What is InformedBoater Academy?

Learn to Sail

Learn to Cruise

Learn to Navigate

Who is InformedBoater Academy?

Rob MacLeod created InformedBoater.com in 2008 to investigate, develop and share learn to sail information and skill development. This followed a 40-year career in teaching sailing and corporate learning design.  During that time, Rob MacLeod contributed to the development of both Canadian learn to sail program through  SailCanada (formerly the Canadian Yachting Association and to the early development of the American Sailing Association (ASA) as their first technical director (1983-4).

Having the opportunity to work with sailing instructors from across North America, Rob continued as a student of how people learn to sail and continues to teach on his own boat - a 1981 CS36 Traditional, in the  Bay of Quinte and 1000 Islands (lake Ontario), on charter boats in the Islands (Caribbean and Bahamas) and on owners' boats - customized learning.  Our new website brings together the print, electronic and video tools that Rob has developed and tested since 1975. With the Learn to Sail: The Basics online learning course launched and actively being used, Rob has turned his attention to Learn to Navigate and Learn to Cruise - available in 2019.

Basic Sailing and Cruising Skills:
Print and Ebook versions

 is written for newer sailors. Based on Rob MacLeod’s 1985 publication, this new version has full colour photos and more detailed illustrations. Content is divided into the Knowledge you will need to learn to sail and On-water Lessons broken down the way MacLeod has trained 1000s of new sailors – start with the basics and build levels of knowledge and skill. Whether you are new to sailing or wanting to expand your enjoyment of sailing through better boat handling, this practical approach is right for you. As an added bonus, purchasers of the book have access to video that expands the information and lessons covered in the book at no extra charge.