On-Line Membership Application
List of Membership & Orientation Meetings
Membership Agreement (pdf 65 kb)
Brochure by mail

Manhattan Sailing Club is a group of active and enthusiastic sailors.  We share a common passion.  We love to sail, especially in New York Harbor.  We are inspired by the skyline of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Manhattan Sailing Club was founded in 1987.  Our club re-introduced recreational sailing to New York Harbor after an absence of more than 60 years.

Today, our club is one of the largest community sailing organizations in the country.

We have a fleet of more than 30 club-owned boats and more than 700 members.  Members come from all walks of life and are of every age.

Our club is inclusive.  If you love to sail, we invite you to join our club.

We wish to share the beauty of sailing with more people.  And we want to share the natural resource of New York Harbor, an excellent sailing area with deep water and consistent winds. 

Our club is helping to lead the sailing renaissance of New York Harbor.  If you share our passion and mission, please join us.

By joining the Manhattan Sailing Club, you will receive the following benefits:

• Use of the club owned fleet of sailboats as a skipper or crew.

• Organized racing, cruising and educational programs.

• Access to the new clubhouse in the harbor which is an ideal place to entertain friends and clients.

• The ease and convenience of sailing in New York City.

• A lively and enjoyable social atmosphere.

• Sailing trips to the Caribbean and other interesting and exotic locations.

• We make it possible for our members to enjoy the sport of sailing right here in Manhattan!

Manhattan Sailing Club owns a fleet of more than 30 boats.  Most of these are J/24 sailboats.

Members can use the J/24s for sailing in New York Harbor. 

J/24s are excellent day-sailing boats. 

They are fast.  You can cover lots of ground in a short amount of time. 

They are responsive.  You will smile ear to ear while holding the tiller or trimming the sheets as the boat heels over in a refreshing sea breeze.

They are easy to rig and sail.  Two people can quickly get a boat sailing.  And with a larger crew, there is plenty to do so that everyone will be active and engaged.

The club keeps its fleet in top condition.  Maintenance is performed by a professional staff.  Most of the club J/24s have recently been through a top to bottom refurbishment.

The club fleet is available to members from early May through late October.  Sailing is permitted seven days a week from 9 a.m. to dusk. 

Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings are reserved for racing.  Other times are reserved for cruising and programs like Fleet Captain and Mentoring.

Manhattan Sailing Club keeps its fleet of sailboats in three locations in New York Harbor.

North Cove is our main facility.  The club keeps 24 J/24s at this marina in Battery Park City, Lower Manhattan.  North Cove is located directly in front of the World Financial Center.  This is one of the most beautiful environments in the city.  There is a waterfront esplanade where New Yorkers can stroll, jog, roller blade or bicycle.  Battery Park City is easily accessible by subway, bus, car and PATH.

The boats at North Cove are used by members for racing and cruising and by our sailing school for teaching.  The club’s office and phones are kept here on the “Floating Classroom.”

The club also keeps 2 J/24s at the Shipyard Marina in Hoboken and 4 J/24s at Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City.  The Hoboken and Jersey City boats are used by the sailing school for teaching on weekends and by club members for sailing during the week.

You may notice that our J/24 boomcovers say “Manhattan Sailing School.”  The sailing school is part of our club and serves as our public outreach program.  Although our club owns all the sailboats, we believe that advertising the school makes our fleet more friendly and inviting.  This helps to broadcast our message that sailing is an inclusive sport and everyone can be involved.

Racing is an important part of our sailing club.  We have many members who enjoy the thrill of competition and who have been racing at the club for many years.

There are 2 J/24  racing programs, Tuesday and Wednesday evening.  Each boat is assigned to a Racing Team Captain who builds his or her crew from other members.  There are also some corporate teams.

Most sailors arrive at the dock by 6 p.m. and boats push off around 6:10 p.m.  The race starts at 6:30 p.m.  There is one race per evening and trophies are awarded to the top finishers.

To get involved in Tuesday or Wednesday racing, just show up at the docks and ask if anyone has an extra spot (crew members are sometimes caught in meetings, traffic, etc.).  If you are unable to find a spot, go out to the harbor clubhouse and watch the race.  After racing, you can mingle with skippers and crew and develop contacts.  It may take time to break into the popular weekday program.  But every year, new teams are being formed.  You can be part of the next one.

The club encourages an environment where members help and educate each other.  We have 2 unique programs, Fleet Captain and Mentoring, which help members improve their skills.

The Fleet Captain Program makes it possible for crew to reserve a spot to go sailing.  This program is run on Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings as well as on Saturdays and Sundays.

Specific boats are reserved for Fleet Captain sails and any member can sign up for one of the crew spots.  The list is maintained on the club’s website reservation page.  Volunteer skippers (known as “Fleet Captains”) also sign up to take the Fleet Captain boats sailing.  Everyone meets at the dock, the crew rigs the boat and you head off into the harbor.

