Our Instructors

Our experienced instructors are not only great boaters, but they know how to teach. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being best, our instructors’ overall rating by students is consistently 4.9! All are patient, courteous and professional – and a lot of fun! Most importantly, they love to share their passion for sailing and want to see you succeed.

Your instructor's goal is to help you achieve competence in all required skills while making sure everyone in the class has the most enjoyable sailing experience possible. We have both male and female instructors and all are USCG Captains as well as certified through the Recreational Powerboating Association. They’ll not only teach you the skills needed to head out on your own, but you’ll learn from their experiences and leave confident and able to continue as a lifelong learner in the pursuit of seamanship and cruising skills!

Our Teaching Boats

Your course will take place aboard one of the well-maintained boats in our charter fleet. Approximately 75% of the vessels in the charter fleet participate in the school program. They range in size from 29' to 52'. The vessel chosen for your course will be based on availability, course-specific equipment requirements, and the number of students booked on the course. You'll find your vessel to be stocked with everything you need to live and learn aboard comfortably during your course. In addition, each of our boats is given an exhaustive annual exam and is maintained to a comprehensive checklist of specific preventive maintenance tasks and requirements...to our knowledge the most exacting in the industry. Click here to view the powerboats in our fleet that participate in the school.

RPBA Certification

The Recreational Powerboating Association (RPBA) is a growing, internationally-recognized governing body for powerboating schools and has set national standards for instructors and courses. Formed in 2009, the RPBA’s mission is to be the leader in delivering the highest quality practical boater education in the United States, emphasizing safety, knowledge and practice as the confidence-building cornerstones to promote the powerboating lifestyle.

As one of the Northwest's oldest sailing schools, San Juan Sailing & Yachting School has perfected techniques for teaching students how to boat safely in a fun and comfortable atmosphere. Most importantly, however, is the confidence you’ll feel the first time you take the helm of a cruising powerboat after graduating from our school.

An Island Classroom

Your “campus” is the San Juan Islands and your “classroom” is a beautiful cruising sailboat. We’ve been teaching students to boat for over 35 years and we’ve found that the best learning environment is on the water! With a limit of 4 students per class there’s plenty of helm time. Hands-on learning provides you with the skills you’ll need to enjoy sailing to the fullest.

Surrounded by the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, you’ll enjoy anchoring in idyllic coves, exploring the artist shops of quaint island towns, and watching bald eagles soar overhead while porpoises play in your wake. These are all part of the cruisers’ paradise you’ll experience when you learn to boat at San Juan Sailing School. Our location on Bellingham Bay is quickly becoming the Northwest’s most popular boating center with the second largest pleasure craft marina in Washington and just a short hop to the San Juan Islands.