LEARN TO HELM.
It’s time for you to discover the exhilaration of sailing! The Sailing Essentials course is for people who have no prior sailing experience and who have always wanted to try it out. Come out and learn just how fun, and affordable, sailing can be!
Are there prerequisites?
There are no prerequisites for you to take this course, although some time out on the water is recommended. Taking our Sailing Sampler course first is a great idea to get your feet wet!
What will we do?
For our Sailing Essentials course you will spend two full days out on the water on our flagship vessel Spindrift learning the basics of sailing. We will have lunch on the boat and, weather permitting, go for a swim too!
What will I learn?
This course will cover knots, terminology, boat parts, boat handling and overall basic seamanship skills. After spending two full days on the boat you will feel comfortable steering the boat and moving it through the water.
What will I get?
A Sail Nelson Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon completion of this course. Also, this course is equivalent to the Sail Canada Start Keelboat Sailing course. Students have the option of purchasing a Sail Canada logbook and course seal for an additional $80 +GST.

Sailing Essentials
What’s the next step?
Looking for more? The next step in your sailing progression would be our Basic Cruising course!