Sailing Classes at the Sail Training Foundation

We have over 60 years of experience!

For 60 years, our nonprofit organization has offered affordable classes in sailing and water safety to children and adults in the Door County community. No membership is required in a yacht club, YMCA or other organization. Our instructors are certified to teach by the leading sailing organization US SAILING. STF offers one of the largest fleet of training boats in the area. This ensures that you and your children will be trained in boats that are appropriate to your size, age and skill level. All classes will be held at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club located on the west side of Sturgeon Bay

Youth - Beginner & Intermediate classes:

The 8 foot Optimist Pram class is geared towards beginning through intermediate sailors ages 8 to 13. The Optimist pram is a very stable and safe boat. This allows the student to focus on the basics of learning to sail, such as steering or trimming sails. Terminology, setup (rigging) and the proper care and storage of equipment is also discussed. These are the skills you will develop and use the rest of your life to enjoy the water safely.

Teen Beginner & Advanced Sailing:

The 13 foot Flying Junior (FJ) is geared to teen beginners and students who have mastered the Opti. The FJ is a two to three person boat, teaching students to trim both main and jib sails. This boat also works to refine your balance and handling skills. Students that master sailing FJs are able to move into the higher performance 13 foot International 420 sailboats to further develop their sailing skills. A primary focus of sailing both FJs and 420s is team work, as it requires the coordinated effort of both the skipper and crew to efficiently sail these boats.

Competitive Sailing & Racing:

This class is designed for students that wish to compete in the sport of sailing. Students should be confident in both skippering and crewing in both the Optimist Prams and Flying Juniors and need to have mastered the safe handling of the 420 sailboats. The curriculum emphasizes: Learning and understanding the rules of sailing, starting, basic race tactics, advanced boat handling and sail trim.The goal of the advanced classes is to prepare students to test their skills against other sailors in local and regional regattas.

Adult Sailing Class

Adults Classes Wednesday evenings beginning June 14.

For more details about our classes please see our FAQ page.