WHY CHOOSE BLACK ROCK SAILING SCHOOL?

Since opening in 2008, it took two years for BRSS to become a major player on Boston Harbor. There are many reasons why a lot of our students are former graduates from other local schools and why BRSS has been given national recognition.  Below are a few of the considerations that should make Black Rock your school of choice.

QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY!
We don’t fill our boats up with students to maximize profit. Our student-to-instructor ratio is the best in the industry, providing hours of extra tiller time for each student which translates into better results and student satisfaction. 

We see other schools sailing around with four or five students aboard! This might be good for their cash flow, but is detrimental to their student’s learning curve.  Small class sizes are better, and BRSS has always believed in this!

WE OFFER THE BEST LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR STUDENTS!
If the wind is less than six knots of breeze, we don’t waste everyone’s time by drifting around.  At BRSS, we will cover classroom material and re-schedule the on the water time at your convenience. We might be the only school in the world to offer this!  

It is physically impossible to learn how to sail if there is no wind, and we don’t understand how other schools certify students if they spent a day or two drifting around. BRSS literally “guarantees wind,” making our students safer, more confident sailors, while having a lot more fun! Did we mention we usually do this for heavy rain too?

FINE-TUNED INSTRUCTORS AND WORLD CLASS CURRICULUM
Larger schools may have a few excellent instructors, but their students usually don’t have access to their most experienced staff for every course since their junior instructors teach the first few levels.   

At BRSS, all of our instructors have proven themselves with years of experience as career sailing instructors. You will have a true professional teaching you at every level.  We have some of the toughest hiring standards in the industry. Our program is small, so we can afford to wait and hire the very best.

NO SHORT CUTS!
We have earned a reputation as being a rigorous school. Our students appreciate how many drills we have them do. It builds their confidence, makes them safer, and makes our school look good. A certain amount of repetition is required to truly master each skill, and our effective instructors make a huge difference in your success.

We give you the full length of each three day course by repeating any overlap between course curriculums. Most other schools just shave off a day by skipping the repetition!  Time on the water is critical to a student’s success, and we want you to have plenty of it before graduating.

NO CRAM SESSIONS! 
At Black Rock, we will provide a student with a maximum of two courses per week, and then strongly encourage practice within our sailing club or abroad before continuing! 

Most schools try and pack three courses into one week. We feel that “Fast Track” and “Instant Bareboater” schemes simply make students good enough to be dangerous. Sure they can sail at that moment, but what will they retain after a few weeks or months of no sailing? What if conditions change or they have a boat break-down?  

Black Rock feels that sailing mastery is a series of steep learning curves, followed by plateaus. Practice will allow you to master one skill set, before moving to the next. Our sailing club and sailing vacations are two of our solutions to insuring our students are the best they can be.   
 
YEAR ROUND SAILING INSTRUCTION AND SAILING OPPORTUNITIES!
We offer a full spectrum of ASA Courses and BRSS clinics out of our Boston location year round, including live-aboard courses and “boat & breakfast” opportunities for folks who traveled far to get to us. 

Our winter base in the Virgin Islands, offers ASA 101, 103, & 104 in a live-aboard format.  Practice what you have learned all summer, or get a jump on the up-coming season back north, while visiting a different island paradise each night!  

Practice what you’ve learned in one of our guided sailing vacations in the Caribbean or Mediterranean! These sailing flotillas provide a community and support for those who choose to command your own bareboat charter for the first time, as well as provide organized events and sailing clinics for our more experienced guests.

BETTER FLEXIBILITY IN PRIVATE OR COURSE SCHEDULING
A majority of our course schedules are custom tailored to our clients needs. BRSS offers various courses each month, but we will create custom courses that can meet morning, day, or evening; any day of the week. Family and careers take up a lot of time, and we want to enable you to fit in recreation as often as possible. 

MANY OPTIONS TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED!           
Practice is VERY important! Keep your skills sharp, learn by doing, and most importantly, have fun.  See our “Membership” page to learn more about our sailing club and fractional sailing program aboard a fleet of young, well maintained Harbor 20, Colgate 26's, and Hunter yachts! See our “vacations” page to learn more about off-season sailing opportunities.

NEW BOATS THAT ARE ACTUALLY MODERN DESIGNS
Most schools dream of having a fleet of Colgate 26’s – simply the best training boat available and an incredible racing machine as well! The U.S. Naval and Coast Guard Academies chose this design over everything else on the market.  So much thought was put into this design by internationally renowned sailing instructor/business owner, Steve Colgate; that this modern day-sailor was the obvious choice for a high end sailing school to teach aboard.  We would be happy to discuss the many reasons why we did not choose the J/24 or Soling as a primary training boat.

The Hunter 33, 36, & 38 are also an excellent platform for teaching our Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter certifications.  Built by the leading U.S. Boat manufacturer, these boats offer spacious and comfortable cockpits, clean deck layouts, and a modern rig design that is full of power.  Safety features abound and you will be very pleased to sail on of these yachts during our courses.

SUPERIOR MAINTENANCE AND CLEANLINESS OF OUR FLEET
Don’t judge a school by the size of it’s fleet; go by the age, condition, design, comfort, and safety of the fleet.  We have the youngest, most modern designed fleet than any other sailing school in Massachusetts!  Most schools teach aboard thirty year old boats.  Our fleet of Harbor 20, Colgate 26’s, and Hunters practically look new since they are professionally cleaned and maintained by our staff, and are retired after five years of service.  Safety and reliability is our key concern and we guarantee you will be proud to sail or boats.

INTERNATIONALLY REGOCNIZED CERTIFICATIONS
The United States has two competing organizations that offer internationally recognized sailing certifications - US Sailing, and the American Sailing Association (ASA). The standards and value of their certifications are identical, and it is up to the individual schools to uphold these high standards. The curriculum and customer service that BRSS provides, has won national recognition from both organizations over the years!

The American Sailing Association (ASA) has been around for decades, providing instructor training and student level sailing certifications to over 815,000 students worldwide.

You will receive a “logbook” which will keep track of your certification levels and future sailing experience that will eventually enable you to bareboat charter a boat a exotic locations around the world.

NO HIDDEN FEES!
Last year, we found out that many competitors don’t even include ASA Certification or exam fees with their courses!  They charge their students additional fees for this - making our prices even more attractive!

MOST COMFORTABLE LIFE JACKETS 
At BRSS, we provide you with modern inflatable lifejackets that are so comfortable, you almost forget you are wearing them!  We spend the extra $100+ per lifejacket to give our students the best.  No need to sweat all day wearing bulky type III’s.

BEST ACCESS FROM ALL MAJOR HIGHWAYS/ROUTES
Why drive into the downtown traffic and deal with limited/expensive parking options.  Fan Pier Marina is directly off of I-93 and the Mass Pike, and within minutes of downtown Boston. We are literally surrounded by parking options. 

THE BEST ACCESS TO OPEN WATER! Save 20 - 30 minutes round-trip getting out to the best cruising grounds like the Boston Harbor Islands. The most congestion is within the inner-harbor. We are best positioned to get away this heavy traffic if we choose and can sail further out in a fixed amount of time than any other school!

Two decades of teaching & managing at highly successful, year-round programs, has taught us what students want and need to be successful themselves.  Black Rock Sailing School is attracting students that take learning seriously.  Our school is there for you every step of the way, offering ongoing advice to our graduates as they purchase boats themselves, and in many cases, sail south and follow their dreams.  Check out our website or give us a call.  We would love the opportunity to discuss your goals and set a course for success!