Clear Lake Shores & Kemah, Texas
Hands-on ASA sailing lessons, affordable sailboat charters and a friendly sailing club, all from Sackett's Sailing Center at Watergate Yachting Center.
Dock board
ASA 101 and the Combo run every weekend, all year. Here are the next dates with openings, plus news from the dock.
Updated Saturday, September 26, 2026
Space in every 101 class every weekend, including November through January. Private weekday classes available.
Joe Laughlin named an Outstanding Instructor, again
Joe, who teaches our 105 class and weekday private Combo courses, was named one of 25 Outstanding Instructors by American Sailing for the 4th time. He is the only instructor in Texas to receive the honor, based on student surveys.
30 years since we took over Sackett’s
August 26, 2026 marked 30 years since we purchased Sackett’s Sailing Center from the Sackett family, and we opened Bay Area Sailing School on April 1, 1999.
Take ASA 105 online
Coastal Navigation is available online, plus Celestial Navigation (107), Weather (119) and Radar (120) endorsements. Registration and payment are with the online school.
Enroll onlinePrefer not to take Friday off?
Split the Combo across two weekends for $150 extra total, or take ASA 103 and 104 on separate weekends at $450 per certification.
Charter sailboats wanted, 27 to 38 ft
Put your boat in our charter fleet. Charters usually cover slip rental and insurance each year, with possible tax deductions.
League City Pets Alive adoption day
Saturday 9/26 at PetSmart League City 10am–1pm and Clear Lake PetSmart 12–2pm. Cats and kittens are waiting for you.
ASA pathway
New to sailing? Start with ASA 101. Each step builds on the last, from your first time at the helm to chartering a boat on your own.
ASA 101.
Basic Keelboat Sailing
Prerequisites
None, beginners welcome
ASA 102.
Basic Keelboat Cruising
Prerequisites
ASA 101
ASA 103.
Basic Coastal Cruising
Prerequisites
ASA 101
ASA 104.
Bareboat Cruising
Prerequisites
ASA 103
ASA 105.
Coastal Navigation
Prerequisites
None, beginners welcome
ASA 106.
Advanced Coastal Cruising
Prerequisites
ASA 104
ASA 105
ASA 102 is optional. You can go straight from ASA 101 to ASA 103. We run ASA 103 + 104 together as a 3-day Combo. ASA 105 is a classroom course you can take anytime, and it’s also available online.
Learn to sail
Small classes, real boats and experienced instructors. Choose a weekend group class or a private weekday class on your schedule.
2 daysASA 101
Your first step aboard. Learn to rig, steer, trim sails and handle a keelboat safely in light to moderate winds on Clear Lake and Galveston Bay.
As little as $187.50 per person with four in a private weekday class. $100 deposit.
Reserve ASA 101
3 daysASA 103 + 104
Step up to larger cruising boats with wheel steering. Cover docking, anchoring, navigation rules and the skills to charter a boat on your own.
Already sail? Test out of ASA 101 during the combo for $99 ($59 for veterans). $200 deposit.
Reserve ASA 103 + 104
2 daysASA 105
A classroom course covering charts, plotting, tides and currents, and passage planning. Every navigation tool is provided.
Next class: November 7–8, 2026. 7 spaces left. You can also take it online.
Reserve ASA 105
Multi-dayASA 106
Skipper a cruising yacht offshore. Includes night operations and sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, for sailors who dream of cruising the Caribbean or beyond.
Dates to be set. Call us for details.
Reserve ASA 106Book online
Pick a class and date below. Prefer to talk it through? Call us 7 days a week.
Instructor pathway
We hold ASA Instructor Qualification Clinics twice a year. Sailors come from across the country to Kemah, and our mild climate means clinics can run year-round. Have fun teaching sailing and get paid to introduce people to the sailing lifestyle.
Next clinic
Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 5 pm
Space still available
Level 01
ASA 201.
