Key Takeaways:
- College sailing programs vary widely; top choices include renowned schools like Stanford and MIT with extensive competitive and training opportunities.
- Rankings, competitive schedules, and non-competitive activities are key criteria in determining the top sailing schools, enhancing both skill and enjoyment.
- Historical performance, such as national championships won and notable alumni, significantly boosts a school’s reputation in collegiate sailing.
Are you dreaming of spending your college years on the water, racing yachts against some of the country’s best athletes? If so, this article is for you. Choosing just the right college or university can be a daunting task for any would-be collegiate sailor. After all, not every school has a college sailing program and those that do vary dramatically.
That’s why we’ve researched college sailing programs all over the country to find the 30 best colleges for sailing. Not every program offers the same opportunities, though. And not every collegiate sailor is looking for the same experiences. Thus, we weighed many considerations when coming up with our list. These considerations include:
Featured Programs
- Rankings: We considered recent years’ rankings from Sailing World. This is a unique ranking system in which college coaches essentially rank each other’s teams.
- Competitive Schedule: We looked at each college sailing program’s schedule to gauge how active they are. This gives us an idea of how many opportunities per season a member of the team or club would have to compete.
- Non-Competitive Activities: Not every sailor seeks to be competitive. Thus, we also considered non-competitive activities such as recreational sailing events and lesson programs.
- The “It” Factor: Finally, we considered anything else that makes a program appealing for those students who enjoy sailing. These miscellaneous considerations include facilities, access to water, previous titles won, and successful alumni, among other things.
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Website
A fixture near the top of the rankings, Boston College has been a powerhouse in collegiate sailing since the program’s founding in 1863. Since then, the college sailing program at Boston College has won the Inter Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championships a whopping 20 times. Recipients of coveted titles such as College Sailor of the Year and Sportsman of the Year frequently come from Boston College’s roster. Plus, the school boasts several alumni who have gone on to find massive success in the sailing world.
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
Website
Few varsity sailing teams have been as successful as that of Boston University. Located in Boston, Massachusetts — a nautical city if ever there was one — Boston University is a haven for water-based sports. The BU college sailing program has won a whopping seven National Championships in its successful history. Quite a few notable sailors have come out of the Boston program. This includes three “College Sailor[s] of the Year,” 2012 U.S. Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year nominee John Mollicone, and Volvo Ocean Race skipper Ken Read.
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine
Website
Bowdoin College, located in Brunswick, Maine, is another coastal school with a location that makes it ideal as a powerhouse in the sailing world. Bowdoin has several college sailing teams. All of them compete as part of the competitive New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. The sailing teams consistently rank near the top of the ICSA rankings. The women’s collegiate sailing teams have been especially successful in recent years.
College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Website
The waters off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina have long been prime sailing waters. So it should come as no surprise then that the College of Charleston is one of the best colleges for sailing. Under its distinguished college coaches, the school’s team competes in the South Atlantic Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. It consistently ranks near the top of the ICSA rankings. Recent big wins for the school in college sailing include Singlehanded National Champions (2014), Sloop/Match Race National Champions (2015), Co-ed Team Race Champions (2017), and Leonard M. Fowle Trophy winners (2015, 2017). Amongst the College’s team alumni are 100 All-Americans, four “College Sailors of the Year,” and two “Women’s College Sailors of the Year.” Several Olympic contenders are currently on the team.
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
Website
Dartmouth College is home to a competitive college sailing program. Plus, the school also has a program through which any interested student may take lessons to gain sailing experience. Both the team and novice sailors sail out of the college’s boating facilities on Lake Mascoma. The Dartmouth team has found massive success competing in collegiate regattas along the East Coast and throughout the sailing world nationwide. Those sailors not on the team have the option of group or private sailing lessons from college coaches.
Fordham University
New York City, New York
Website
Fordham University’s college sailing program is less than 20 years old. Even so, it has easily become one of the best in the nation for sailing. The university is a member of the Middle Atlantic ICSA. As such, they compete across the Eastern United States and beyond. Fordham’s teams, which train at the Morris Yacht and Beach Club in City Island, Bronx, are no strangers to the top of the ICSA rankings. They have competed at the Coed National Championship for the last four years in a row. Plus, the women’s team are frequent competitors at the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Championship.
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C.
Website
Washington, D.C.-based GW is another great college for sailors and aspiring sailors. Under the direction of experienced college coaches, GW’s team competes as part of the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association. The team competes up and down the Atlantic coast in places like New York, Maryland, Virginia, and Rhode Island, among other locations in the sailing world.
