Fantasea
The Annapolis Naval Sailing Association (ANSA) is a volunteer sailing club that is dedicated to safe recreational sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and wherever the winds may take us. The club has been in existence since 1967, and maintains a 44 foot Caribbean Sailing Yacht called Fantasea in Annapolis, for recreational use by its members and for training.
The primary goal of ANSA is to build competent crew and skippers. The Club offers training in accordance with U.S. Navy Standards, as formalized by the U.S. Naval Sailing Association, and issues certificates for classroom courses and sailing instruction on the water.
ANSA’s course offerings, taught by experienced instructors, address all levels of sailing and are reasonably priced. For example the fee for the introductory sailing course, entitled Senior Crew, which includes nine instructional sessions, is $325. Other courses which are offered include, Piloting and Navigation, Watch Caption, Cruising Skipper, and Women-on-the-Water.
Piloting and Navigation (P&N) teaches the student to select and use nautical charts; identify chart symbols and relate them to corresponding visual observations; identify obstacles and shoal waters; take bearings with a hand bearing-compass; calculate, plot, and label fixed positions, tracks, dead reckoning positions, lines of position, and running fixes; calculate distance, speed and time; use tide and current tables; recommend safe course to steer; communicate with helmsman; maintain appropriate log; and associated tasks.
Piloting and Navigation class.
Senior Crew (SC) trains the student to be someone who can fully relied upon to perform tasks such as preparing the boat to get underway, trimming sails, piloting, navigation, handling the helm, communicating with other boats and ships via VHF, observing the Navigation Rules, anchoring, rafting, handling line, tying knots, assisting in docking, and securing the boat. The individual is trained to crew an offshore-capable, inboard auxiliary-powered sailing vessel within designated waters during daylight or night hours within sight of land in moderate wind and sea conditions.
Watch Captain trains the Senior Crew Graduate to be fully relied upon by the captain to lead a watch day or night in good weather or bad. The student will learn to supervise a watch section sailing an offshore-capable, inboard auxiliary-powered sailing vessel with a qualified D-CS skipper aboard during continuous passages across unfamiliar waters, day, night, and in reduced visibility in protected to moderate wind and sea conditions.
Cruising Skipper (D-CS) trains the Watch Captain Graduate to command an offshore-capable, inboard auxiliary powered sailing vessel during short passages within designated waters, day, night, and in reduced visibility in protected to moderate wind and sea conditions.
These are the currently scheduled training dates:
- Piloting and Navigation: Sunday, April 12; Saturday, April 25, Saturday, May 2.
- Senior Crew: Sunday April 26, Saturday May 16, Saturday June 20, Sunday July 12, Sunday August 2, Saturday August 22, Saturday September 19.
- Watch Captain and Cruising Skipper: Sun 3 May, Sun 14 June, Sat 27 June (overnight), Sun 28 June, Sat 25 July (overnight), Sun 26 July, Sun 9 August, Sat 29 August (overnight), Sun 30 August (overnight), Sun 13 September, Sat 26 September (overnight), Sun 27 September.
In addition to the courses offered by ANSA, the club has monthly dinner meetings, dinner cruises, day sails and overnight trips, as well as several raft ups and other sailing adventures throughout the spring, summer and fall.
To learn more about ANSA visit our website at http://ansa.org, If you are interested in the taking the courses offer, please contact ANSA’s Rear Commodore for Training Jason Schwier at [email protected].
