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.
St. Augustine Sailing operates out of Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor on the north side of St. Augustine, a location that gives students both sheltered Matanzas and Tolomato River water to learn on and quick access to the open Atlantic when it’s time for real coastal conditions.
The school teaches the full ASA pathway with classes capped at four students: Basic Keelboat (101) and Keelboat Sailing 2 (102), Basic Coastal Cruising (103), Bareboat Cruising (104), Coastal Navigation (105), Advanced Coastal Cruising (106), Celestial Navigation (107, with the 117 endorsement), Offshore Passagemaking (108), catamaran cruising (114), and the docking endorsement (118). There is also a sailing review (111), which refreshes skills for someone coming back to the water after time away rather than adding another ticket. That small-group cap is the school’s signature: more tiller time per student and instruction that can flex to the group rather than a dockside lecture to a dozen people.
The mix of protected-water fundamentals and offshore access makes it a practical place to build toward bareboat chartering and beyond: the navigation and passagemaking courses carry students past the coastal ticket, and the docking endorsement answers the single skill most new cruisers worry about.
The school also runs a veteran program; the terms are worth asking about when you book.
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.
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.
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.