Rigorous Coastal and Offshore Sail Training Expeditions
Hands On Coastal and Offshore Sail Training Expeditions
What’s it like on a Morse Alpha expedition? It’s sailing immersion, adventure, and a healthy dose of fun aboard Rocinante! For each expedition, we take up to five motivated and adventurous students aboard for a rigorous liveaboard sailing course. Our expeditions are designed for sailors at any level, and offer real-world experience and personalized education. Our goal is to share the skills and techniques we’ve employed during our 25+ year sailing (and merchant marine) careers that will help you sail farther, safer, and with more competence.
We offer sail training expeditions in New England, Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and in 2026-2027 across the Atlantic and in The Med.
How to gain experience sailing, in the most efficient way possible
Our expeditions are focused on one thing – your education.
On a Morse Alpha expedition, not only will you learn the technical skills required to cruise safely and efficiently, but you’ll also experience how clear communication, humble leadership, and creating a culture of positive camaraderie, facilitates a safe, and joyful, sailing experience.
Our goal is that every crew member walks away with hardcore sailing, weather and navigation skills, real life leadership/communication skills, and a feeling that they all got there together. It’s hands-on training 24/7, and you will learn to run all aspects of the boat.
Because we want to keep the training effective and personalized, we only take 5 motivated students. Each expedition has two USCG licensed instructors aboard, so the student/teacher ratio is excellent.
If you are following the ASA curriculum, we now offer American Sailing certifications 103 and 104 on some of our expeditions. These are optional certifications. You do not have to be on the ASA track to join us on any of our trips. We have added these certifications solely as a service to students who request it. This does not affect our overall mission or expedition objectives and our courses will continue to cover material found in the ASA 103, 104, 105, 106, and 108 curriculums. Please note, we do not offer ASA 101 certification, as that class should be taken on a smaller boat, appropriate to the course material.
Morse Alpha is real world, hands-on, coastal and offshore sailing experience and focused education that will help you become more knowledgable, confident and competent.
Ben and Tara were exceptional teachers. They approached the week by giving you upfront lessons on important skills or knowledge and then filled the days with hands on experience. The freedom and space you have to learn by doing and by sailing with your crew was incredible.
– Rachel, MoA 232
This course was everything I had hoped for and then some! Ben is an exceptional instructor and has put together a very organized schedule. The daily musters gave us the chance to say our goals each day, and he made sure we met those goals to get the most out of the course.
– Brad, MoA 226
I learned more than I could have hoped about how to plan a voyage, navigating without electronics, and dealing with all sorts of weather, and had an absolute blast while doing it. Ben and Courtney were excellent teachers – clear, patient, and always keeping it fun.
