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Three Locations in the SF Bay!

Sleek sportboats, comfortable cruising yachts, luxury catamarans - we have something for every kind of sailor!

Participate in the Racing Program!

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

Join the Club!

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

Courses for every level!

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

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!

Sailing Courses & Clinics

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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Membership and Chartering

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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Destination Sailing Vacations

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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Skippered Sails & Team Events

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

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Modern Sailing's Auriah sailing with the Golden Gate Bridge and Kite Boarder in the back ground.

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 opened our second location in Berkeley in 2023, merging Inspire Sailing to match our trusted Modern Sailing brand. In 2026 we launched our third location: Clipper Yacht Harbor, expanding our Sausalito footprint across two harbors to give you more fleet access to the Bay you love. 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

The Commodores Club - Benefits for Frequent Charterers

Modern Sailing provides an exclusive member benefits program to reward our most frequent charterers!

Qualification for the Commodore's Club is based on the number of bareboat charters you... Read more

Handling Emergencies: Part I - Pre-departure Safety Checks

As even new and diligently maintained boats can experience a problem, every prudent sailor must know and practice basic safety principles - and it begins with preparation before you even leave the... Read more

End of Daylight Saving Brings Changes to Bareboat Chartering

Daylight Saving season ends on November 1, bringing some seasonal changes to chartering at Modern Sailing. The changes described below will go into effect on Monday, November 2.... Read more

Fleet Week Boating Safety

San Francisco Fleet Week is an annual celebration of our nation's Armed Forces. With air shows and flight demonstrations, the Navy Parade of Ships and public ship tours, and many other attractions... Read more

How To Book a Boat Online

With the Mindbody online boat booking system, members can view boat availability and reserve boats online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Now you can use these instructions to book a boat online,... Read more

Wind and Tide Forecasts

Share This Page

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.
Warren Leiden, Member

I try to get out on the water every week: out the Gate, around Angel, up Raccoon - I love it all. After 18 years as a member of OCSC in Berkeley, I learned to sail the bigger boats at Modern by taking ASA 103 and 104. My ASA 104 instructor Dave Russell was terrific. Also, Captain Bill Moreland has been very generous in giving informal advice whenever I’ve asked him. Thanks to Bill, I no longer have any anxiety about docking!
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.
John Boynton

The class was terrific. I know you must get many compliments about your sailing instructors...But I must tell you that Robert is outstanding. Having taught SCUBA, I really appreciate the way he is so sensitive to all on board, dealing with each so well, knowing quickly their strengths and weaknesses making each feel special and cared for.
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.

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