FAQ's

What courses does the AYA's New York City Sailing School offer?

The NYC Sailing School in Manhattan offers a comprehensive series of courses that can take you all from way from beginning sailor to offshore cruiser. The core courses are Basic Sailing (“crew certification”), Coastal Cruising (“skipper certification”), and Bareboat Chartering (“big boat skipper certification”). We also offer advanced courses in Coastal Navigation, Liveaboard Cruising, Celestial Navigation and Offshore Passagemaking.

Where is the NYC Sailing School located?

The New York City Sailing Sailing is located in the heart of Manhattan's Upper West Side. Our location is unique in that it allows you to sail in minutes in one the world’s premier sailing venues, in the best wind it has to offer. The high winds, tides, and marine activity on New York Harbor make it a challenging yet rewarding location to learn to sail, and it is often said that if you can learn to sail here, you can sail almost anywhere. And, you have all of the Hudson River valley and Long Island Sounds wonderful sailing destinations to explore - all are just a few hours away by wind.

How long are the courses?

The core courses Basic Sailing, Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Chartering are offered in two formats, weekend or mid-week. The weekend format consists of two days of on-the-water instruction and multiple hours of "classroom" instruction online. The weekday format classes meet either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8:30pm for three weeks. You can choose whichever format best fits your schedule.

How much of the course will I actually be out sailing?

You will be on the water almost the entire time! There will be a brief “chalk talk” on your first day of Basic Sailing and Coastal Cruising, and during Bareboat Chartering there will be brief lectures on topics such as navigation and sail shaping worked in during lunchtime, but the focus of the courses is hands-on sailing.

What type of boat will I be sailing?

The Basic Sailing and Coastal Cruising courses are taught aboard the Hunter 216, a fast, responsive, and stable performance sailboat, ideal for learning. The Hunter 216 is one of the newest performance keelboats under 30 feet and is being implemented by top sailing schools througout the country including the U.S. Naval Academy and the Bitter End Yacht Club. Skills learned on this safe and versatile 24-foot boat are easily transferable to other, and larger, sailboats. Bareboat Chartering is taught aboard a 42' Beneteau 411 cruising boat - Cruising World magazine's "Boat of the Year" and one the Worlds most popular Charterboat.

Do you still go sailing in bad weather?

Unlike other schools, we make decisions based on safety and comfort. Classes will be rescheduled based on excessive rain and wind strength, storm warnings, and other abnormal conditions. We want you to love sailing as much as we do!

What is the student-instructor ratio?

Basic Sailing and Coastal Cruising classes have a maximum of five students and one instructor per boat. While there will sometimes be less, there will never be more. Bareboat Preparation is taught aboard larger boats and allows up to six students and one instructor.

What qualifications do your instructors have?

Our instructors hold U.S. Coast Guard captain licenses, US Sailing and American Sailing Association instructor certifications and have extensive sailing experience. In addition, New York City Sailing School instructors are hired only after a rigorous selection process in which each and every candidate must pass challenging competency exams both written and on-the-water.

I have prior sailing experience. Do I need to start at the beginning?

If you are an experienced sailor looking to take additional instruction or charter with the AYA, the best place to start is with a Harbor review - a two-hour on-the-water session with an instructor who will evaluate your sailing skills. This will help you determine if you can “challenge” a certification level by taking the practical test at that level. When you pass the practical test and relevant written tests, you can receive certification at that level.

I’m interested in sailing lessons but I’ve never sailed. Is there a way I can try it out first and see what it’s like?

Yes! NYC Sailing School offers an Intro to Sailing course, a “taste test” of the sport of sailing. The Intro to Sailing course is a hands-on, one-day sail with an instructor and a maximum of five other potential students. During the Intro to Sailing lesson you can get as involved as you want and ask questions of one of our qualified instructors to help you determine if sailing lessons are for you. We offer Intro to Sailing select weekends, April through October.

Can I charter a boat with AYA or at other places with the Basic Sailing certification?

The Atlantic Yachting Association requires that you have achieved at least the Coastal Cruising certification in order to charter our boats. However, in many cases your Basic Sailing certification will allow you to charter boats in other areas where the conditions are not as challenging. You can check with the particular charter company to see if Basic Sailing certification is sufficient for chartering in their fleet.

Are my children able to attend classes with us?

Yes and we have had many families attend our sailing classes together with their children. A couple of key considerations are to be addressed. Attention span during the class. We’ve found that children under the age of 12 generally do not seem as interested to learn to sail as their parents. There are exceptions to every situation. If you are taking the class with other people you do not know, be considerate to your fellow classmates before you make the decision to enroll your child. If they have a genuine interest in learning to sail with you and they will be able to be a part of the class the entire time, by all means bring them. Sailing is one of the best family activities to get your kids involved with.

I am planning a visit to the Manhattan area and would like to go sailing. How can I charter a boat from the AYA?

The Atlantic Yachting Association offers “skippered charters” for those wishing to get out sailing on New York Harbor with a professional captain aboard. A skippered charter accommodates up to six guests, along with one of our professional skippers/instructors, on the boat of your choice. You will be able to get as involved as you want: take the wheel, work the lines, or sit back and relax. You can choose your itinerary and destination, or we will put a cruise together for you. Your skipper will have the boat ready when you arrive. Please call 212-518-4604 or email for more information about our skippered charters.

My goal is to charter a boat in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Aegean, or elsewhere in paradise. How can the NYC Sailing School help me achieve this goal?

There are a variety of ways the New York City Sailing School can help prepare you for a bareboat charter in any of the wonderful sailing destinations around the world. Our course program can help you achieve the Bareboat Chartering certification, recognized by leading charter companies in many locations. NYC Sailing School also offers private lessons in which you can focus specifically on the skills most required of you on a bareboat charter. And finally, the AYA organizes several flotillas each year to locations such as the British Virgin Islands, Greece, Thailand, Tahiti, and Croatia! The AYA books the charter fleet and helps you with all arrangements, from travel to provisioning. What better way to enjoy bareboat chartering than with fellow AYA sailors!