Directory
Pick where you want to learn to sail. ASA, US Sailing, or both: every level from "I've never trimmed a sheet" to certified bareboat skipper. Sailing lessons and certification courses across the state; filter by region, certification, or program. Or submit a school we missed.
Or browse a region hub: Tampa Bay & Gulf Coast The Keys Miami & Southeast Northeast Panhandle Inland Lakes & ICW
Featured Miami / Southeast · Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale ASA school teaching the full curriculum from Basic Sailing through offshore passagemaking, much of it as week-long liveaboard courses to the Keys and Bahamas. A five-time ASA Outstanding School running the 101-103-104 fast-track and catamaran cruising.
Featured Miami / Southeast · Miami
Coconut Grove Sailing Club's instructional arm, a nonprofit running US Sailing-certified courses on Biscayne Bay since 1946, with both adult certification pathways and a youth program.
Featured Tampa Bay · Sarasota
Founded by Olympian Steve Colgate in 1964 and relaunched in 2026 under Seaworthy Academy, teaching from the Quay in Sarasota and the Vinoy Marina in St. Petersburg. NauticEd pathway from Learn to Sail to Bareboat Charter Master, on 40 to 48 foot monohulls and catamarans.
Featured Northeast · St. Augustine
Camachee Cove-based ASA school with both Matanzas River and offshore Atlantic access. Small classes (max four students) cover the full pathway from Basic Keelboat through celestial navigation, offshore passagemaking, and catamaran cruising.
Featured Miami / Southeast · Miami
501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 by Olympic gold medalist Magnus Liljedahl. US Sailing-accredited Community Sailing Center on Biscayne Bay specializing in adaptive sailing for sailors of all abilities, plus dedicated programs for youth and veterans.
Featured Northeast · Fernandina Beach
Amelia Island school running since 1997 with direct ICW-to-Atlantic access. Four-time ASA Outstanding School recognition; full curriculum from Basic Keelboat through catamaran cruising.
The Keys · Key Largo
ASA school on Buttonwood Sound, teaching from the Key Lime Sailing Club cottages at mile marker 99. Courses run on demand 363 days a year; stay in a cottage, learn on Florida Bay, and keep sailing the club's Catalina 22s free after you certify.
Inland & ICW · Merritt Island
Space Coast ASA school on the Indian River / ICW, covering Basic Keelboat through Coastal Navigation alongside day-sail and sunset charters out of Harbortown Marina.
Tampa Bay · Fort Myers Beach
Small instructor-led NauticEd school sailing from Matanzas Pass at Fort Myers Beach on a Beneteau 323. Certify locally through Bareboat Charter Master and the SLC license, then apply it on the school's week-long international flotillas.
Tampa Bay · Punta Gorda
US Sailing-certified school out of Burnt Store Marina on Charlotte Harbor, running coastal cruising, liveaboard, and offshore courses on a fleet that includes Beneteau Oceanis monohulls and Excess catamarans.
Miami / Southeast · Miami
Two-base school teaching the US Sailing curriculum, with Basic Keelboat on Biscayne Bay from the Miami Yacht Club and accelerated cruising courses out of Stock Island in Key West. All-inclusive pricing bundles the certification package and a year of US Sailing membership.
Miami / Southeast · Coconut Grove
Dinner Key Marina-based ASA school built around one-on-one and small-family instruction (up to four). Express courses, in-depth weeks, and a popular six-day liveaboard "Sail-cation" on a 40' Beneteau.
Tampa Bay · North Fort Myers
US Sailing-affiliated nonprofit on the Caloosahatchee River, running youth dinghy programs (ages 5–18) on Optimists, ILCAs, and C420s since 1983, plus US Sailing Basic Keelboat instruction.
Panhandle · Gulf Breeze
Pensacola Beach school built around live-aboard ASA classes for couples, families, and small groups, with extended at-sea time and the full coastal-cruising pathway.
Tampa Bay · Ruskin
Veteran-owned ASA school at Little Harbor Marina on Tampa Bay's Ruskin shore, teaching 101 through Advanced Coastal plus celestial navigation in classes capped at four. The lead instructor is a four-time ASA Instructor of the Year.
The Keys · Marathon
Middle-Keys ASA school running the full coastal-cruising pathway from Basic Keelboat through Advanced Coastal Cruising out of Marathon.
Tampa Bay · Cape Coral
Liveaboard ASA school teaching from Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral since 1984, on the fleet it shares with sister charter operator Southwest Florida Yachts. Courses from Basic Sailing through Advanced Coastal Cruising run two to ten days aboard on Pine Island Sound.
Tampa Bay · Sarasota
Dual ASA sail and US Powerboating school serving Sarasota, Bradenton, and Tampa Bay, with boats based at Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto. Classes cap at four, on a fleet from a 13-foot dinghy to a Catalina 36, or aboard your own boat.
Tampa Bay · Punta Gorda
Year-round ASA instruction out of Burnt Store Marina on Charlotte Harbor. Private lessons, small-group sessions (up to four), or family classes on a fleet of 30–45-foot cruising sailboats.
