Modern Sailing School & Club - San Francisco Bay Sailing Lessons, Charters and Rentals, Adventure Sailing
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Sausalito and Berkeley Locations

Sleek sportboats, comfortable cruising boats, and luxury catamarans - our two locations have something for every kind of sailor!

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Participate in the Racing Program!

Learn to race and become competitive with our Racing Clinics.
Practice skills in Spring, Summer and Mid-Winter Racing.

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Join the Club!

Be part of a supportive, fun and friendly club.
Meet others and stay active on the water!

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Courses for every level!

See our schedule of courses. Our courses and clinics offer
everything from the basics to advanced sailing skills.

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Join the Club and charter sailboats on San Francisco Bay!
Sail with us on SF Bay!

Book your next Team Building Event and sail with us in one of the
world's top sailing destinations -- San Francisco Bay!

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Looking to learn? Try our Introductory Sail!  Learn more!

What inspires you - day sailing, racing, vacation chartering, or extended voyaging? Whether your dream is to sail around San Francisco Bay or sail around the world, our Berkeley and Sausalito ASA certification courses and advanced clinics will help you prepare to get underway.

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Members enjoy privileges at our Sausalito and Berkeley locations: a variety of social events aboard and ashore, discounts on courses and clinics, and access to charter a diverse and professionally maintained fleet of sportboats, cruising boats, and cataramans. Join the club and sail!

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Relax, explore, and have fun. Modern Sailing curates and hosts unique sailing vacations to exotic and interesting destinations: internationally and along the California Coast.

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Nike spends the day sailing with Modern Sailing School And Club on San Francisco Bay participating in a Corporate Team Building Event and Race

Spend the day sailing on the beautiful San Francisco Bay. Hire our experienced skippers to give you a tour. Or, let us help you plan the ultimate team building activity - a Corporate Challenge Regatta!

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Welcome

The Best Choice for Sailing on San Francisco Bay


Modern Sailing is an award-winning school with locations in Sausalito and Berkeley.

Since 1983, Modern Sailing has been introducing people to sailing from our headquarters in Sausalito, California. We now also have a second location in Berkeley! Even if you have never set foot on a boat, we can teach you everything you need to know. We ensure our students build a strong foundation in this rewarding and lifelong sport. Modern is dedicated to making your learning experience as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Our experienced and friendly instructors hold US Coast Guard Licenses and represent decades of sailing experience. They are award-winning instructors, world cruisers, and Coast Guard commanders and are American Sailing Association certified instructors. Modern's high standards have earned us accolades in the sailing community, including the American Sailing Association's School of the Year Award.

Unlike other sailing schools, we offer you the option to learn aboard our tiller-steered J/24 sportboats in Berkeley or on 30' to 32' cruising boats with wheel steering in either Berkeley or Sausalito.

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More News & Events

This yellow slicker set helped keep ASA 104 student Dina Z. smiling through the rain.
Five Reasons To Savor Winter Sailing

Banish the winter blues and cool your cabin fever with more time on the water! Modern Sailing gives members five reasons to love winter sailing.

 
Modern Sailing 2025 Wrapped

As we ring in the New Year, let's take a moment to recap our most memorable moments from 2025 to celebrate our students, members, and sailing community.

 

2024 Member Awards... Read more

 
Sailing 4 Parkinsons Regatta for Resilience_Project Neptune
Rally the Fleet: Join Modern Sailing in the Sailing 4 Parkinson's Regatta for Resilience

Modern Sailing is forming teams for The Neptune Project's inaugural regatta held at CYC April 12th. We're looking to our community for Team Captains to raise funds benefitting the Michael J. Fox... Read more

 
38th Annual Sausalito Winterfest Lighted Boat Parade on San Francisco Bay_image by Jonathan Ivy from Getty Images
38th Annual Sausalito Winterfest: Join the Lighted Boat Parade

One of our favorite holiday traditions, now in its 38th year is the spectacular Sausalito... Read more

 
Gift Ideas for Modern Sailors on the San Francisco Bay

Want to find the perfect gift to celebrate the sailor in your life? (Or need inspiration for your own wishlist?) This guide offers a variety of options, from stocking stuffers to... Read more

 

Wind and Tide Forecasts

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  • John Clark

    Every aspect of Modern Sailing - training, syllabus, course materials, quality of the boats, quality of the instructors, and the very friendly and helpful staff - exceeded my expectations. Modern Sailing has a first class sailing program in an environment with challenging winds and currents. I look forward to coming back to charter a boat and certainly plan to continue my sailing training.

  • John Kratochvil, Oregon

    I would like to compliment Stan Lander for his coaching, counseling and teaching Heavy Weather Offshore Sailing. Stan was very accommodating to all of the student's interests and shared his many years of insight on handling the boat in heavy seas. I would certainly recommend Stan and this course to sheltered waters sailors. My confidence in handling a boat of this size was certainly enhanced by the experience.

  • Alisa Driscoll, Dual Site Member

    Here are some snaps of Our Saturday, August 20, 2022 Modern Sailing Expedition with Captain Robert Bivin, who was outstanding. Please convey photos and thanks to him. He is an outstanding individual, leader and sailing instructor. His knowledge and experience made us all feel safe and our Farallones Day Trip educational and just amazing. 

  • Emma & George Stubbs, Sausalito

    We just took our ASA 106 at a school in Rhode Island as we prepare for 6 months of cruising in the Caribbean. The class was great, but more than anything it made us really appreciate the quality of teaching and rigor at Modern Sailing. Even though we were the newest to sailing, the group seemed to think that we had the best fundamentals. We felt very well prepared and we see why Modern Sailing has the reputation it does.

  • Andrew Goble, San Francisco

    It has been wonderful sailing with MSC over the years. Please extend my thanks to the owners, management, and staff for unrequited professionalism and high standards in a charter fleet. I have sailed with several in my years and none nearly hold a candle to the quality of business and staff at Modern Sailing.

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Modern Sailing School & Club

Sausalito Location
2310 Marinship Way, Sausalito
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

Berkeley Location
1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

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