time if s/he wants it. Coaching on each activity sail is provided by an experienced SEAS Captain who is the skipper. Check the Sailing Calendar for skippers and exact times.

The "SEAS the Breeze" sails every Tuesday and Thursday evening from its home port in the Brown's Point Marina. There are also several weekend activity sails each month (check the Sailing Calendar).

For both of these keelboats skippers must be certified and checked out for the particular boat they intend to skipper. As with the daysailers, qualified skippers can also reserve either of the keelboats for their own use at times other than when they are scheduled for club activities by contacting the Boat Reservations Coordinator, Bobbie McArdle, at 732-618-8218 or . There are also suggested donations for the private use of the keelboats. See the Boat Reservations page for more details.

If you are crew looking for some fun sailing on the keelboats, contact the skipper for the boat and the time you are interested in to make a reservation (see the Sailing Calendar for details). Seats are limited, so contacting the skipper early is a good idea.