SAILING LESSONS: New York and New Jersey Sailing
Learn to Sail! Join our Sailing Club
Take Sailing Lessons in NYC with Offshore Sailing School on the Hudson River, then join our Offshore Sailing Club in New York and continue sailing whenever you like. We provide the ultimate prescription for good health and good fun. Whether you live in and around the New York/New Jersey area or are planning a visit, sailing on the Hudson between Big Apple and Jersey City shorelines is a rewarding and meaningful experience that opens the doors to a whole new llifestyle.
Sailing Lessons and Schedules
Sailing/NY: Two Great Locations
- Liberty Landing Marina in Liberty State Park - Jersey City, NJ
- Chelsea Piers at 23rd Street and Hudson River - New York City
Sailing Lessons in New York with Offshore Sailing School include three-day certification courses and two-hour clinics, April through October. Three-day Learn to Sail and Performance Sailing certification courses are offered every week on weekdays and weekends.Two-hour sailing lessons and clinics are available most days. With either course you are eligible to join our New York Sailing Club for friendly day sailing and fun races held in New York Harbor on the Hudson River throughout the season. Why learn with Offshore Sailing School?
“My three-day Learn to Sail course was taught by extremely knowledgeable and experienced instructors. Sailing on the Hudson River, there is never a dull moment . . . Outstanding experience!!”
Larry Goldberg – Oyster Bay, NY
For corporations and groups half and full-day Team Building programs are available throughout the season. Families can't stop raving about our week-long New York sailing Kids and Teens Learn Free course. Read the New York Times article (link to it from the sidebar). You just can't beat a Manhattan sailing school experience with Steve and Doris Colgate's Offshore Sailing School. Learn why.
Book today! Call 888-454-7015
Three-Day Learn to Sail Certification Course
Visual. Auditory. Tactile. — THE way to learn sailing!
"In my 47 years of teaching and running Offshore Sailing School," explains our founder, Steve Colgate, "we know that no two-day 'certification' will give you the skills and confidence to truly sail a 26-30' sailboat well on your own."
Our three-day Learn to Sail New York course gives you 18 hours of instruction under sail and 6 hours in the classroom; as opposed to 9 hours on the water and little or no classroom time advertised by others. We send you the best textbook for new sailors there is to read in advance (visual). You attend classroom sessions prior to sailing (auditory). And then head out on the water for hands-on learning (tactile) with a maximum of three other crew mates and your instructor.
"This is the best quick course I have taken in any subject."
Andrew Vogel – Fishkill, NY
- Weekdays: Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday/Friday – $795 per person
- Weekends: Friday/Saturday/Sunday or 3 consecutive weekend days starting on a Saturday or Sunday – $895 per person
The best Certifications you can receive
Our Learn to Sail course comes with Colgate Day Sailing Certification at no extra charge and you receive Steve and Doris Colgate's Fast Track to Sailing textbook, published by International Marine/McGraw Hill. US SAILING Basic Keelboat Certification is available at $75 per person in addition to your tuition. Bonus: You get a $100 lifetime graduate discount on future courses and you can double that grad discount if you sign up for your next course within 30 days after graduation.
“After far too many years as passenger, helping-hand and chef – I pursued my dream of learning to sail.
I was honored to do so with Offshore and could not feel more equipped to take on the seas.”
Kendall Allen – New York, NY
Three-Day Performance Sailing Course
The next step up for those who want to learn more about handling a fast daysailer. If you sign up immediately after taking the
three-day Learn to Sail, you get to double your grad discount! Performance Sailing, taught by our expert instructors with tons of racing experience under their boat shoes, gives you the skills and confidence to handle a high performance boat really well, and thoroughly enjoy competitive sailing. Even if you don't want to race, you'll learn the nuances of making a boat go fast including safety and boat handling procedures that go beyond Learn to Sail.
This New York area sailing course is held every week when two or more are signed up for the same date. You'll get 6 hours of on-water instruction with an hour and half of classroom each day. Compare this to two days of workshops offered by other area schools without a set curriculum. No way will you really learn how to make your boat go fast and win in such little time.
2012 Performance Sailing Tuition
- Weekdays – $895 per person
- Weekends – $995 per person
Performance Sailing is offered only at our Liberty Landing Marina location on the same schedule as the Learn to Sail course. Liberty Landing is the home of our popular Offshore Sailing Club and as a Performance Sailing graduate you get to try out the club with a free one-time sail with club in evening or weekend races . Colgate Performance Sailing Certification comes with this course at no extra charge. And you get Steve Colgate's new textbook, published early 2012 by International Marine/McGraw-Hill!
Kids and Teens Learn to Sail Free
This meaningful family program is a true bonding experience for Mom and Dad and up to three kids and teens, learning to sail together. It's a mini-vacation right at home, spending quality time with the whole family. The course schedule is Monday through Thursday, half-days, starting with a two-hour morning classroom and then three hours of on-water instruction. Friday morning is your rewarding test practice sail without the instructor aboard. Your savings? 55% for Mom, Dad and three kids.
2012 Tuition for Families
Liberty Landing Marina – Jersey City only
- Monday through Friday: $1790 total for your family group – two adults and up to three offspring (ages 7-17) or one adult and up to four offspring (oldest must be at least 17 years of age)
- Two textbooks come with this course regardless of number aboard
The Offshore Sailing Club
Exclusive to Offshore Sailing School Learn to Sail and Performance Sailing grads, you get to sail anytime you want with other Club members out of our Liberty Landing Marina base in Jersey C. Some race, others like to just go out and cruise around for the day. Many have been members for 10 years or more!
