Offshore passagemaking is what every sailor aspires to master. This is it; your crew and your boat, with nothing in between except ocean. Every skill you have ever adopted as a sailor will be called upon to successfully complete a long-distance voyage, but these skills can be learned at the best sailing schools.

Before you can take an offshore passagemaking course, you must have quite a bit of experience as captain or watch leader on coastal trips. A top school will want you to actually complete a voyage of your own after the course is over, and to submit your log book. This will let them know that you gained the proper experience and knowledge from the course, and are serious about using it.

Are You Ready for Offshore Passagemaking?

These skills used to take a lifetime to accumulate. Celestial navigation, storm procedures, and weather forecasting had to be painstakingly passed on from mariner to acolyte. Now, however, it's quick and relatively painless to gain this level of wisdom.

There are a lot of really great schools out there that offer ASA certified courses. This means that they teach to the standards of the American Sailing Association, and have all the prestige that goes along. Learning offshore passagemaking from an ASA certified sailing school is a supreme challenge, but one that is satisfying in terms of both adventure and accomplishment.