ASA 104 Trimaran Bareboat Cruising

From the harbor at 13555 Fiji Way in Marina del Rey, ASA 104 Trimaran Bareboat Cruising delivers a hands-on, three-day push into open-coast seamanship and island navigation. Starting at Naos Yachts, students step aboard a 47-foot trimaran or 38-foot sloop to practice advanced sail trim, heavy-weather handling, anchoring, and docking as they surface-click toward Catalina Island's protected coves - Two Harbors, Emerald Bay, or Cat Harbor - depending on wind and instructor plan. This course is built for crews ready to move from coastal day-sailing to multiday command.

In compact, instructor-led modules you'll master provisioning, galley operations, routine systems checks, auxiliary engine use, and dinghy operations while practicing chart plotting and GPS coastal navigation. US Coast Guard-licensed, ASA-certified instructors lead small classes capped at four students to maximize hands-on time and real-world repetition in moderate to heavy winds and sea states. Catalina changes the picture: sheer rock ridgelines of Catalina's Avalon and the kelp forests that fringe its bays give students varied practice in entering constricted anchorages, reading currents, and performing close-quarters maneuvers.

The island's marine life - sea lions, garibaldi, and passing dolphins - adds teaching moments about local navigation hazards and protected habitat etiquette. It is not a scenic sideline but a real training ground where technique meets unpredictable ocean energy. Expect hard work and quick learning.

The usual itinerary moves between Two Harbors and Emerald Bay or Cat Harbor, with instructors tailoring lessons to conditions. Prerequisites ASA 101 and ASA 103 mean you'll arrive with basic sail handling and rules of the road, ready to expand into captain-level decision-making. Limited class sizes mean more helm time, more lines to trim, and more time troubleshooting systems under instructor supervision.

Practical benefits extend beyond certification. Graduates leave with confidence in provisioning for multi-day cruises, running onboard electrical and mechanical systems, and the judgment to skipper a coastal passage. For sailors in Southern California, this course is a concentrated route to competence and a direct way to learn island handling where rocky shorelines, kelp, and sudden wind shifts test real-world skills.

Students sail aboard the newest fleet of Beneteau monohulls and Lagoon catamarans as well as the 47-foot trimaran used for handling drills, so you'll sample different platforms and learn how stability, reefing strategy, and helm feel change between multihulls and sloops. The course fee is $2,200 per student; Club membership details and a 10% instructor discount are available through Naos Yachts. Small groups, certified instructors, and Catalina's compact, rocky anchorages make this an efficient, high-value path to bareboat readiness.

Bring sea-stable footwear and gloves.