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Sailing Schools Pittwater
An hour north of the city and a different proposition from Sydney Harbour: deep, sheltered and largely free of commercial traffic. It is where a great deal of Sydney’s beginner and anchoring training actually happens.
The water you learn on
Pittwater is a drowned river valley — deep almost to the shore, with steep wooded sides that shelter it from the prevailing weather. That makes it forgiving water to learn in, and unusually good for anchoring practice because you can anchor almost anywhere.
There is no ferry traffic and very little commercial shipping, which removes the pressure that makes Sydney Harbour a demanding first lesson. The trade-off is that you learn less about collision regulations here.
Broken Bay, at the mouth, opens onto the Tasman and gives access to genuine coastal conditions within a short passage when a course needs them.
The Hawkesbury River runs west from Broken Bay into sheltered, scenic water that suits overnight and passage-making exercises.
Where courses actually run
Pittwater
Deep, sheltered, dozens of anchorages — ideal first-lesson water
Broken Bay
Where it opens to the Tasman; coastal conditions on demand
Hawkesbury River
Sheltered overnight cruising west of the bay
Barrenjoey
The headland at the entrance, and the local pilotage landmark
Schools within reach of Pittwater
Pacific Sailing School
Teaching from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia since 1977, with keelboat and yacht courses on the Harbour.
Flying Fish Australia
RYA and Australian Sailing centre at Middle Harbour Yacht Club, with professional Yachtmaster programs running 8 to 16 weeks.
SailCorp
RYA training centre at the Lavender Bay boatshed, running Start Yachting through Coastal Skipper on a large charter fleet.
Eastsail
RYA school at Rushcutters Bay covering beginner through Yachtmaster, plus navigation, radio, first aid and sea survival.
Sydney by Sail
Operating from the Festival Pontoon by the Maritime Museum since 1995, with introductory yachting and crew packages.
AusSea Sailing School
IYT school teaching on the calmer water of Botany Bay near Cronulla, from Try Sail through Bareboat Skipper and ICC.
Liquid Edge Sailing School
IYT school based at Mort Bay in Balmain, with monohull and catamaran courses and fast-track ICC and Bareboat Skipper.
Atlas Sailing
Sailing and powerboat courses for adults on Sydney Harbour, from first-timers through to skippers.
SailTime Newport
RYA-affiliated school at the Royal Motor Yacht Club, running Introduction to Sailing through Yachtmaster preparation on Pittwater.
Ocean Boardroom
Shorebased centre founded by an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean instructor and examiner, teaching navigation, radio, diesel and Yachtmaster theory.
Above & Beyond Boating
RYA training centre at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, with boat handling, navigation, safety and ICC assessments.
Marine SafetyWorks
Safety specialist teaching the World Sailing and Australian Sailing Safety & Sea Survival course, marine first aid and radio certificates.
Balmoral Water Sports Center
Australian Sailing centre at Balmoral Beach for more than 30 years, running Tackers and junior programs alongside dinghy and catamaran lessons.
These schools operate in New South Wales. We publish a school’s exact base, accreditation and prices only once we have verified them against the school, so we do not yet claim which of these trade from Pittwater itself.
Course types around Pittwater
Other training regions
Sydney
Sailing schools in Sydney — Harbour, Middle Harbour, Pittwater and Botany Bay. Beginner lessons, keelboat courses, RYA and IYT yacht training.
Port Stephens
Sailing courses at Port Stephens and Nelson Bay — a large sheltered harbour two and a half hours north of Sydney, with room to sail and easy coastal access.
All of New South Wales
Sydney Harbour · Middle Harbour · Pittwater · Broken Bay · Botany Bay — 14 schools
Not sure which course to start with in Pittwater?
Three questions — have you sailed before, what boat do you want to sail, and what is your goal — give you a starting course and the schools that teach it.