Brenton and his team of sailing instructors are top notch! I've taken a number of ASA (American Sailing Association) courses over the past 10 years 101, 103, 104, 114 and 106. With each course, the instructors have been outstanding. Their knowledge, experience and teaching skills are superb. Regardless of your experience, you will learn new skills, gain important knowledge that will make you and your crew's sailing experience better and keep you safe on the water. I highly recommend Blackrock to anyone looking to learn or increase their sailing skills. read more

Black Rock Sailing School - Blackrock Sailing School....Buzzard's Bay after a great day of sailing rewarded with a double ! - Boating Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Let me start my review by stating that if you are willing to jeopardize north of $5K on a sailing membership with no expectations that you will actually be able to communicate with the staff or charter the fleet, then read no more- Black Rock club membership is perfect for you. If like me, you view $5K as a substantial amount of money and you want to get on the water with a club you can trust, then read on. For starters, it is important to realize that Black Rock does not offer a la carte options for sailing memberships. Instead, there is only the all you can eat option, priced at $3000 - $3800 for the 26' Colgate fleet. If you are not a returning Black Rock Sailing club member, and if you got your ASA certification elsewhere, you will be asked to pay an additional $700 for "initiation fee and training." Add these sums together along with the optional $350 fee to access the fleet in RI, and you arrive north of a $5K investment. When we think through the ramifications of the arrangement I summarized above, it is important to realize that the $5K comes out of pocket first, and accessing the fleet then only will happen once the "training" happens. So the person looking to sail is at the mercy of the Black Rock staff executing on the training in a timely fashion, and with every day/ week that the training does not happen, an proportional amount of the $5K sailing time that was already paid for goes away. In my situation, the training was scheduled several weeks after payment. In order to do the training, I had to take time off from work as I was informed that the training could only occur during normal working week hours. I found it odd that there was never any formal correspondence confirming the date and time, and more odd still that there was no communication of exactly what to expect during the training. Having chartered now at other clubs for over 15 years, these trainings can come in the form of a relaxed session where the instructor goes over some do's and don'ts all the way to a military-style drill where the instructor sits with a clipboard and asks questions from the ASA101/103/104 course taken years ago. So one always wants to know expectations well in advance, but Black Rock remained curiously mute. While the prolonged radio silence from Black Rock led to some concerns about my choice for a sailing club, these concerns escalated to full anxiety upon my efforts to actually confirm that the training was even going to happen as scheduled. Again, after over 15 years of chartering at other operations, I had a suspicion that the radio silence from Black Rock thus far was not good. Over the course of 2 days immediately prior to the training, there were multiple emails, texts and phone calls sent to two individuals that remained unanswered. Finally at 9.30 PM the night before the scheduled training, I got a response that the training was cancelled. This is problematic. The prolonged radio silence prior to the training, combined with failure to respond to multiple queries led to a sinking feeling that the $5K investment I had made would be a total loss. This is because I was not in a position to identify the root cause of the silence--this could have spanned anything from poor communication in the best case scenario to Black Rock going out of business (with a possible a complete loss of my $5K) in the worst case scenario. There was no way to know what was the matter when these queries were met with silence. I then thought through the "best case" scenario of poor communication that I identified above, and thought about how that would play out in the case of an emergency on the water upon eventual chartering. I've been in a situation like that before where there was a problem with a charter while on the water, but nobody responded to multiple calls for help. This scenario was quite unpleasant, and I swore I'd never invite a situation like that again. So as the reader might have guessed, I am no longer a Black Rock Sailing club member, and the experience was so intensely negative I have abandoned any effort at sailing for the year with any other club. Black Rock truly beat the enthusiasm for sailing out of me. read more

I took ASA 101 & 103 two years ago and just completed ASA 106 this weekend. Capt. Forrest Hardy is a first rate instructor. Extremely well organized, knowledgeable, committed, hard working and passionate about teaching sailing. I definitely got my money's worth. He made sure to cover the particular things I wanted to make sure I learned, beyond the standard agenda. The boat was well maintained and sailing In Newport was a great experience. read more

