The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum
Sailing Director, Jody Sterling
[email protected] 

The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum is proud to be  the only accredited
US Sailing school in the Hudson Valley

2026 is our 10th year of operation!
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.  
The Sailing School at HRMM is an MVP Member of US Sailing. You can benefit from this connection! 

​Youth & Adult Programming

Meet Our Instructors

 The Sailing School at Hudson River Maritime Museum's instructors are US Sailing and SafeSport Certified. Click here to view the 2025 instructors.

Which sailing class is right for me?

Adult Sailing Programs

  • 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. 
  • US Sailing Performance Sailing is a 21-hour class taught by US Sailing-Certified instructors. Designed for sailors who have already completed US Sailing Basic Keelboat, have good basic sailing skills, and wish to continue to build their skills, focusing on sail trim and harnassing the boat's potential and each sailor's potential. 

Youth Sailing Programs-Ages 5-17

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  • Parent-Child Sailing Class - youth ages five to eight make friends, learn the basics of sailing and have fun with a  parent or guardian in four consecutive
    ​three-hour classes. 
  • Voyager Program - Full Day | Multi-Activity | Ages 9 - 17
    ​    Join us this summer for an exciting, new, all-day youth program combining the considerable strengths and history of the Hudson River Maritime Museum, now in its 46th year! The HRMM Voyager Program offers a truly unique and hands-on opportunity for young participants to learn both sailing and boat construction while exploring key concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM).

Family Sailing Programs

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  • Parent-Child Sailing Class  - designed for a parent and a child (ages 5 to 9) to experience together, the class introduces students to the basics of sailing in a safe and nurturing environment.  REGISTER HERE


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 2025, 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!
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The 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. 

Get Involved

Volunteer at the Sailing School

The Hudson River Maritime Museum depends on it's many volunteers. If you would like to help out, contact [email protected]
Make a Donation
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​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.

Galleries

2022 Season Photos

2021 Season Photos

2018 Youth Sailing Program