Our staff at Liberty Landing Marina makes sure you have FUN, with full-moon sails, parties, regattas and a whole lot more. Unlike other clubs in the area, you don't have to pay extra to "skipper" one of our beautiful Colgate 26 sailboats, we teach you so well, you're ready for any position aboard. When you achieve your certification, you can keep on sailing and enjoy the camaraderie of new friends with similar asprations. Read more about our Club's no-hassle way to sail so close to home on the Offshore Sailing Club page.
Join for just ONE LOW membership fee
NO initiation fees. No higher dues if you want to be a SKIPPER. Our club dues are AT LEAST $595 less than another sailing club on the Hudson (with all kinds of rules and extra costs about who can skipper, or not).
- Regular or renewing membership: $1795 single, deduct $200 per person for two or more grads from same household ($1595 per person)
- Introductory Club membership for first-time 2012 grads only: $595 per person allows three opportunities to sail with other Club members
- Pro-rated membership for 2012 NEW graduates only: Available only to those who start course after June 30, 2012 – $300/month per person
- Minimum age is 18
“The Learn to Sail course exceeded my expectations. I was thoroughly satisfied with the course material and our instructor was great! His enthusiasm and knowledge gave me complete confidence in going out on the boat even with challenging conditions. I look forward to getting out for more sailing now with the Club and continuing this great recreation and sport!!”
John Conquest – Stroudsburg, PA
About our Certification courses
Remember the old adage, "you get what you pay for?"
If your decisions are led by price, remember - you get what you pay for. Certification is not a legal term. It has no standing with the U.S. Coast Guard or any State or the Federal Government as a "license" to sail. You should start your sailing education on a safe, responsive, comfortable and sophisticated mid-sized daysailer with a TILLER. America's Cup and Olympic sailors will tell you that's the only way to truly feel how, and learn why, a sailboat moves with wind alone. And that strong platform for learning is what our Colgate 26 trainers are all about.
Learn on the right boat the first time
Airline pilots don't start out learning on a 747. They start on a plane like a Cessna and learn how to handle a highly responsive, lighter craft quickly and accurately. That's what you need, and get, when you learn with Offshore Sailing School on a Colgate 26 – the only sailboat expressly designed and built for sail-training. This is a $49,000 performance sailboat that will not sink, can be sailed in the most extreme conditions without fear of capsizing, is v-e-r-y comfortable with ergonomic seating and a huge cockpit to move around in, and is exciting and highly responsive to your touch.
Learn with a tiller first
A tiller is a steering device, commonly called a "stick," connected to a post that connects to the rudder. The woman to the right in this photo is holding the tiller with her left hand, and steering the boat. The distance between the tiller and the rudder, which deflects water and determines where your boat is pointing, is very short, giving you instant response when you move it. On a larger boat, the distance is much further and the response much slower, so you don't get the true and immediate feeling of how a boat reacts to your touch.
What you learn in each course
Click this button to learn what each of our certification courses cover. We care about what you learn and the results you achieve. We don't cut corners. The real test comes with your pracitice sail, when you feel the confidence and skills you gained with our caring, dedicated instructors. Colgate Certification is the system Steve Colgate developed 47 years ago when he started Offshore Sailing School.
If you want third-party validation, we offer US Sailing certification – from the governing body of sailing in the United States, which represents the United States in Olympic and International competition, and is the sole U.S. member of the powerful International Sailing Federation made up of governing bodies from nearly every country in the world. Steve Colgate headed the Training Committee that developed the US Sailing Certification system for all commercial and community sailing schools in the United States.
Why learn with Offshore on the Hudson River
- You're on the water in no time if you live in Manhattan or within an hour's drive of Jersey City.
- Public transportation will get you to either of our two locations: Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City or Chelsea Piers at 23rd Street and the river on the west side of Manhattan.
- Sailing on the river is spectacular with incredible vistas (especially in the setting sun) and a surreal sense of "quiet" so close to city noises.
- Ah yes, there's plenty of water traffic, but that only enhances the confidence you gain in our courses – when you learn on the Hudson, you can sail anywhere and, what's more, it's fun!
- If you want a mini-vacation, there are some great hotels nearby both locations, so plan your dinners out and see a play while you're learning a new skill.
- When you learn with Offshore Sailing School you can join our terrific Offshore Sailing Club and enjoy the luxury of getting out for a sail anytime you want with new found friends on our award-winning Colgate 26 fleet. The U.S. Naval and Coast Guard Academies love this boat and have fleets of their own!
Liberty Landing Marina is in Liberty State Park in Jersey City just across the Hudson River from New York’s financial district. It is easily reached by both public and private transportation including ferry service from Manhattan direct to our dock.
Chelsea Piers – the recreational heart of New York City – is at 23rd Street and the Hudson River. Whichever location you choose for the start of a whole new lifestyle – you will get the best instruction in sailing bar none, from sailing instructors dedicated to your success.
Courses and events you can do in New York Harbor with Offshore Sailing School
Learn to Sail
Performance Sailing and Racing
Team Building Events for Corporations and Groups
Sailing Lessons
Learn to Sail in a Day/Refresher Courses
Or call 888-454-7015 to talk to one of our friendly sailing advisors.
View Offshore Sailing School Locations in a larger map