Adult Basic Sail School - Fall 2025

One of the best basic sailing programs in Florida

Our Sail School Boats at the Dock

Hands-on Sailing in Beautiful Boca Ciega Bay

Our Adult Sail School program is better than ever!

The Adult Basic Sail School program is offered twice each year, and is open to the public.

We have limited the class size and streamlined the curriculum around an accelerated schedule to provide a more engaging experience for our students. This format allows our students to get even more hands-on experience and practice in a shorter time-frame by reducing the Instructor-to-Student ratio.

This course is designed to be accessible to the complete novice using a combination of classroom, multimedia and hands-on instructional techniques. Instruction is provided on a volunteer basis by some of BCYC's most knowledgeable skippers. Our club members also serve as Table Captains, assisting in the classroom with hands-on skills such as knot tying and tiller practice. Many are Sail School graduates, on deck to share their enthusiasm and newly found passion for sailing.

The objectives of BCYC's Basic Sail School are to produce graduates who can rig the sails of a small boat; assess the wind; sail away from the dock; perform the basic maneuvers of tacking, jibing, and trimming sails; and sail safely back to the dock. We also provide information about federal and state safety requirements, emergency procedures, and “local knowledge” of nearby waters.

This is accomplished during three Wednesday evening classes, two Saturdays and two Sundays of "hands-on” sailing experiences aboard a fleet of Catalina 16.5’ self-righting, self-bailing sailboats on beautiful Boca Ciega Bay

Be advised that learning to sail in a small keelboat may present some physical challenges. Physical actions around a sailboat are often awkward, and require the ability to move from side to side from a low seated position, to duck under the boom while moving, and to step from the dock down to the sailboat below during low tide.

Try placing two kitchen chairs facing each other and moving from one to the other quickly to get an idea of the movements. You must also be able to hoist a small main sail and pull in on jib sails.

If you are concerned about potential mobility issues interfering with your experience on the water, consider learning sailing through a program offering instruction on larger, cruising style sailboats where physical strength and agility requirements are typically less demanding than those on small boats.

That being said, learning to sail on small boats like ours is an exhilarating experience…and also a lot of fun.

Fall 2025 Dates

September 17 - October 4

Boca Ciega Yacht Club Basic Sail School is the best value introductory sailing program in the area.

Tuition includes:

10 hours of classroom time
12 hours of waterfront/On-the-Water time
US Sailing Association Certification Series textbook
2-month complimentary Club membership, inviting you to participate in all Club activities, racing and cruising
(temporary membership begins on the first day of sail school!)
Discounted Club membership application

...All for an extremely reasonable $425 per person

Sail School Schedule

Three classroom sessions on Wednesday nights:

September 17, 24, and October 1
7:00pm - 9:00pm
(September 17th only will start at 6:30 to get administrative
things out of the way)

Four On-the-Water sessions:

Two Saturdays: September 20th and 27th

Mornings from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Afternoons from 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Two Sundays: September 21st and 28th

Mornings from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Afternoons from 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Saturday, October 4 is reserved for weather-related make-ups only

A traditional, yet optional, sunset “sail out” hosted by BCYC members aboard their own sailing vessels on Wednesday, October 8th @ 5:30 pm, weather permitting.

...All for an extremely reasonable $425 per person!

This will allow us to schedule 10 students in the morning and 10 students in the afternoon. Please keep in mind that we will need to limit each session to only 10 students each, which will split the class in half. These two sessions are necessary to ensure that we have the correct ratio of students to instructors per session. As such, we are asking you to review your schedule prior to the beginning of Sail School and pre-register for either the morning or afternoon sessions. Sessions CANNOT be guaranteed.

Even if a student is unable to complete all requirements, we encourage them to finish the class. Make-up sessions are often possible and more sailing opportunities are available during your free two-month trial membership.

Please read our terms conditions

For more information on BCYC's Adult Sail School, please contact our Registration Coordinator, Jen Rogers at sailschoolregistration@sailbcyc.org or our Sail School Director, Joel Heyne, at sailingschool@sailbcyc.org.