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.
Website
Georgetown is located near the Potomac in Washington, D.C. The university has a co-ed team that has racked up the national championships in recent years (14 since 2001). They’ve even brought home a world championship title! The team competes in the Middle Atlantic ICSA. Georgetown boasts 79 All-Americans and six College Sailors of the Year.
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan
Website
Grand Valley State University is just one of a handful of Michigan-based schools to make our list of the best colleges for sailing. Sailing at Grand Valley is a co-ed club sport. This means that aspiring collegiate sailors of all ability levels are welcome to join the sailing club to learn or compete under the direction of college coaches. The college sailing club sails on Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa during the fall and spring. During the autumn months, the team competes in regattas throughout the Midwest nearly every weekend.
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Website
Like most of Harvard University’s programs both academic and athletic, the college sailing program is excellent. The university’s team competes as part of the ICSA. It frequently returns to Cambridge with honors from regattas all over the country. Sailors who are not interested in competing may join the sailing club and take lessons either privately or in a group.
Hope College
Holland, Michigan
Website
Hope College is a great school for collegiate sailors of any experience level. Because sailing is a club sport at Hope, novice sailors have the opportunity to learn via a lesson program. Meanwhile, more experienced sailors wanting to hone their college sailing skills can take part in competition throughout the Midwest and beyond as part of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association.
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Website
Marquette University is located on Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. It is a great choice of college for anyone interested in the collegiate sailing world. The university boasts both a Sailing Club and a team. The team competes as part of the Midwest Conference of the ICSA. Between the college sailing club and the team, there are always recreational events occurring for those with any level of sailing experience.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Website
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) may be best known as an academic powerhouse. Still, it is home to many extremely successful sports programs as well. This includes those in the college sailing world. MIT has men’s, women’s, and coed sailing teams that compete in the New England Conference of the ICSA. The teams hold practices at the Walter C. Wood Sailing Pavilion.
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Website
Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan is home to a team that competes successfully in the sailing world throughout the Midwest and the rest of the country. Any student with an interest in college sailing has the opportunity to join the program. That’s because customized and/or private lessons are offered by the MSU Sailing Center. The Center even puts on a four-week “Learn to Sail” program for all ages during the summer.
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois
Website
Northwestern University’s team was first established in the late 1950s. Back then, it was a laid-back college sailing program that students joined to learn to sail. Today, the team is a competitive, nationally recognized team that competes in the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association throughout the school year. Northwestern’s team has won several nationwide championships. It has also placed 2nd in the Fall Dingy Championship (2007), and has graduated two All-American athletes — Roslyn Rea and Scotia Ryer.
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
Website
College sailing has been a sport at the Ohio State University since 1939. Since then, the Ohio State University Sailing Club (OSUSC) has become one of the most competitive teams in the Midwestern Collegiate Sailing Association and throughout the sailing world nationwide. The team especially excels in 420 and FJ sailboat regattas. They occasionally compete in larger yacht races as well. Anyone with an interest in sailing is able to join in at a practice.
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
Website
Unlike so many other top-ranked college sailing programs, Penn State Sailing at Pennsylvania State University is a program anyone with an interest in the sailing world can join. The co-ed club aims to promote the sport on and around campus. It also offers sailing lessons and teams for all abilities. Of course, there are opportunities for those who want to compete at the highest level of collegiate sailing. The sailing teams compete on the East Coast and nationally as part of the ICSA.
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Website
Stanford University offers many competitive, intercollegiate sports, including college sailing. The Cardinal has a long history of success in the ICSA. This is especially true for the women’s team, which won the ICSA Women’s Singlehanded Championship in both 2000 and 2018. Students who are interested in sailing, but who may not yet be ready to compete, are able to take part in Stanford’s sailing camp and recreation program.
Texas A&M, Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Website
Texas A&M University’s campus in Galveston specializes in all things “ocean-oriented,” and college sailing is no exception. Anyone who is interested in sailing is welcome to join the TAMUG sailing team. However, they must be willing to attend practice at least one day a week (practices are held daily) and be able to pass a five-minute swimming test. The team competes as part of the ICSA, with 5-6 races and regattas on the schedule for each month.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Website
Located right on the Pacific in Santa Barbara, California, UC Santa Barbara has one of the top-ranked college sailing programs on the West Coast. The team sails out of the UCSB Boating Facility. Here, interested students can also take sailing classes to meet their sports requirements. The team competes in regattas all over the country and consistently ranks in Sailing World’s top 20 rankings.
