The Keelboat Certification System offers seven levels of certification, from Basic Keelboat through Offshore Passage Making. A student must be able to meet appropriate standards in order to be certified at each level.
Participation in the Keelboat Certification System also includes a US SAILING Official Logbook of Sailing where you record all course completions, certifications and on-the-water experience. Upon successful completion of each level, you will receive a sticker and signature from your instructor in your logbook. This information will be submitted to the US SAILING national database by your sailing school. Your Official Logbook of Sailing will serve as your passport for renting and chartering boats locally and worldwide, and for continuing your sailing education at schools that are part of the US SAILING Keelboat Certification System.
Learn more about the certification standards:
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Basic Keelboat
Learn to sail to sail a basic 18 - 27' sailboat with a ballasted keel and tiller steering |
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Basic Cruising
Learn to sail 23' - 35' cruising sailboats with auxiliary power |
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Bareboat Cruising
Learn to sail 35-45' sloop-rigged cruising keelboats with wheel steering and inboard diesel power for extended multi-day trips |
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Coastal Navigation
A classroom course to prepare sailors for more difficult sailing destinations and coastal passages |
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Coastal Passage Making
This course is designed for longer coastal passage making circumstances, night-time navigation, fog situations, watch rotations, radar use, and more |
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Celestial Navigation
A classroom course teaching students how to use a sextant to calculate a sailboat's position based on the sun, planets and stars |
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Offshore Passage Making
A blue-water ocean sailing course, taught in an open ocean environment |
