Had an awesome few days sailing with Steve! I hadn't sailed in 20 years and signed up for the 101 class with a buddy to get back into the sport. The class size was small (just 3 students) and Steve made sure to tailor the class to our various experience levels and everyone had a great time and learned a ton. Steve is super knowledgeable about all things sailing and is a great teacher. Looking forward to taking another class with New York Sailing Center in the future! read more

My wife and I recently went on a BVI trip with Steve. The trip was amazing, one of the best trips I've ever done. It's like a whole other world that most people don't know about, being able to get a boat and just sail around to different "hidden" islands with almost no other people on them (at least at the time of year when we went). It's like a membership to a secret club. Learning the skills and tips and tricks on how to do it right (food planning, navigating, sailing, anchoring, mooring, docking, taking the dingy to port, etc.) was great, allowing my wife and I to start feeling more confident in doing it all on our own in the future. Seems like an amazing thing to be able to do more of throughout our lives. Before the BVI trip my wife and I had already completed the ASA 101 course with Steve and we both had learned a lot, which we further developed and gained experience with during the BVI trip. I've already started doing research on more advanced cruising locations that we could potentially try in the future after we do the BVIs once or twice more. Highly, highly recommended. read more

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ASA 103 Start Cruising I had a wonderful time taking ASA 103 Start Cruising with Steve at NY Sailing Center! I originally purchased ASA 103 during the Holiday winter sale (hint hint), not knowing my summer schedule Steve was very accommodating juggling our constantly evolving schedules to put together a ASA 103 class for Labor Day weekend this September 2018. Blessed with sunny weather and a cheerful class of four students of various levels and Steve as our instructor, we got introduced to a larger cruising vessel (bigger compared to the beginner level 21ft Beneteau's). Learning all about in board motors, out board motors, how reverse steering is significantly different than forward motoring and got to practice those turns and maneuvering a larger vessel which is much weightier in feel compared to the smaller Benetau. We got to learn more in details about different buoys on the water, and compare and contrast a local chart to the actual buoys placed on the water. My favorite part was sailing across from City Island to Manhasset Bay to a Restaurant on the waterfront with a Marina! Not only did we get into fenders, docking practice, gas station etiquette, having lunch with a view of the harbor was spectacular. I had a fun and super educational time learning more about marine culture. Looking forward to getting back on the water again, pursuing more classes at NY Sailing Center! read more

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outstanding course! Instructor was amazing. I would recommend this course to anyone looking to expand their sailing skills.

Be very careful before signing on for a trip. When told that I was a complete novice, he invited me to join this 6 day BVI trip if I was willing to share a cabin--which I agreed to. What both my cabin mate and I were NOT told was that we were also to share a very small bed. I was under the impression that there were 2 single beds. This cabin mate was a married 6'3" man--I am female. We ended up alternating sleeping outside on hard small benches--essentially sleeping every other night. 2 heads for 7 people-except 1 was inside a married couple's cabin and not accessible much of the time. Steve's food shopping was also woefully inadequate-he actually lectured me about conserving eggs when I boiled 7 to make a salad for the entire boat!! I was not alone in feeling that $2200.00 should have purchased a better experience! read more

I met Steve while looking for a Yacht Club. I joined a club but went back to Steve to get my ASA certification. I have been sailing for many years so Steve put together a challenge plan where I could sail with him and take the tests. He was very flexible and all worked as planned. I had the opportunity to spend time on the water with Steve. He is very knowledgeable and friendly. While sailing in a group he was very engaging and always pointed out things to learn. Everyone moved forward and learned. I recommend Steve for anyone learning to sail or like me to get your ASA certification. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

I joined NYSC with the "package" offer, which is all four classes, plus a year's membership in the sailing club. So far I've only taken the first class, and it was a great experience. Three days on the water, with chunks in a classroom as well learning theory. We went from the basics (rigging the boat, knots, wind direction, tacking/jibing) to the more intermediate stuff (heaving to, anchoring, singlehanding, man overboard rescue). Steve was very patient answering all of our questions and was very thorough. He also is letting us continue sailing a couple times after the course, for free, in order to practice and make sure we are comfortable with our skill level. At the end of this course, I feel comfortable I could "skipper" on my own at least around City Harbor or other familiar areas. Overall Steve's been remarkably accommodating, friendly, and a great teacher. I can't wait for the next course (scheduled for later this month), and to begin my yearlong membership sailing with friends, family, and other club members. read more

