My husband, nephew, and I just completed our ASA 101 sailing course through Black Rock Sailing School in Boston and I couldn’t have been happier. Our instructors were incredibly knowledgeable not only about the class but about anything we thought of to ask (and there was a lot!). The environment was very welcoming, I never felt like the odd one out as the only woman present in the class. I can’t wait for 103. We’ll be in RI for that one and after going to Boston I was a little sad we set it up this way but Brenton’s reputation suggests we’ll have just as good a time there.Highly recommend for people who are thinking about getting into sailing for the cruising life style (part or full time) as well as the folks who are interested in racing.

Had a tremendous three days at Black Rock Sailing School in Boston. We were on a first rate well maintained 33 foot boat with Jim, a very experienced licensed captain with many years of experience on the water. Jim has also been a professional educator for a long time and understands how to teach adults. The other two people in the class were also great assets. It was not an easy class but I always felt in control and walked away knowing I could handle a boat like that. Brenton did a great job getting me into the right class and all the materials and instructions were sent to me well in advance. I will be back.

I took ASA 101 with Capt Paul Sullivan. Knowing absolutely nothing about sailing, over the course of the class he gave me the skills and confidence to sail on my own. I would highly recommend Black Rock, and Captain Paul specifically. He is knowledgeable, friendly, and always allows you to pick his brain

I recently completed the ASA 101at Black Rock Sailing School with Paul Sullivan. As a novice, I was apprehensive about being able to demonstrate command of the content and my developing skills on the water but Paul is an exceptional instructor who possesses the perfectcombination of knowledge, skill, experience and patience. He is able to teach the most basic skills, peppered with his vast personal and professional experiences, in an engaging yet serious manner. His respect for the power of the sea, wind and air is never in doubt as he conveys theimportance of having the knowledge and abilities to sail safely. And while on the water with Paul he supplied a constant narrative to test, educate and encourage us, translating what we had learned in the classroom into real, demonstrable skills.I would highly recommend to anyone contemplating sailing or improving their sailing skills to consider Black Rock Sailing School and certainly “the wind whisperer”, Paul Sullivan.

My husband and I have taken sailing lessons with Black Rock Sailing School and couldnt have been happier with our experience. We did ASA 101, 103 and 104 with Chris and then took a few private lessons with Paul to brush up on our skills the following season. A few years earlier I had taken an introductory class to sailing at another one of the big sailing schools in Boston. Without question, Black Rock Sailing School was the better experience. Black Rock offered us more personalized teaching with a smaller group - there were only 3 people in each each of our classes at Black Rock vs 15 people at the other school. The instructors were also clearly more experienced at Black Rock. I also found Black Rock provided an overall better hands on experience...there were only 3 people on our sailboat compared to 4-5 people at the other school...less people on the boat means more time to learn. I would recommend this sailing school without hesitation.

Great school with great instructors.

I took ASA 101 with Blackrock last year and it was a really great experience. Id actually been crewing for a while but had no formal training, and during/after the course everyting just clicked. My instructor was Paul Sullivan, and he was awesome -- super knowledgeable and experienced, great at explaining things, and a fun guy to spend eight hours a day for three days with. We had some tough breaks with weather during the course (one day was too rough to go out, and the last day there wasnt sufficient wind), so Paul scheduled us with a (totally optional) makeup day a week or so later. They didnt have to do that, and I really appreciated it. The boat they teach 101 on (the colgate 26) is a dream to sail/learn on, and big enough that practicing on it lets you transfer your skills to a smaller or bigger boat pretty easily. Im a member of a certain other sailing club in Boston (that also teaches courses), and from what I have seen of many people who have learned at my club, Blackrock is the way to go for sailing instruction. I came out of it a better, more confident sailor who enjoys sailing a lot more now. Ill be doing all of my futher courses with these guys.