Morse Alpha Expeditions was born out of a need for quality coastal and offshore sail training for the recreational yachting world. Most sailing school programs focus on the bare essential skills, and loading you up with tips and tricks to get you cruising or bare boat charter ready fast. While we value everyones time, we don’t think fast tracking is the best way to learn.

After decades of experience in the professional maritime and education industries, we decided to not only cover the “hard sailing” skills, but also bring in the “soft skills” of clear communication, leadership, professionalism, and camaraderie. These are the skills that will keep you and your crew safe while working together effectively in any situation.

Our programs cover a broad curriculum of sailing skills such as sail theory, weather, electronics, voyage planning, engines, traditional navigation, emergency drills, VHF protocol, RADAR, anchoring, and more. But it doesn’t stop there. We also discuss communication and leadership, bridge resource management (BRM), maritime law and conduct, etc. We thoroughly discuss thought processes and work one-on-one to develop decision-making skills.

Our philosophy is that even when you aren’t sailing a commercial vessel, you are still bound by the same laws, weather challenges, crew dynamics, and physical forces. Therefore, recreational sailing shouldn’t be treated any different. Drills, routines, and protocols are what keep commercial vessels running smoothly. These are all part of our curriculum.

But on the flipside – we love to laugh, bake cookies on cold days, dip in the ocean, and have fun. On a Morse Alpha Expedition you might be woken in the middle of the night to stand anchor watch on deck, or you might be laughing over a bowl of popcorn after a hard days work. Morse Alpha Expeditions are the perfect balance of serious training and light-hearted fun.

We offer real-world practice and a progression from novice to cruising. Our curriculum is similar to the American Sailing Bareboat Cruising 103, 104 courses, with a healthy dose of the 105 navigation, and 106 advanced cruising curriculum. Our offshore passages cover American Sailing 108 materials, and beyond. Our comprehensive courses are for sailors who want to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to go cruising.

Ben & Teresa’s History

We’ve worked for a number of sailing schools and outdoor education programs. For more detailed background on all our crew see Our Team.

These are a few photos from our diverse sailing resume.