Panhandle · Pensacola Beach
One-captain ASA school and charter operation at Sabine Marina on Pensacola Beach, teaching private lessons capped at two students aboard a 32-foot J Boat. No-test leisure lessons for vacationers alongside the full certification track.
Tampa Bay · Punta Gorda
Volunteer-run nonprofit teaching sailing from Punta Gorda's Bayfront Center on Charlotte Harbor since 2015. Adult private lessons taught by US Sailing-certified instructors on a dinghy fleet, plus summer youth camps with scholarships so cost is never the gate.
Tampa Bay · St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg school specializing in private one-on-one instruction on a young, well-kept fleet. Covers the ASA pathway from beginner keelboat through advanced cruising and the docking endorsement.
Inland & ICW · Orlando
Orlando's ASA venue, a full-service marina teaching Basic Keelboat on spring-fed Lake Fairview aboard Com-Pac keelboats. Fifteen-hour courses over two to three days, October through May, in groups of up to four or private.
Miami / Southeast · Miami
Coconut Grove ASA school that teaches on big boats, a 41-foot Catalina 400 and a 44-foot Helia catamaran, on Biscayne Bay. Three-day immersion courses with up to six hours a day under sail, max four students, adults only.
Panhandle · Niceville
ASA school, charter, and rental operation at Bluewater Bay Marina on the north shore of Choctawhatchee Bay. J/80s for the fundamentals, cruisers to a Jeanneau 389 for the liveaboard courses, and a founder with a run of ASA Outstanding Instructor awards.
Panhandle · Pensacola
Downtown Pensacola ASA school at Seville Harbour Marina, teaching since 2001 with a roster of USCG-licensed captains. Capri 22s for the fundamentals; the cruising courses run as multi-night liveaboards on a Beneteau 393, meals and bunks included.
Tampa Bay · Fort Myers Beach
ASA school and charter operation sailing from the Fort Myers Beach mooring field on a 45-foot Jeanneau. Liveaboard courses of two to seven days on the Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach waters, with combo packages through the bareboat certificate.
The Keys · Key West
Catamaran charter operation at Stock Island Marina Village with an ASA school built in, teaching Basic Keelboat through catamaran cruising on multi-day training cruises. Courses run as customized liveaboards toward the Dry Tortugas, the Marquesas, or the Bahamas.
Miami / Southeast · Miami
Coconut Grove-area ASA school covering Basic Keelboat through Bareboat Cruising plus the docking endorsement, with day-sail charters available alongside instruction.
Tampa Bay · Longboat Key
ASA-affiliated school on Longboat Key overlooking Sarasota Bay, running the full Learn-to-Sail pathway through bareboat and catamaran cruising for nearly 20 years. Captained charters and rentals on the bay and Gulf.
Tampa Bay · Gulfport
Private liveaboard ASA instruction for couples and families from Gulfport Municipal Marina, on a pair of air-conditioned Hunter 295s. Two to seven days aboard on Boca Ciega Bay; the instructor goes home each evening and you keep the boat.
The Keys · Key West
Key West ASA school sailing from Stock Island since 2014, in classes of two to four on the calm Gulf side of the island. Veterans train at no charge one weekend a month through the winter season.
Northeast · St. Augustine
Nonprofit teaching center on Salt Run beneath the St. Augustine Lighthouse, on the water since 2012 and now reaching over 300 kids a year. Youth camps, after-school and a 10-week homeschool course, US Sailing-coached Opti and 420 race teams, and adult clinics on the J/24.
Panhandle · Panama City
St. Andrews Bay-based ASA school next door to Panama City's City Marina. Instructors with 70+ combined years on the water, classroom plus extended on-water time on boats from a 25-foot trainer to cruising catamarans.
The Keys · Tavernier
Upper Keys ASA school running liveaboard course-vacations from Tavernier, with certifications earned on multi-day cruises through the Keys and out to the Bahamas. The owner-instructor is a six-time ASA Outstanding Instructor of the Year.
Northeast · Jacksonville
Jacksonville membership boat club with an ASA school inside, on Julington Creek where the St. Johns widens south of town. Courses through Advanced Coastal on a Catalina fleet; members check out club boats at no charge once certified.
Tampa Bay · St. Petersburg
Private NauticEd instruction on Tampa Bay from the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, on school boats or your own. Runs the full rank ladder through Bareboat Charter Master and the SLC international license, taught by a two-time American Sailing Instructor of the Year.
The Keys · Tavernier
Upper Keys ASA school founded by a Navy SEAL, with a "crawl, walk, run" curriculum built around veterans, their supporters, and couples. Active-duty and honorably discharged military earn their ASA certifications free of charge.
Tampa Bay · Punta Gorda
Charlotte Harbor ASA school running the full pathway from Basic Keelboat through Advanced Coastal on an unsinkable Etap 32, with liveaboard 104 and 106 courses and a Mediterranean flotilla arm sailing out of Greece since 2009.
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