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~ A Cut Above ~

Dianne Atkinson, who took our ASA101 four-day Basic Sailing Course in May 2017, sent the following comments

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After I retired at 70 and decided to learn to sail, I started watching youtube videos. There was only one reasonable option based on the actual relevant content of available videos: MDS. I was not interested in splashy adventure or thrills. I wanted to know what was involved in navigating safely on the high seas just in case I might get to do that at some point. It was great to get a sense of the real demands such an activity makes and what experience and tools (not solely GPS) are needed. I read every page of Chapman's this past winter and have just ordered Dutton's celestial navigation as my next project. I am not aware of any other program than shares so extensively with those interested in learning what they are teaching. For all those reasons, I was glad to have the opportunity to complete ASA 101 at MDS.

Initially I started a US Sail 101 program with another school on Lake Michigan. The instructors were college students on summer vacation from Ireland and the boat was a J-22. That experience taught me the importance of knowing how to teach skills and not just have the skills to demonstrate. At that point I began looking on line for a program than invested in teaching. The on-line videos from MDS identified such a program and stood out from every other option.

At this point, I am just beginning to see the possibilities. I am hoping, however, to get as close as I can to passagemaking.


Dianne Atkinson ~ ASA 101 Graduate (Women’s Only) May 2017=

 

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