Interested in Sailing? Just getting started?

You came to the right place!

Aventura Sailing has taught thousands of individuals to sail, many hardly knowing one end of a boat from the other when they started. Even if all you know now is that water is wet, with some effort on your part, in just a year, we can have you taking your own boat from our Dana Point home port across the ocean to Catalina Island - and maybe a whole lot farther!

Start with our Basic Sailing Course. It includes 26 hours of instruction, half in the classroom, and half on the boat. That's 4 classroom sessions on boating, one classroom session on Aventura and harbor procedures, and four sessions on board a boat. There are never more than 6 students on the boat with the instructor, so you will get the individual attention you need. By the time you graduate, you will be able to charter a 30-foot boat yourself, get it in and out of the slip, out of the harbor, go sailing, and get back thrilled with your achievement.

You'll be learning on modern 27 to 30 foot boats with wheel steering, inboard diesel engines to get you in and out of the harbor, and easy-to-handle roller furling headsails. Every one of our boats has

- a full galley with stove and icebox

- fresh water system

- marine head (the nautical name for a bathroom) with a toilet a lot like your own at home

- CD or tape cassette stereo

- and full electronics

You will find them comfortable to be aboard and easy to sail.

Next - get some experience! You've learned the basics, but you need some practice. Get out for our excellent club race program, maybe some social sails, and for a few practice charters of your own. Charter and sail on the same 28 to 30 foot boats you learned on. Get out one day a month, in a race, social sail, or on your own.

Then - take our Navigation Course. It takes as little as one day, and, if you have some chart-reading experience, you may want to take our Navigation Correspondence Course. You may not learn how to chart your way to Japan, but you will be able to find your way up and down the coast and to our offshore islands.

Now a little more experience. Practice navigating to some of our offshore racing marks, or maybe Newport Beach. You'll enjoy doing this, and it will build your confidence. Again, budget one day a month for practice.

Before heading to Catalina Island, you will want to attend the Cruising Catalina Island seminar. After you see over 120 full-color slides of the island's 10 biggest harbors, understand the hazards to avoid and the fun to be had, you will be confident and ready to go.

Finally - Catalina. You will be ready to make the 32-mile ocean crossing to the famous island, spend a night or two there, and come back the envy of your friends.

How long will it take? If you start with a basic course in August or September, you could be ready to sail to Catalina by the end of March, and certainly during the long daylight-savings time days and nice breezes of April. You'd take navigation in  November or January (or the correspondence course whenever you want, and attend the Catalina Cruising seminar in September or March. And you'll have a chance to race or sail with a group every other week, with lots of chances to go on your own charters. From the day you start, with some commitment from you, plan on sailing to Catalina in 6 or 7 months.