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Website
Like so many of the other sailing programs on our list of the best colleges for sailing, the University of Iowa Sailing Club is a student-run organization. Volunteers who run and sail in the program work hard to promote the sport on- and off-campus. They do this by competing in regattas throughout the Midwest and putting on special sailing-themed functions for those at the university and the public. The college sailing club, which owns its own fleet of sailboats and practices on Lake Macbride, also offers sailing lessons to anyone who might be interested.
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Website
The University of Michigan has had a college sailing program since 1938, and they’ve been a sailing powerhouse for just as long. The Michigan Sailing Team consists of co-ed and women’s dinghy and keelboat teams. All of them compete in the Midwest Conference of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. They are consistent competitors at national sailing events. Recent big wins include 1st place at the MCSA Coed Championship (2019), 2nd place at the MCSA Women’s Championship (2019), and 1st place at the Big Ten Team Race (2019).
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Website
The University of Notre Dame is home to a co-ed sailing club team. The team competes throughout the country and attracts would-be collegiate sailors from all over. It is one of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association’s most competitive teams. Still, the college sailing club welcomes students of all sailing abilities and interests and even offers lessons.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Website
Perhaps not surprisingly, the University of Pennsylvania has a long history of excellence in college sailing. This has been especially true in the last decade. Over the past ten years, Penn has consistently ranked near the top of the inter-collegiate rankings. Penn Sailing was invited to compete in the ICSA’s national competition in 2008, 2009, and every year since 2016. The team trains at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia. It competes in team, women’s, and coed events.
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI
Website
Aspiring collegiate sailors come from all over to attend the University of Rhode Island and to sail as part of the college sailing team. As part of the New England ICSA, this elite team has a long history of competitive excellence. Indeed, several Olympians and 28 All-Americans have graduated from the program over the years. The team practices at the URI Island Sailing Center in the town of Wakefield. This is an impressive facility that houses 18 Whitecap Turbo FJs, 10 RS Quests, eight Whitecap Turbo 420s, and even a few powerboats.
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Website
Ohio’s University of Toledo is located near Lake Erie. This makes it a unique addition to our list of the best colleges for sailing. The university is home to more than 20,000 students. It offers would-be collegiate sailors a vibrant and sports-focused campus. The university’s team has a long and well-respected history in the sport of college sailing. They have made two appearances in the ultra-competitive ICSA’s National Championships (2008 and 2009). The team has also taken home three Midwest-Collegiate Sailing Association Championships, most recently in 2009.
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Website
At the University of Virginia, sailing is a student-run club sport (Thomas Jefferson would be proud). It is open to all students with an interest in the college sailing world. Still, there are also competitive teams that race as part of the Mid-Atlantic ICSA. The club places just as much of a focus on recreational sailing and social events, though. For example, each Saturday in the fall and spring is spent on the water. During these “Lake Days,” sailors can practice sailing basics and hang out with like-minded friends.
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Website
The University of Washington Sailing Team is a student-run, student-funded, and student-coached program. It has become quite competitive in the Northwest District of the ICSA. The team’s Division I status is pending at UW. Still, it is growing rapidly and attracting sailors and aspiring sailors from all over the country. In recent years, the team has dominated the college sailing rankings in the Northwest. Plus, it continues to move up in the Midwest and nationally.
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Website
The University of Wisconsin is home to a highly competitive college sailing program. It competes as part of the ICSA. The university’s team is student-led and allows undergraduate men and women of all sailing abilities to take part. The team, which is coached by former collegiate sailor Dave Elsmo, practices at the Hoofers Sailing Club on Lake Mendota. They compete in various regattas around the Midwest. They have also been known to compete in Boston, Charleston, Annapolis, San Francisco, and New Orleans.
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Website
College sailing is one of 35 varsity sports at Yale. The university’s teams compete as part of the New England ICSA. Interestingly, Yale is home to the world’s oldest college sailing club, the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club. It was founded in 1881. Known as YCYC or “yic-yic,” the Corinthian Yacht Club is located on Short Beach in the town of Branford and has 24 high-performance 420s for the club’s use. Students can join the team officially, take a sailing course from college coaches for university credit, or sign up for private lessons and clinics to hone their sailing ability.
This concludes our ranking of the top colleges for sailing in the U.S.
By CVO Staff
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