This is a fly by night operation. ASA should be ashamed if this "sailing school" represents ASA in ANY manner. A friend of mine had a similar experience. I should have asked around. The "marina" is a junk yard filled with rusted out stuff. The boat was in poor repair, no instruments working. The director (owner?) Steve arrived late each day and then walked off into town to buy a cup of coffee. He said demeaning things about his other instructors in front of students and yelled at students. His instructions were often hard to follow and his explanations of issues related to navigation were unnecessarily complicated. While we were out on the water, he seemed more concerned with taking photos that could be used for marketing purposes than with teaching. The lack of professionalism is what will keep me from returning to this school. read more

I agree with the review above that this is almost a fly-by-night operation. I think Steve is trying his best to run a legit sailing school, but he is so hopelessly disorganized and not on top of what's going on, that it is all a bit of a disaster. I paid for an ASA 101 course with specific days in July. The first day was cancelled due to equipment failure (which I later learned from one of the instructors was a launch engine that was not properly maintained and therefore wouldn't start). The same issue affected the second day, when the launch would again not start and we had to pay a local marina to take us out to the boat (note, I paid out of pocket for the whole class b/c the instructor did not have any cash - I was not reimbursed). Since then I've been trying to reschedule my third day and it has been like a Kafka-esque nightmare. There are supposed to by 2 practice sails in addition to that, and I just can't imagine how those will be worked in (given that it is now almost October). It looks now like I will not get what I paid for, and so far the most I can get is a promise of a 50% refund (notwithstanding that I have no sailing qualification to show for it all). Steve isn't a bad guy and he does know sailing, but he is in way over his head trying to run this business. If you really want to learn to sail and to earn your sailing certifications, I highly suggest that you look at one of the more professionally run sailing schools. read more

We are AIRBnB Hosts on City Island and we have hosted guests who take the 3 day sailing course with Steve. They without exception have raved about Steve, Chip and the thoroughness of the course. We, ourselves, have not taken the class so the rating is based on reviews by our guests. read more

I was initially attracted to this sailing school for two reasons: I was convinced by the website that learning to sail on the Hudson would cause me to spend more time fighting currents than learning the fundamentals of handling a keelboat. Second, I liked the sense of humor on the web page. If you look at my other reviews, I had a miserable experience with a "sailing school" in Miami that took my family out on a boat for a liveaboard course, and didn't raise the sails at all. We had no instruction and, after three days on a boat under fantastic conditions for sailing, did not have the opportunity to raise a sail, much less tack or jibe. New York Sailing Center is the absolute opposite. With Chip as our instructor, it was all sailing, all the time. We only talked about sailing (and old movies and TV shows during quieter moments on the boat). It is quite clear that the intention of this school is to teach people how to sail. And the waters off City Island proved to be exactly as billed -- perfect practice areas with more wind than water current. The ASA 101 course is taught over 3 days (instead of 2), and we are also offered practice sailing sessions after the course is completed. I will be back with New York Sailing Center to complete all my certification courses! read more

The location could be more convenient to the subway, but it's worth it for the value you will get here. I've taken ASA 101, 103, and 105 at other sailing schools, but ASA 104 with Steve was probably the most educational. Also, Steve takes you sailing the whole day without a rush to get off the water, so that was great. read more

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 read more

Whatever your sailing level - intermediate or complete beginner- this is the perfect place My husband and I have been sailing with family and friends many times before, but needed to brush up on our knots and have the opportunity to man a boat "ourselves." We dragged along two complete beginner friends one Sunday afternoon. First, the owner Steve was incredibly accommodating of our schedule. We had purchased a three-hour course but I'm not sure how long we actually took! Steve made sure we not only learned how to man the 28-foot boat, but we (and our friends) had a great time as well. We stopped for a long, leisurely lunch across the bay and felt more like we were out on the water with our friend Steve for the day - who was also taking the time to teach us how to sail. I manned the helm for an hour or so and we practiced tacking a number of times. While we sailed along, Steve had us practice our knots (explaining their uses) and even got our beginner friends to remember the proper names for everything. Driving up to City Island from Brooklyn was also incredibly easy and only took 30 minutes. It's also a cute little town and it's nice driving through Pelham Bay Park. We will definitely be planning another lesson. read more

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. read more

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! read more

Excellent instructors! Steve and Chip were very knowledgeable in teaching key skills for proper sailing. They were also very friendly and accomodating so that people had great experiences. Even though they are very busy, I was able to make new friends with them because of this school. The LI Sound is also a nice and calm place to sail / relax around the tri-state area. Thanks for a great time and education. read more