The American Sailing Association is the predominant standards bearer and codifier in the arena of recreational sailing education in the Americas. The organization was founded in 1983 by television producer Lenny Shabes who felt there was no recognized educational system in place to learn the sport of sailing. Today there are over 300 affiliate schools that teach the ASA methods via the many textbooks the Association creates and publishes. Over one million sailors have come through the American Sailing Association learning system.