Sailing in the Fleet Captain Program is educational.  You will learn how the club operates and be introduced to many members.  The friends you make will become your future sailing buddies.

The Mentoring Program is for sailors who are training to get their Skipper Privileges.

Certain skippers have been designated as Mentors.  They have volunteered to take other members sailing with the specific goal of passing on knowledge and evaluating skills.  Mentor sails can be arranged through the club office or directly with the program head.

Our membership is a large and varied group of people from interesting and diverse backgrounds.  Sailing brings us together and is the common passion we share.

Many members are social and enjoy meeting each other.  We like each other’s company.  The club creates an atmosphere for members to meet and develop lasting friendships.

Here are some of the annual events:

Spring Launching & First BBQ - In early spring, members travel to the boat storage facility in the country to paint the bottoms and enjoy the first BBQ of the season.

Sailors Ball - The big black tie ball every spring to celebrate the start of the new sailing season. 

Commissioning Ceremony - The Commissioning Ceremony means sailing begins and there is the traditional raising of the burgee and firing of the cannon.

Full Moon Parties - These are the signature clubhouse events held every warm month. 

Racing Awards - After the sailing season ends, we recognize those racers who have excelled.

Holiday Party - To celebrate the holiday spirit, our club always organizes a fun party.

Annual Dinner - Every winter, we gather for a large dinner to review the accomplishments of the past season and to award special club prizes.

Our clubhouse is called the “Honorable William Wall.”  It is one of the great features of our club. 

The clubhouse is a USCG certified vessel which is permitted to carry up to 150 passengers.  It has electricity, music and a liquor license.  During the sailing season, the clubhouse is anchored in the harbor just north of Ellis Island.

As a club member, you can visit the clubhouse any time it is open.  There is a club launch which takes members and guests to and from North Cove.

The clubhouse is an excellent place to entertain.  You can invite friends, clients and family out to relax, unwind and soak up the incredible views of our sailboats and the skyline of Manhattan.

The clubhouse also serves as a spectator platform for race nights.  Rather than waiting at home, your friends and family can now participate by motoring out to the clubhouse to watch the races.

The signature events on our clubhouse are the “Full Moon Parties.”  They are held every month during the sailing season.  You can come out, enjoy the harbor and skyline as the sun sets, the lights go on and the moon rises.  And of course, feel free to howl.

The clubhouse is open Tuesday through Friday evenings and on Saturdays from 12 noon to dusk. 

There are 3 categories of membership in the club: Regular, Skipper and Yacht Owner.

Regular:  Regular is a crewing membership which allows you to sail on the club boats as a crew.  Everyone, including experienced sailors, joins the club first as a Regular Member.   If you have a spouse or children under the age of 21, they are also considered members and receive full privileges (officially recognized same sex partners also qualify as for spouse privileges).

Skipper:  Members with enough skill and experience who wish to skipper club boats can apply for “Skipper Privileges.”  Skippers can reserve club boats and take other members or their own crew sailing.

Yacht Owner:  People who own their own sailboats can join the club as Yacht Owner members.  This membership provides full access to the harbor clubhouse but does not include any sailing privileges on the club-owned fleet of boats.  More info on Yacht Owner Membership.

Guest Policy:  We are a membership club.  Our goal is to encourage members to sail with other members.  Regular and skipper members are allowed to bring occasional guests for racing and cruising on the club owned fleet.  There is a $5 guest fee for cruising which is charged to the member’s account.  The guest fee for racing is $25.  The Fleet Captain and Mentoring Programs are for members only and guests are only allowed if brought by the skipper.

• Initiation Fee: $250

• Regular Dues:  $1,340

• Skipper Privileges: $800 in addition to regular dues ($2,140 total)

• Yacht Owner Dues: $490

• Junior Dues (25 and under) & Senior Dues (65 and older): 1/2 of regular amount 

Initiation fees and club dues are subject to NYS sales tax.

Dues are billed in quarterly installments on the first day of January, April, July and October.

Members are required to leave a credit card on file with the club to pay for dues and other charges.  Members receive an email summary of any club charges at the beginning of each month.

Once accepted into the club, you remain a member and responsible for all dues charges until you resign.

For your first year of membership, dues are pro-rated based on the sailing season.  The total amount of dues you pay depends on which month you join the club.  Detailed explanation of first years dues. 

If you are already a sailor, it’s easy to join the Manhattan Sailing Club. 

If you are not yet a sailor, please enroll in a Basic Sailing course before applying for membership.  Details on courses are at www.sailmanhattan.com.

Below are the 3 steps to join the club:

1) Fill out and return a membership application.

2) Select and attend a Membership Committee & Orientation Meeting. 

3) Be approved by the Membership Committee and sign the Membership Agreement at the end of your meeting.

Congratulations, you are now a member of the Manhattan Sailing Club!