Black Rock Sailing School - Boating Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I took the ASA 101 and 103 courses with Brenton and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Brenton has a wealth of practical experience and applies a hands-on teaching method for the class, reserving demonstrations primarily as a way of correcting or helping to demonstrate something a student may not be grasping, but otherwise, it is in the students' hands. I took the courses over two back to back weekends. I was comfortable with this compressed timeframe because I had previously taken 3 J22 classes at Sail Newport and had 3 seasons using J22s in addition to years of prior experience sailing smaller boats, so I wasn't coming into the class blind. I also had 3 seasons of crewing and piloting on ~40ft boats so I had some comfort coming into the 103 class. That said, the 101 and 103 courses enhanced and solidified my knowledge greatly. Brenton constantly repeats the names of parts, points of sail, and other terminology which again has helped solidify my understanding of boats and their operation. He also tends to use memorable acronyms or sayings that help you recall. Although I didn't hear "Mr. Luff, had a tack in his foot but no clew that he had a leach on his head" :). While Sail Newport was a good introduction that got me functional and on the water with a J22, theory was much more solidly covered in the ASA 101 course. The 103 course brought in docking and launching in various wind conditions and though it is taught on a larger boat, I can appreciate how they would apply even to smaller boats like a J22, particularly when there is no motor available. Drills for docking, mooring ball pickup and man overboard drills were very valuable for honing skills. Brenton is very easy going and relaxed, doesn't make anyone feel like they are not capable, but his job is to teach and will correct when necessary, often if necessary, which is what you should be seeking. read more

This program is exceptional for all levels of sailors, from beginners to those with more experience. The reason for this is due to the vast experience, but more importantly, the teaching and coaching capabilities of the instructor staff. I had already done a fair amount of coastal and trans-oceanic sailing but learned a ton from Paul Sullivan in the ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising course. Well worth the time and investment prior to my bareboat charter in Croatia this summer! Thanks Paul (and Forrest!)!! read more

My husband and I just completed a three day course with Black Rock and it was amazing. We did the ASA 101 "basic keel boat" course and will definitely return for their 103 and 104 courses as well. Bryan our teacher had more sailing experience than anyone I have ever met and was a fantastic instructor. I believe they keep all classes to three people (me, my husband and one other student) which was instrumental in our getting the attention and detailed instruction that we needed. I have been sailing casually with my family for most of my life and my husband has less experience. This class was perfect for both of us to get the foundation that we needed to be more confident sailing boats by ourselves. The class was taught Fri/Sat/Sun and started at 10:00 am with classroom instruction. All sailing principles, safety and navigation information was explained very clearly with visual aids. We were able to ask as many questions as we needed until Bryan was sure that we understood the material. Then after a quick lunch break we hit the Boston Harbor in one of Black Rock's Colgate 26s. The boats were in great condition. Each day we spent 5 hours on the water going over everything we had learned in the classroom that day. Bryan was great with repetition, we did things over and over again until we had them down. Each person tacked, jibed, picked up moorings, came to the dock under sail, went through man overboard drills, etc. multiple times from multiple parts of the boat (tiller, main sheet, jib sheet). Oh and you get a free one month membership with Black Rock to practice everything you've learned after the class is over! read more

I had a great experience with Black Rock sailing school. I took the ASA 101 certification 3 day class a few weeks ago. My goal was to gain basic sailing skills as well as confidence and comfort in the boat. I did have some sailing knowledge going into it - about a month beforehand I had signed up for Community Boating - but still was very much a beginner. After having taken the class, I would say mission accomplished. I am now comfortable taking out a boat, whether in the Charles or the Harbor and having a great day of sailing. I would even take my friends and not be afraid of making them seasick or capsizing! We learned skills in rigging, the part of the boats, knots, and safety - all the basics. And I would say the highlight was spending 3-4 hours a day for 3 straight days on the water under the guidance of an instructor. We worked with Graham, who was super knowledgeable and patient, and also nice to spend the time with. He has done a lot of sailing all over the world and had some great stories to tell. Would recommend Black Rock. read more

My wife and I completed ASA 101 as well as 103/104. Basically, Black Rock has taught us everything we know about sailing and they have done a great job. My wife and I now belong to an affiliated "Boat-Share" program and we confidently cruise up and down the coasts of New England. Along the way, we have had the opportunity to interact with everyone from Black Rock and its like being part of a family. Everyone has been great to work with - professional and very knowledgeable. If you have ever dreamt about being at the helm of a 30-40 foot Sailboat and cruising the NE waters or better yet, chartering your own vessel in the BVIs and island hopping for a week or more, this is the place to start. I would recommend Black Rock Sailing School to a friend or family member. read more

If you are considering taking some sailing instruction do yourself a favor and just sign up with Black Rock Sailing. They are friendly, the location is excellent and they have some outstanding equipment to learn on. The knowledge and experience that you will gain from the instructors is well worth it. ASA 101. Will be returning for ASA 103 and ASA104. read more

