Port Jefferson Harbor’s longest running sailing school for youth, adults and families.

All Skill Levels | Ages 6 to 17 | Adults & Families

The Port Jefferson Yacht Club has been teaching sailing to young people and adults for over 30 years in Port Jefferson Harbor on Long Island’s North Shore. The success of our programs is best measured by the accomplishments of our graduates.

Participants in our programs have gone on to lead high school and college sailing teams and become certified U.S. Sailing instructors, while others are leaving their mark in club racing all over Long Island Sound.

Our experienced instructors are certified through U.S. Sailing and many have started their careers in our program. Our classes are tailored to meet the needs of the students appropriately by experience.

Young sailors start with the basics of safety and fun in Optimists before advancing into the racing and more advanced program. Our 420 dinghy program prepares young teens for high school and college sailing.

We now have a 5-day a week program and are developing exciting waterside and summer activities to expand our educational offerings. We’re also focused on providing adult and family sailing lessons to get more of our Port Jefferson community out on the water.

Optimists

Beginner and novice sailors age 6 – 10 learn and practice basic seamanship including rigging, capsize-recovery, basic boat-handling, sail-trim and points of sail while building confidence to skipper an 8-foot Optimist alone.  As students advance through the program, they will build self-reliance and are introduced to racing and intermediate sailing. Sailors are grouped by skill level.  All students must be able to pass a swim test.

420 Dinghy Program

As one of the most widely used dinghies in the world, our 420 program prepares students for higher level racing. Intermediate and advanced sailors build upon the foundation skills learned in the Optimist Program or from prior experience.  For novice, intermediate and advanced sailors, practices are skill-based and dynamic, providing the perfect opportunity to build racing skills and sailing confidence.  Sailors are grouped by skill level.  All students must be able to pass a swim test.

Adult & Family Private Sailing Lessons

This program is open to Adults 16 years of age and older, or families with children from 6 to 17 years of age.  Open to all skill levels, from novice, to seasoned sailors seeking to advance their skills. This program uses group instruction on our J/29 or our American 16 Day Sailer where each session is customized to the needs of the participants. Maximum 4 Participants to 1 Instructor.