There are many possible ways you can learn to sail, but embarking on an epic adventure of learning how to sail while on vacation is one of the greatest ways to do it.
By choosing to learn to sail on holiday, you’re deciding to learn one of the most freedom granting activities on the planet while having an amazing time out on the water.
So how is it possible to learn to sail on holiday? Learning to sail on holiday is offered by most sailing schools around the world and generally offer a 5-7 day course. The course offered most likely includes a written and practical exam that allows you to achieve a certain level of competence to the advancement of some official certification.
To learn to sail on holiday means you’re actively taking advantage of the free time you have by learning an amazing new skill while enjoying the beautiful surrounding nature.
On top of that, you’ll come back home with a new, vibrant perspective on life and likely might change your course for the better.
If you have the chance to learn to sail on holiday, I sincerely hope you take advantage of that opportunity. Whether you go solo, with friends, with family, or with your significant other, I have no doubt you’ll receive a lifelong experience few people will ever get.
Learn to Sail on Holiday
Whether your brand new to the sailing world or you’ve attained a certain level of sailing experience, sailing while on holiday can be one of the most satisfying activities you can do.
Being out on the open water with people who share the same passion is hard to beat, especially when the weather’s nice!
Learning to sail on holiday is more common than you might think. If you plan on learning how to sail during the week after work or only on the weekends, your sailing lessons will either be chunked into small components or a couple of times per week at the very least.
When you’re on vacation, spending the proper amount of time at a consistent rate means you can dedicate yourself to truly learning how to sail.
There won’t be the situation where something else pulls you away from learning to sail, which can easily happen in everyday life. Learning as well as enjoying sailing, like many things in life, is best done with uninterrupted and consistent practice.
Learning to sail while on holiday doesn’t have to take up all of your vacation time either!
If you decide to take 9-10 days off of work and hit the road, most sailing schools will offer a proper accredited sailing course for about five days. That gives you time to enjoy other things while on vacation apart from sailing.
You might be wondering if you have to take an exam at the end of your sailing holiday. Well, that entirely depends on what you’re looking to get out of this adventure.
Most schools take on several students at a time during sailing lessons and not everyone has the same level of interest in learning how to sail. Some might be on a mission to become a certified skipper so they can one day sail the open waters while others just want to have a fun and relaxing time on their holiday.
If you’re interested in becoming a certified sailor, you’ll likely be tested throughout the entire experience in terms of your practical knowledge.
Instructors will give everyone the opportunity to practice the fundamentals so they can get a proper assessment of their crew’s developing skills. At the end of the course, you’ll likely take a written exam that covers the theoretical aspects of sailing.
And if you’re just wanting to have a fun and relaxing experience on a sailboat while on vacation, by all means, enjoy it! It’s your vacation and you should be able to enjoy it to the fullest, which can be easily achieved when going out sailing.
Depending on the sailing school you choose, which is probably based on your holiday destination, you’ll have a varying degree of costs. Generally, you’ll pay anywhere between $500 and $1,000 for a 5-6 day course, which is really dependent on location as well as the organization that’s accredited the sailing school.
Now you might be wondering if that cost is worth it. Well, it also depends on whether or not you’ll be a liveaboard on your sailing holiday adventure, which means your course fee will be covering your sailing lessons as well as your housing expenses!
To Liveaboard or Not to Liveaboard
When going on an adventure to learn how to sail on holiday, you’ll have to decide whether you want to live on the sailboat or not to live on the sailboat. Living aboard means just this and it can depend on the circumstance of your style and the vacation you’re on.
Personally, I believe the liveaboard approach is the way to go because you get the chance to fully immerse yourself in the sailing lifestyle.
From living on the dock to waking up in the brisk morning to hanging out in the saloon with the rest of the crew. These types of memories and experiences are those you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
At the same time, you might not have the opportunity to liveaboard, which is entirely dependant on the type of vacation you’re having.
An advantage to not being a liveaboard is that you get to also experience the town or city by staying in a hotel, friend’s place, or Airbnb. Either way, you still get an amazing holiday experience with a healthy dose of sailing.
Popular Sailing Holiday Destinations
Let’s not forget that when you’re learning to sail on holiday, you’re still on holiday. Choosing a destination that fits your idea of a proper vacation means you’ll need to know where to go. Luckily, over 70% of the world is covered in water, so I’d say you’ve got a lot of options.
If you’re looking for sunny and warm destinations, you want to definitely check out the Caribbean as well as the Mediterranean.
Whether you’re cruising around the beautiful blue waters of the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands or the off the coasts of Spain, Italy, and Croatia, you’ll have an experience like no other.
There are also some great locations that aren’t necessarily beach paradises but have a huge sailing culture.
There’s no way to keep the United Kingdom off this list as well as the beautiful coasts of France. If you’re sailing around the United States, you most definitely want to entertain the idea of Florida and California.
To be honest, there are amazing destinations all over the world that’ll give you a great sailing experience and education. There are also amazing schools in Thailand, Australia, and other parts of Asia that offer some of the most beautiful sceneries you’ll ever see.
Sailing Organizations to Consider
Choosing a sailing school with proper accreditation is an important choice if you want to ensure you’re learning the proper knowledge and being safe while out on the water.
The great part about sailing is there are several prominent sailing organizations all over the world that are well known and trusted in the sailing community.
If you’re sailing in the United States or the Americas in general, it’s likely you’ll be learning from schools that are accreditated by the American Sailing Association (ASA) or the United States Sailing Associations.
These are both strongly trusted sailing organizations that provide an excellent education that’s recognized around the world.
The most common sailing organizations outside of the United States that you’ll find when looking for sailing schools for your next holiday are International Yacht Training (IYT) and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).
Both sailing organizations are extremely prominent in the worldwide sailing community and are the organizations that offer the International Certificate of Competence (ICC), which is a famous international sailing certification.
Related Questions
Are there sailing levels I can achieve? There are many sailing levels you can achieve when learning to sail. The levels for recreational sailors are generally crew, flotilla skipper, bareboat skipper, Yachtmaster coastal, Yachtmaster offshore, and Yachtmaster ocean.
Do I have to liveaboard when sailing? You don’t have to live aboard a sailboat when learning how to sail. Finding out from your sailing school whether you’re required to liveaboard or not is important.