San Francisco Bay is the best place in the world to learn to sail. We do not have make up – it is all here. So the place is fantastic as a general learning location. Our school has two locations to sail from. Oakland Estuary has wind from each of two shores year round plus is protected from the higher winds of weather and seasons. Smooth flat waters of a Riviera zone to start for all intro courses up through ASA-101. Then our classes venture out to the Central SF Bay. By mid ASA level we leave from Treasure Island in the middle of the Central Bay for 104/114 courses over night adventure course and some of the multi-day offshore advanced levels as well.

Afterguard is a unique model of for-profit ASA school that also supports a Foundation. Afterguard provides courses on a non-profit basis for inner city high school and summer camp youth, year round programs for vets and community outreach sailing. We are referred to as the little school with heart – with over 30 boats- little is relative. It is small business family feeling of welcome and a kind (no-yelling) style of instruction you will find at Afterguard.

Our instructors and captains have a strong commitment to ensure students learn to sail with earned confidence and awareness of all issues that effect safely. Mary SwiftSwan is one of ASA’s authors and has a few books in the works of her own. As the first woman Instructor Evaluator, active IE since 1997, she guides new instructors with the same thoroughness and diligence she provides to her advanced students. Afterguards team of instructors, that began with school in 2003, has grown too.

Afterguard offers the full range of ASA courses plus a long list of ‘Only at Afterguard’ options that allows us to make the most of our locations. Students can experience multiple micro climates, 2-6′ tides, 2-5k currents, learn to recognize and avoid pleasure and every kind of commercial vessel activity found in the books. The weather can be foulie cold or t-shirt warm. Warmer months are fall-spring. The strongest winds are associated to the daily flow of summer fog cooling nearby inland valleys. We teach zero visibility sailing at BCC-103 level just so all 103 and up, can be Bay Safe to enjoy great sailing. Our conditions dictate we teach you more than other schools, and we do.