New York Sailing Center

I have taken 2 classes and several sailing trips with NYSC. The first class was the bareboat class and then recently took the Navigation class. I have taken sailing courses from other groups and Steve Card’s NYSC classes were not only the best, but also much more affordable. Steve’s navigation book is extremely useful and really explains the various skills in a straightforward and readily understandable language.
I would also highly recommend the sailing trips that Steve puts together. They are as instructive as they are fun.

Great school. Took the 3 day basic keelboat class (ASA 101) with my girlfriend a couple of weeks back and we just finished our second practice session, which is included with the course.
The owner of the place is Steve, who is a great guy and always available by phone or email. I ultimately did the class with his right hand man and main instructor, Chip, who cannot have been a better teacher. He provided the perfect balance between teaching and stepping back to let you learn and figure stuff out on your own… makes you feel like you’re hanging with a buddy who happens to be a top sailing guy. In the beginning, when you think you’re f*cking up, he stayed totally calm and guided us on how to correct the situation while making you really understand what’s going on with the boat. Also has great stories about his life in France during the winter months, which are pretty entertaining.
Classes are kept very small (max 3 students on the boat), which made for an excellent learning experience since you get a lot of individualized attention and don’t feel overcrowded on the boat. From what I’ve heard, the opportunity to practice on the boat after the course ends, for free, is unheard of at other places and I can’t stress how great this place is for that alone. While I learned a ton in the class, Steve was on shore watching and giving pointers when needed by radio during the practice sails. This was super helpful and made us feel that we could actually go out there and sail on our own. not just say we took a course. Definitely recommend if looking at different schools.

I took Coastal Navigation two weeks ago, and it was excellent. The level of instruction is top notch, and Steve is flexible and helpful in making sure the course meets your needs and expectations. He made a strenuous and potentially dry class interesting and challenging.
I feel confident going into the test, and look forward to putting my new skills to use this summer.

I agree with the reviews of the instructors — very thorough, patient, encouraging and knowledgable. However, there were not enough consecutive weekend courses in the start sailing program to enable this working adult to complete the course. And while offered night or weekday classes, they did not fit my schedule nor what I signed up for. –another star for moldy boats.

excellent navigation class. got one on one time with steve and had him go through very challenging concepts (for me) with navigation. very patient, funny guy and really knows his stuff. was a good value. also worked around my schedule which was very helpful. a great place to learn sailing and navigation!

Took the Coastal Navigation class — GO HERE to take this training. Very happy with my decision to learn the charts the manual way and the excellent choice to take it with Steve at NY Sailing Center. He knows this stuff inside-​out and exactly how to teach it to those a bit ‘number’ in the skull (such as me). Steve is a perfectionist for the proper way to navigate but has a lot of patience for those who might take longer to wrap their head around it. Can’t wait to get on the water and get plotting! 40.50.05 N /​073.41.92 W

NY Sailing Center is a real find! Steve and Chip arranged for me to have a great, fun filled, scenic, and above all educational day out on the water.
Steve was very accommodating and has a can-​do attitude. I immediately felt at-​ease. Chip was my instructor for the day, and he is very high energy and passionate about sailing. I learned all sorts of things; the essentials of sailing but also plenty of fun facts that make me want to get into it. I am beginner, so every last detail was new and exciting, but I also got to see Steve and Chip work with more advanced students who sail solo. I’m eager to get to that level, because they seem dedicated to their students throughout their learning process.
I can also speak to how beautiful City Island is and it’s really convenient to get to from NYC. One moment I’m in the city, the next I’m sailing around a nice peaceful harbor. Much better than trying to sail in the crowded waters around Manhattan.
Thank you guys! And I’m glad to have found a gem.

My husband and I had been looking for an activity that we could do together. Following an excursion on vacation in Barbados we started looking for places to take sailing lessons near the city.
We looked at several Manhattan based options but ultimately decided on
taking the three day course at the New York Sailing Center in City Island. At the start of the course neither of us had the slightest clue as to how to sail a boat but by the end of the course we were each able to man the boat completely on our own.
The class sizes are small with only three students to a boat and start with classroom instruction in the morning and on the boat experience in the afternoon/​evening.
Both Steve and our sailing instructor Betsy were a pleasure to work with. If you have an interest in sailing I highly recommend the New York Sailing Center.