Manhattan Sailing School

"In an instructor here, so I'm biased, but it's a great school in a terrific location... and I highly recommend it to anyone in NY or Jersey nearby that's ever been interested in learning to sail or in seeing NY from a new angle"

"My basic sailing 101 class exceeded my expectations. Really glad I signed up. The class itself was a ton of fun and quite informative. I was surprised by how much I learned in two days. We spent hours on the water each day with a beautiful backdrop. Each boat only had 4 students so everyone had plenty of time to practice their skills. Our instructor Marek was everything you’d want in a teacher: an expert on all things sailing, patient, good humored, and kind. I liked the community aspect of the class as well. We had a chance to chat with all the other students over complementary drinks during the little graduation ceremony. The club felt quite welcoming. And it’s quite accessible via the PATH or ferry. Plus it’s in a great neighborhood of Jersey City. Hoping to be back to sail again or watch a race at some point."

"I recently attended the 2 day basic sailing course. I have never been on a boat before, but I came out of the 2 day course feeling confident enough to sail. The instructors were great. They were patient, understanding, and very clear in their instruction. My instructors were Ryan and Krista, both were very good at explaining the concepts and didn't mind explaining a second or third time very clearly if I didn't understand the concept at first. Ryan was very knowledgeable. There didn't seem to be anything he didn't know or couldn't handle. It was also fun. It wasn't just a class, it was a very enjoyable experience."

"Thank you so much for the pictures! But that is secondary. Most importantly, thank you for teaching us your skills this weekend. Your overall dedication and commitment to this sport was hard to miss, its a rare gem in NYC. Your instructor - Patrick Lee, is a very knowledgeable, bright and confident instructor and it compliments his positive personality. personality the friends who took a coarse parallel to ours had a great instructor as well. I had a blast learning as a sailor. I believe I am speaking for all of my group when I say we are extremely fortunate to have picked as our school and appreciate you spending extra time investing into us on late Sunday afternoon. I will gladly sign up for the next coarse, go to Sandy Hook and back to learn new skills. I am particularly interested in spinnaker handling, reefing and "heaving to" skills from your instructors.  I will gladly hear about using sea-drough that is used to "park the boat" in the middle of a storm. Its a very interesting concept. Learning theory. Getting another certification under my belt. Learning new knots. The entire weekend was a blast. It was my great pleasure to spend the weekend with you all. Until next time."

"I had always wanted to sail, but my impression was that the cost and skill level of the sport was simply out of my reach. After experiencing Manhattan Sailing School, I have come to realize that I was completely mistaken. The primary focus of the organization and staff at Manhattan Sailing School is to get everyday people, who have no experience, involved in sailing, and they are doing a great job at it. Having absolutely no experience, I took the Basic Sailing course. From the time I signed up until the course was over, I felt completely comfortable, welcomed, and safe. The staff is extremely friendly and the instructors not only have a passion for sailing, but also are highly knowledgeable of the sport. Everyone in my crew had basically zero exposure to sailing. However, after two days, we all knew every part of the boat and could handle all of the rigging positions as well as actually steer the boat. Moreover, all of us easily passed the ASA certification test. Most importantly, sailing on the Hudson with the wind at your back is quite a rush, no matter what the weather. We sailed through all types of weather and water conditions, and we had fun throughout while remaining confident that our instructor could take over to fix a potentially harmful situation, in an instant. I could not be happier with the course or the price. I researched a lot of sailing schools before taking the basic sailing course, here. I can say confidently that Manhattan Sailing School is the best, on every level. Now, I am excited and ready to take my sailing experience to the next level!"