Each day  of the two-day Basic Hands-On Sailing course begins at 8:45 a.m. with students arriving for registration and coffee. By 9:00 a.m. you will be seated at our riverside pavilion while an instructor explains the basics of sail theory. Following this brief talk, your class will be taken to your 24' Rainbow waiting at its mooring. Your instructor will introduce you to your craft and teach you to rig the boat for your first sail. Setting sail onto Haverstraw Bay, you will learn about wind direction and how to hold a steady course.

At noon each day you will return to your mooring where the launch will pick you up for the mid-day break.  You may choose to picnic under the willows in Senasqua Park or leave for one of Croton's local restaurants. The afternoon lesson will allow each student to practice both crew and skipper responsibilities while executing all points of sail and proper sail trim. By 4:00 p.m., your instructor will guide you back to port to de-rig the boat.

On the second day of your course you will arrive by 9:00 a.m. for your morning talk on right-of-way rules and basic navigation. You will be under way promptly to review the previous day's lessons while you refine your new-found skills. You will use these skills to discover new river locations while learning to anchor the boat, practice man-overboard procedures and master the art of picking up moorings. At the end of the day you will return for your graduation and refreshments with the instructors and other students.

Croton Sailing School's Basic Hands-On Sailing course is designed to give you the foundation you need to become a confident day-sailor. Scheduled to fit around active lifestyles, the basic learning program ensures that you will be able to rig a sailboat, sail to your destination and return to port with confidence and safety.

Our program emphasizes Hands-On experience, so you learn to sail while you are sailing. Classes are limited to four students per instructor on our 24' Rainbows.