I had taken an introduction to sailing lesson last year and caught the sailing bug. I am hoping to get my boyfriend and some friends to do this with me this summer. They boats are beautiful and well kept. It is a great way to find out how to sail and get out on the water here in Boston read more

Can't wait to take more classes with Black Rock. I spent a lot of time researching and talking to many New England sailors about the different sailing schools in Boston. After the ASA 101 course I completed with with them, I am 100% Team Black Rock. If you don't want your time or money wasted, I'd recommend them over and over again. Also, Instructor Paul is a wizard in the classroom and on the water. read more

This is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I wanted to learn to sail and was apprehensive about signing up. From the initial phone call to the last day of classes everyone at Black Rock was extremely reassuring and helpful!!! If you are looking for real sailing instruction with experienced facilitators you need to come here!! My instructor Paul was amazing! He was patient, yet persistent and worked with each of us on our individual strengths and weaknesses!!! I just completed 101 and will continue to keep practicing and studying to continue on my sailing journey with Black Rock Sailing School!!! read more

I've been sailing for several years, but this greatly improved my confidence in my own abilities and allowed me to work on some techniques that I wasn't familiar with. I'd recommend the program to anyone who wants to learn to sail or to brush up on skills. read more

I was looking to take some sailing classes and encountered BRSS. It was located in the seaport district, offered ASA certification and the price was right. After taking ASA 101 last year i realized that BRSS is much more than just a perfect location and a great way to go sailing around the harbor islands. I was happy to discover that everyone at BRSS had tremendous amount of sailing experience. The instructors have literally spent more time on the water than on land, are extremely passionate about sailing, and can easily back up any theoretical lesson with a real life examples from their own experience. The guys at BRSS love what they do and that makes them incredible at it. I have since completed 103, have become member of the club and am signed up for 104. read more

We took ASA 101 and 103 through Black Rock this summer, and (while there may be a bit of confirmation bias here) I can't imagine going through anyone else, thanks to the boats and the instructors. 101 is taught on a Colgate 26, which is comfortable and forgiving for an intro course (they can't capsize, and believe us, we tried), with plenty of room and a reassuring sense of solidity in case the weather turns bad; compare to the Solings used by a certain other school in the area, which are old racing boats that may be fast and responsive, but are cramped, twitchy, and force you to sit on the deck in the way of the boom. 103 is on a larger Hunter cruising yacht. In each case, the boats are only a few years old and in great condition, and a pleasant place to be for three long days on the water. Our instructors, Paul and Brenton, were both fantastic, and knew the boats we were training on, the local waters, and the course content cold; it says something that both of them have considerable experience as yacht charter captains. In fact, on our first day of 101, we sailed into pea-soup fog - couldn't see more than 100 feet in any direction - and Paul navigated the harbor entirely by sound. Many previous students seem to have become friends with the instructors, which also says a lot about the experience. Finally, Black Rock offers winter courses in the Caribbean, which we're taking advantage of in a few weeks, again with Brenton as our instructor. Black Rock aren't the cheapest school out there, but you definitely know where your money is going. Very highly recommended. read more

We (my wife and I) did two courses in the summer of 2012. We took the ASA 101 course with Brenton and the ASA 103 course with Bryan. These were both 3 day courses with morning classroom instruction and a long afternoon sailing session. The 101 course was taught in the Colgate 26 with the 103 course taught in the Hunter 49. While having very different styles, both Brenton and Bryan were great instructors! We learned a tremendous amount! During the month between the two courses we had several solo sessions in the Harbor 20s which are great boats to hone your basic sailing skills. read more

Hands down this must be the highest quality sailing instruction available! We just got back from taking the ASA103/104 course in the BVI with Brenton from Black Rock Sailing. The entire week was incredible. I was shocked at how knowledgeable Brenton was in every area of sailing. Each question we had- from the most basic through the crazy "what if" situational questions, he answered each and every one in a patient and engaging way. The hands on experience and constant drills really increased our confidence. Brenton has a huge respect for sailing and it shows through his professionalism. What you may not know is how easy he was to live with for an entire week of on the boat training! The value of this course with this instructor far exceeds the price. He never really clocked out! At the end of the night we would still be going over sailing questions, tying knots, and of course listening to his incredibly funny sailing stories. Brenton and Black Rock are first class. There was no cutting corners here. If you want solid experience with a great patient teacher, this is the place. The week in BVI for this course is highly recommended! We can't wait to learn more from Black Rock. What a great find! read more