Sail Haven

★★★★★Damian Paglia

“Once we are out at sea, we are alone in a bubble of self-reliance. If you have forgotten or missed something, the sea doesn't care. The wind will keep blowing, the waves will keep rolling through and the currents will keep pulling“- unknown. I wanted to use this quote to express my deepest gratitude towards the SailHaven group. Learning to sail has been no other than life changing and so so nourishing! Sailing has provided a way of looking at life, dealing w life, and untimely being a real life metaphor to living w joy and celebration. A special thanks to the teachers i met along the way Ayna, max, joel, and many more great instructors always ready to help, support and share this beautiful thing called sailing.

★★★★★MaryAlice

I highly recommend visiting Sail Haven and checking it out! What a great community of experienced and new sailors who are all so amazing and really have a passion for sailing. If you have an interest in learning to sail this is the place to go! For a sailor in training like myself it’s so reassuring to know that help is always available. The dock staff are great and are always happy to assist with rigging and or setting you up with a mentor or experienced sailor to go out with. We are thrilled to have found Sail Haven :)

★★★★★N P

Sail Haven and its staff are amazing, I have had so much fun sailing there and meeting new sailors and making friends. Everyone is super friendly and professional. I joined in the fall of 2023 being very familiar with 420 dinghies. Because Sail Haven has a variety of different boats, I was able to quickly pick up sailing lasers and really fell in love with them. The daysailers are also a great opportunity to take out friends and family for a sail, and to learn how to manage a slightly larger boat. We are so lucky to have such a great opportunity to sail almost every day of the week, all summer and fall here in New Haven! There’s also a great member portal to connect and coordinate with fellow sailors. Highly recommend becoming a member if you love sailing and/or want to learn to sail.

★★★★★Julie Robbins

Sail Haven community sailing center is the best thing to happen to New Haven since pizza! I just took the beginner lessons and have been out in the water twice since then they have a good size fleet, from kayaks to sunfish to racers to larger Sail. Great organization, great instructors, great way to be in nature, but be right in the middle of New Haven. And the super-friendly community vibe was a pleasant surprise. I’m looking forward to taking my kids out when I feel confident and ready. If you’ve always wanted to get on the water, but were daunted by the costs, learning curve and logistics involved, Sail Haven can make it possible!

★★★★★Adrienne DeVos

For a modest annual membership fee, you can sail on their fleet of sailboats (depending on your proficiency). If you don’t know how to sail, members can also enroll in classes (additional fee). If you already know how to sail, but want to get better, they also have a mentorship program. Members can bring one guest with them. Members can also access other boathouse amenities like kayaks, yoga classes on the dock, and rowing classes (also on the dock). Admittedly the scenery from the dock house leaves a bit to be desired (those oil tanks you see on the Q bridge), but for the price, you can’t beat the deal. Plus, EVERYONE we have met there has been so friendly and kind. The other downside is that they aren’t open on Fridays which is a bummer since I get out of work early on Fridays in the summer. But we have never had an issue getting the boat we want any time we’ve gone. They have plenty for everyone, even on busier weekends. (Hopefully I didn’t jinx it!)