Modern Sailing School & Club

Recently finished the ASA 101 class at the Modern Sailing school. I was a complete novice to the world of sailing prior to the class and afterwards just want to experience more. The instructors are both knowledge and patient. Highly recommend for all skill levels

I just completed the combined ASA101 and ASA103 class at Modern Sailing School. The instructor, Stephen Spoja, was outstanding: he taught us how to sail in the Bay, with practical tips that you can only get from someone experienced. This is also a great class because you do both levels in a single week (Monday through Friday). The days are intense and you’re on the water A LOT, so you get a lot of exposure and you remember things better.
I had previously taken these two classes at another school in Berkley, but did not feel I learned enough. I found this instructor and the boats (30′ and 32′ with wheels instead of tillers, inboard engines vs. outboard, and roller furling jibs — and a roller furling main on the 32′) to be much easier to learn on because you’re not dealing with all the extra work that doesn’t add to your sailing knowledge. Plus, the Modern Sailing Sausalito location cannot be beat!
The office personnel (Paul, AJ) are also extremely nice and helpful, which makes the school less intimidating for someone just starting out.
I highly recommend this school. I haven’t chartered yet but I am sure the experience will be the same. If you’re considering sailing lessons, take a serious look at Modern Sailing.

Took the basic keelboat 101 and coastal cruising 103 combo course. Boats are well maintained and Steve out instructor knew his stuff. The combo course is 8 hrs. a day so be prepared to work… I commuted from the east bay and that’s a bitch at rush hour (s)…stay local or be prepared for an even longer day if your commuting. When you finish you’ll have the confidence to sail a 32′ keelboat as learning on the San Francisco Bay is challenging.

Fantastic instructors and a really great Fleet. Highly recommend coming to look at the boats, especially if you are trying to choose between here and OCSC. Although OCSC has a larger pavilion and Marina presence, the boats at Modern Sailing are much superior, especially in their silver fleet which is the starter fleet. For example, be OCSC boats all have tillers but the Modern Sailing boats all have steering wheels.
Another nice benefit to being a member of this sailing club in Sausalito is that it’s easy to get on the Bay without having to fight the wind coming through the «Slot» (Golden Gate) like you do when you’re coming out from Berkeley. Makes for a much more pleasurable beginning to your sailing day!

I joined this club by purchasing a package deal that included club initiation fee, 5-​day ASA ¹⁰¹⁄₁₀₃ sailing training, and provided some credit to be used for chartering from their fleet.
The office staff are friendly and helpful, the instructor was excellent, and the 5 days on the water spectacular. There is a lot of studying from the instruction books for these classes with long days on the water. I’d recommend anyone taking this course make sure that they have read through the study books before the class starts. During the week of the course you are unlikely to have the energy necessary to read a few chapters a night.
The on the boat instruction covered the necessary practical skills and put those skills into the context of why they are important. During my week there were 3 students in the class with one instructor. This worked out to be a good number. It meant that each student had a dedicated station on the boat and we would periodically rotate roles to ensure we all got time to develop skills in all aspects of sailboat handling. Our instructor identified particular areas where each student needed additional practice time or instruction. This resulted in each of us building up to similar skill levels by the end of the week.
Each student in my class was able demonstrate competency in the required practical skills by the end of the 4^th day of the course. This meant that the last day could be dedicated to the final exam, some navigation exercises, and a sail out into areas of the bay with higher wind speeds than we encountered earlier in the course. The last day sail allowed us to put our new skills to use and provided some additional training in how to handle more challenging conditions.
Overall, taking my initial sailing certifications with Modern Sailing School & Club provided a fun and safe experience. I have no hesitation in recommending this club to others.

My wife and I took the ASA 101 class with Jeff Fairchild as our instructor. Excellent course materials, laid out very well and easy to understand. Staff was very helpful and responsive. Jeff was an outstanding instructor. He has a ton of information and relays the knowledge in an easy going and comfortable way, especially for beginners. He explains not only the information you need to know, but the fundamentals behind it. He uses repetition very well to drive home the details on operations, safety, rules of the road, etc. in real time as weather and currents change, as other traffic moves in the area and how to «read» the elements. Great experience and we are looking forward to group sails, clinics and our next class.

I still like MS, but they have become a «members only» club. IOW, you must pay the monthly fee to be allowed to rent for any price. I generally don’t like this in a boat rental place because it means you must pay them a monthly fee even if you only rent there once or twice a year. It’s reasonable to require currency of experience and even to charge a little more if you don’t pay the monthly, but if you usually sail elsewhere, recency of experience cannot be the issue. As someone who lives in the South Bay area, this is an issue for me.

The best place for instruction!!! Stephan is an amazing instructor and sailor. Friendly staff, great fleet, and prime location in Sausalito. Looking forward to my next two classes and upcoming club sails and clinics. If your trying to decide definitely consider Modern Sailing

Modern Sailing School and Club offers professional, safe and fun ASA sailing courses, club membership and bareboat charters. Through their program, I became certified in ASA ¹⁰¹⁄₁₀₃ and ASA 104. There is no other experience quite as unique as learning to sail on San Francisco Bay, it was truly an adventure. I considered buying a sailing certification package in the Caribbean instead and am very glad that I didn’t. Very few places in the U.S. provide the conditions and challenges the Bay Area offers. We had nearly all conditions during our classes from clear skies and calm seas to rough waters and low visibility fog. After completing their Captain’s Special program, I feel much more confident to sail a variety of conditions thanks to to their professional, knowledgeable and courteous staff. And a special call out to our instructors Stephen and Peter — both of you made it a blast.

