Learning to Sail!

ASA 101, 103, 104 and 114 - Zero to Hero

In August of 2025, instead of taking a trip for our 17th anniversary, Mike suggested that we take sailing certification classes closer to home. He signed us up for a week-long private instruction with Blue Pacific Charters out of Marina Del Rey. There were four textbooks to pre-read, and I somehow had missed the part where we’d be sleeping onboard for 5 nights at Catalina Island. Having not grown up near water, my primary concerns were: falling off the boat, hitting someone else’s expensive boat, not being able to use a hairdryer, and seasickness. Luckily, we had ideal sea and weather conditions.

Smooth sailing

Our instructor Anthony (aka The Happy Captain) was very patient and re-assuring, though I wish you could see the look on his face when I’d blurt out a completely wrong answer. We spent the mornings going over theory and lessons, and taking the 100 question tests (Mike beat me on every single one). Afternoons were spent practicing tacking and jibing, boat nomenclature, anchoring, docking and man overboard drills. Behold this photo of me checking engine oil!

Dolphins, whales and mermaids

At Catalina island, dozens of bottlenose and common dolphins chased our catamaran (the S/V Untethered pictured above). I was filled with joy at the experience! We also saw humpback whales near Palos Verdes and Rizzo’s dolphins. Mike’s drone videos captured the magic. Click here for Mike’s account and here for more photos. I definitely need more practice but Mike did great! His colleague Angie had bought him the Captain’s hat. We were lucky to have calm seas and shipping lane traffic that week. I look forward to sailing again soon!