American Sail Training Association
Encyclopedia
Founded on April 3, 1973, by Barclay Harding Warburton III, the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) is currently the largest sail training
association in the world and a founding member of Sail Training International.
From her humble beginnings with only a handful of vessels sailing the New England
waters, ASTA has since grown into an international institution with more than 250 tall ship
s and sail training
vessels representing 25 different countries and navigating
all the world's
ocean
s.
ASTA was created by Barclay Harding Warburton III following his return from The Tall Ships' Races
in Europe in 1972 where he joined the USCGC Eagle
with his brigantine
Black Pearl as the first US vessels to participate in the races.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ASTA's mission is to encourage character building through sail training, promote sail training to the North American public and support education
under sail.
ASTA organizes the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Series
, a series of sail training races, rallies and maritime festivals that rotate every three years around the Atlantic
, Pacific
and Great Lakes
Coasts of North America
.
ASTA maintains several blogs. Tall Ships Today! and TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Series Official Blog
Sail training
From its modern interpretations to its antecedents when maritime nations would send young naval officer candidates to sea , sail training provides an unconventional and effective way of building many useful skills on and off the water....
association in the world and a founding member of Sail Training International.
From her humble beginnings with only a handful of vessels sailing the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
waters, ASTA has since grown into an international institution with more than 250 tall ship
Tall ship
A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall Ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival....
s and sail training
Sail training
From its modern interpretations to its antecedents when maritime nations would send young naval officer candidates to sea , sail training provides an unconventional and effective way of building many useful skills on and off the water....
vessels representing 25 different countries and navigating
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
all the world's
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s.
ASTA was created by Barclay Harding Warburton III following his return from The Tall Ships' Races
The Tall Ships' Races
The Tall Ships' Races are races for sail training "tall ships" . The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. The races are held annually in European waters and consists of two racing legs of several hundred nautical miles, and a...
in Europe in 1972 where he joined the USCGC Eagle
USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)
The is a barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. She is one of only two active commissioned sailing vessels in American military service, the other being the USS Constitution....
with his brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
Black Pearl as the first US vessels to participate in the races.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ASTA's mission is to encourage character building through sail training, promote sail training to the North American public and support education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
under sail.
ASTA organizes the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Series
Tall Ships Challenge
The Tall Ships Challenge is an annual event organized by the American Sail Training Association alternating in a three year cycle between the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts of North America....
, a series of sail training races, rallies and maritime festivals that rotate every three years around the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
Coasts of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
ASTA maintains several blogs. Tall Ships Today! and TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Series Official Blog
Further reading
- American Sail Training Association; Sail Tall Ships! (American Sail Training Association; 16th edition, 2005 ISBN 0-9636483-9-X)