I took the 101 course with Modern Sailing; the office staff were friendly and helpful, and the sailing instructor was excellent. Overall, I would recommend Modern, both for classes and if you just want to get out on the water for the day!

I’ve taken A101/​103 and chartered boats several times since; I’ve always a great experience. The boats are very well maintained and they have a variety to choose from. They’ve also added 2 newer boats just this summer (2015). Very relaxed atmosphere and friendly people. Free parking is available and the location of the marina means you’ll be out in SF Bay in minutes.

My fiancé and I recently did two levels of sailing training at Modern Sailing. We had done another basic keelboat certification training at another area school two years ago. Modern Sailing gave us a very different and much more enjoyable as well as edifying training experience. The instructor Michael was excellent in every way. The office staff and owner were wonderful to work with. On our first charter we were having some difficulty reeding the boat and the dock staff helped us out with this with kindness, patience, knowledge and skill — thank you Jimmy! We love this school, its people and fleet. Also the reciprocal relationships they have with other schools in California will allow us to charter all the places we want to. Thank you Modern Sailing!

I just completed the 5-​day ASA ¹⁰¹⁄₁₀₃ combined course at Modern Sailing. What a wonderful way to spend a week on the San Francisco Bay! It was thoroughly enjoyable, a little intense at times, and left me exhausted by the end of the week. It is a lot of material to cover in a short period of time, so plan on coming prepared and focused to soak it all in. Our instructor, Todd, was a fantastic instructor. He was highly knowledgeable with a very patient and calm demeanor that put us all at ease during our numerous docking practice runs, man over-​board drills, and other somewhat intense adventures during the week.
I have already booked my first charter with some of my fellow classmates and I am looking forward to applying all that I have learned in the coming months and years ahead.

Can’t say enough good things.
Took ASA 101, 103, 104 here. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and invested in your success in the course.
The boats (albeit some older ones) are extremely well maintained, and always ready to go (don’t need to worry about gas, pump outs, water, etc.).
Staff are awesome, and always willing to work with you in order to give you a seamless sailing experience.
Lastly, I highly recommend «Modern Sailing Expeditions», such as the recent Summer Sailstice. Mel and Travis keep it interesting, ask them about the yacht-​tub.
Thanks Modern Sailing!

Best sailing school in Sausolito. Its unique in that it gives you an American Sailing Association certification (ASA), which is one of the more acclaimed certificates that will allow you to sail pretty much anywhere in the world.
The instructors are phenomenal (heavily recommend Jeff, take 101 and 103 from him).

I joined this club earlier in the year after moving to Sausalito. I gotta say it’s a great club. I was able to do a quick check out here after getting certified at another club. Majority of the boats are really nice and in really good shape. The dues aren’t bad and the charter rates are way better than the other club down the road. I’ve checked out both of their fleets as well and they’re pretty comparable. Modern is definitely the better deal.
I can’t speak for the school as I haven’t attended any classes but just taking a few charters out the past few months, I can say the boats are great, rates reasonable, and staff friendly.
Definitely give this place a try!

I took the ASA 101 & 103 last week (5-​day) with Stefan and it was a very busy week. If you are totally new to sailing you may want to do the full 8-​day version — but if you are prepared for it the 5-​day is a great value, and the bay isn’t so busy. I’m new to sailing and came away feeling confident, and a very sound understanding of the dynamics, principals, and practical application of the basics of sailing. AJ and Mel are very approachable, and don’t mind the dumb questions. This sailing club is also the friendliest and down-​to-​earth one in Sausalito — if you are going to look into sailing classes, check out Modern Sailing before you decide — I think you will see why I chose Modern Sailing. They are all about sailing, not selling…

My brother in law and I just finished taking their weekend 101 class (2 weekends in a row) with Stan Lander, their lead trainer. The whole experience was fantastic — we both learned a lot, and had a lot of time out on the water. We bought their «Captain’s Package» that includes club membership, ASA membership, and classes 101, 103 and 104, so we’ll be ready for bareboat chartering anywhere after we’re done with training. Besides swaying on land for a couple of days each week after the classes, I find myself missing being back on the boats already!
Having compared some of the other marinas, we settled on Sausalito because it is just so incredibly beautiful sailing around there, even though I live way down in Menlo Park. And the price is better than many of the others.

I met MSC about a couple of years ago when a friend of a friend took us out for a ride on one of the club’s sailboats. I really enjoyed the experience that day, so when I finally decided to start sailing on my own I contacted MSC and signed up right away. Now I can say I made the right choice.
I recently took ASA101 & 103 at MSC and can’t wait to sign up for ASA 104.
Everyone at MSC, from instructors to the office staff and other members have made me felt as part of the MSC family since the very first day. It has also been a delightful surprise for me to find out the numerous social activities that the club organizes almost every week (bbq’s, club sailing days, …).
I’m very much looking forward to improving my sailing skills with MSC!

The very finest school and instructors! Best in the Bay! Possibly the world. Clean and well maintained vessels. And a nice variety of boats to choose from.
I’m so glad I have taken all my instruction from Modern Sailing.
A couple of weekends ago I anchored out and someone anchored near me and snagged my anchor chain. The other boat owner didn’t seem to know what to do and looked to me for leadership. Staying calm and remembering my training, I brought both boats along side and we raised anchor chains at the same time till we could see his anchor, and un-​foul it from my chain. In this moment I realized how important it is to have solid training as a foundation, like I got at Modern Sailing!