The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum                                           Contact jsterling@hrmm.org 

The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum is proud to be 
the only accredited US Sailing school in the Hudson Valley
 The Hudson River Maritime Museum, in partnership with the Kingston Sailing Club, founded the Sailing School in 2017. Featuring youth and adult sailing classes, and occasional US Sailing instructor certification classes, the Sailing School seeks to get a new generation of enthusiasts out on the water.  For more information about 2022 classes, click the buttons below!

Which sailing class is right for me?

ADULTS
  • First Sail - for the adult (or child ages 5 and older, accompanied by an adult)  who has never sailed before,  this is a two-hour gentle introduction to sailing aboard our historic catboat Tidbit. More experienced sailors are also welcome!
  • Adult Sailing Series - if you already love to sail, you may start with a four-session Adult  Sailing Series Class , 12 hours total. The class will usually take place on stable keel boats.  Instructors will modify the curriculum to suit the needs of participants, so beginners as well as more experienced sailors will enjoy the class.  Students may enroll in more than one series. 
  • US Sailing Basic Keelboat Class - if you know you love to sail, and you want to learn as much as possible in a very focused way, you may start with our 21-hour US Sailing Basic Keelboat class. This class covers all the basics one needs to know to become a safe, basic sailor. Since the class is suitable for beginner and intermediate sailors, many of our students take this class more than once to solidify their knowledge and skills. 
FAMILY                   
  • Parent-Child Sailing Class  - designed for a parent and a child (ages 5 to 8) to experience together, the class introduces students to the basics of sailing in a safe and nurturing environment.       

YOUTH
  • Introduction to Youth Sailing - designed for children ages six through nine, this class is a gentle introduction to sailing in three consecutive three-hour classes.
  • Youth Sailing Program - designed for youth ages ten  through seventeen, this one-week class (M - F, 9 am to 4 pm)  teaches beginners as well as more experienced sailors the basics and builds their sailing skills on a variety of boats from 8 foot Optimist Prams to stable Catalina Capri centerboard boats to 420 racing boats and more. Many of our youth sailors enroll in multiple weeks of Youth Sailing Program. 
  • Building & Sailing Boats - designed for youth ages ten through seventeen, this class teaches the basics of boatbuilding and the basics of sailing in a four-day combination of woodworking on boats and sailing boats. 
The Sailing School at HRMM is an MVP Member of US Sailing. You can benefit from this connection! 

2023 Women's Sailing Conference 

The next Riverport Women's Sailing Conference is scheduled as an in-person event on Friday and Saturday, March 24 - 25, 2023. 

Adult Sailing Programs

​Courses for adults of all levels including Parent-Child Class, First Sail, Adult Sailing Series, and US Sailing Basic Keelboat.

Youth Sailing Programs

A variety of classes for youth ages 6-17. Courses include Parent-Child Sailing, Intro to Youth Sailing, Building and Sailing Boats, and Youth Sailing Program. 
History of The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum

In August, 2017, Hudson River Maritime Museum offered its first youth sailing program, with one week of youth and one week of teen sailing. In 2018, we added Adult Sailing classes and became a US Sailing Certified School. 

Fast forward to 2023, and the school has grown to include 10 weeks of a variety of summer youth sailing programs.  Our centerboard boat fleet has grown to include three 420's, two Capris, a Snipe, and eight Optimist Pram sailboats, four of which were built by our very own Youthboat builders!

The 2023 Adult Sailing Season has also grown tremendously. We now offer many two-hour introductory sailing sessions on board our historic Catboat Tidbit, a number of Adult Sailing Series classes, and five sessions of our 21-hour US Sailing Basic Keelboat certification class aboard our 24' J24 Keelboat and our 25' Merit keelboat. 

2022 Season Photos

2021 Season Photos

2018 Youth Sailing Program Photo Gallery

Volunteer with the Sailing School!

The Hudson River Maritime Museum depends on it's many volunteers. If you would like to help out, contact smarrarinan@hrmm.org

Donations Welcome

The sailing school would not be able to survive without its generous supporters. ​Help us keep up with the ever growing costs of maintenance, training, and equipment that we need to be able to continue to share this amazing sport.