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Choose a sailing path

Sail theCharles River.

Never sailed before? Start on the Learn-to-Sail Waitlist — one list per season, April 1–October 15. Three steps to your Tech Sailing Rating:

  1. Join the waitlist to get your waitlist number for the season.
  2. Request a spot in each weekly intro class. Among requesters, waitlist number decides — not first-come.
  3. Earn the Tech Sailing Rating — your waitlist entry closes when it's awarded.
Join the waitlist

Free sailing for all enrolled MIT students · Open to the MIT community and the general public · Open 7 days a week, Apr 1–Nov 15.

Pavilion Hours

Open 7 days a week · April 1 – November 15

Monday3:00 pm – Sunset
TuesdayNoon – Sunset
WednesdayNoon – Sunset
ThursdayNoon – Sunset
FridayNoon – Sunset
SaturdayNoon – Sunset
SundayNoon – Sunset

Sunset times and daily open hours follow the table. Team practices run on a separate schedule.

How to get on the water

1

Create your account

MIT students and MIT Recreation members get Normal included, including Charles River racing. Others can compare paid racing cards before requesting a card.

2

Take a beginner class

Sign up for Learn to Sail or Intro for Experienced Sailors.

3

Get your rating and sail

Pass your skills test, receive your rating, and book boats anytime.

Upcoming Events

No events scheduled in the next 7 days.

View all events

Learn to Sail

Every sailor starts with a required beginner class. Once you have your first rating, choose from a range of advanced courses.

Start here — required for all new sailors
beginner

Intro Sailing 101

First rating path on Tech Dinghies: rigging, tacking, gybing, crew-overboard prep, and Charles River traffic patterns with coach boats alongside.

Class details
beginner

Intro for Experienced Sailors

Accelerated checkout for sailors who already know points of sail but need a Charles River orientation, capsize recovery, and fleet rules of the road.

Class details
beginner

Learn to Sail — Weekend Intensive

Single-weekend immersion: morning chalk talks, afternoon drills, and a supervised short passage plan with debrief.

Class details
Next — after your first rating

Intermediate Sailing — Boat Speed

Sail trim for power and height, crew choreography, roll tacks, and starting-line time-on-distance in a double-handed dinghy.

After: Intro Sailing 101Course details

Intro to Racing

Starting sequences, laylines, basic rules scenarios (port/starboard, windward mark), and short-course drills in single-handed boats.

After: Intro Sailing 101Course details

Windsurfing Fundamentals

Beach starts, harness line basics, steering on all points, and self-rescue on a stable board rig; small-group coaching in protected water.

After: Intro Sailing 101Course details

Intermediate Racing — Tactics & Strategy

Shift tracking, fleet positioning, mark traps, and team debriefs using video and GPS tracks from practice races.

After: Intermediate Sailing — Boat SpeedCourse details
View all classes

Pricing

Choose the card that matches what you want to sail.

Normal

Pavilion, classes, ratings, racing, Mashnee.

MIT student
Free
MIT Recreation member
Free
Sign up
  • Normal access to Pavilion sailing, classes, ratings, racing, and Mashnee.
  • MIT students qualify automatically.
  • MIT Recreation members qualify with an active membership.

Full-year racing card

Regular Pavilion racing for the full card year.

Non-MIT student
$40
Under 30
$125
30+
$175
Sign up
  • Regular Pavilion racing for the full card year.
  • Race-related classes included.
  • Does not include Thursday team racing.

Thursday team racing

For Thursday team racing on the Charles River.

Non-MIT student
$25
Under 30
$70
30+
$100
Sign up
  • Thursday team racing on the Charles River.
  • No regular Pavilion racing.

See MIT Recreation rates

Reserve the Pavilion

The Sailing Pavilion is available for selected MIT community events and waterfront gatherings.

Reserve Pavilion