Basic Keelboat Instructor
1.5 days · starts Sat 5 pm
Level 02
ASA 202.
Keelboat 2 Instructor
Wednesday
Level 03
ASA 203.
Basic Coastal Cruising Instructor
Half day · Monday
Level 04
ASA 204.
Bareboat Cruising Instructor
Half day · Monday
Level 05
ASA 205.
Coastal Navigation Instructor
Exam Monday (or earlier)
Level 06
ASA 206.
Advanced Coastal Cruising Instructor
Mon afternoon exam + night
Specialty endorsement
Endorsement
ASA 214.
Catamaran Instructor
1 day · Tuesday
Each level: deposit at enrollment, balance on the first day of the clinic. Fees include ASA instructor membership for the rest of the year and certification fees. Books are extra.
Boat rentals & charters
Once you're certified, rent one of our well-kept sailboats and explore Clear Lake and Galveston Bay on your own terms.
Our sailing club
Membership pays for itself fast if you like to sail often.
Monthly plan
$75 initial fee + $25/mo for 12 months
Pay annually
$300 for the first year — save $75
Groups and companies
We offer team building for companies, churches and groups of all kinds. We’ll design an exercise on 22 to 39 foot sailboats around your goals, for a fun and exciting day your team will remember.
About us
Bay Area Sailing School has taught sailing in Kemah since April 1, 1999. Together with our sailing club, Bay Area Sailing Association, and our charter company, Sackett's Sailing Center, we're a full-service sailing organization at Watergate Yachting Center, Pier 3. We want to teach you how to sail and keep you sailing.
Satisfaction guaranteed
If you're not satisfied, tell us. We'll give you the class again with a different instructor, free.
*Based on number of certifications issued.
Questions
Usually no more than four students per boat for ASA 101 and five for the Combo. Classroom sessions can have up to 20 people across five boats, which gives you more chances to practice right-of-way.
ASA 101 and the Combo (103 + 104) run every weekend except Christmas. ASA 101 is 9 am–5 pm both days. The Combo runs Friday 9 am to Sunday 5 pm, and we can finish by 3 pm Sunday if you need to. Coastal Navigation (105) and Advanced Coastal Cruising (106) run four times a year.
Private weekday ASA 101 is $550 for one or two people, plus $100 each for up to two more. Private weekend 101 is $900 for one or two. The private weekday Combo is $1,340 for one or two ($1,465 if it includes a Friday), and the private weekend Combo is $1,845.
Call our office at 281.334.4179, 7 days a week. We don’t take card details online. A quick call also confirms the course and date you want are available.
Keelboats aren’t usually wet, so dress like you’re going for a walk on a windy day. Wear shoes with non-marking soles (not black soles).
A free session with an instructor on a 27 to 34 foot boat. ASA 101 graduates get one free Saturday-morning mentor session with no time limit on when to use it. It introduces wheel steering, an inboard diesel and roller furling.
Some students take the Combo the very next weekend and do well. Others like to do the mentor session and free charter first.
Groups of four or more taking a course together save $25 per person. Book a later course (Combo or beyond) when you enroll in ASA 101 and save $80 per course. You only pay the deposit, and you choose dates later.
Not for ASA 101. We break for lunch after Saturday’s classroom session and come back to the dock for a late lunch on Sunday. During the Combo, there’s a lunch break each day for a local restaurant.
We almost always finish on schedule by moving activities between days. If we can’t, we reschedule the on-the-water portion with you. The Combo runs in all weather except tropical storm warnings, because learning with an instructor aboard is great experience.
Yes, for lessons or charters. We can email or mail them, and they never expire. Everything can be arranged over the phone.
Hobby (HOU) is about 30 to 45 minutes away. Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.
Very few students have trouble. If you need to, you can retake the written exam later, or come back to finish your boat work, at no charge.
Yes. Our affiliate, Sackett’s Sailing Center, charters boats from 22 to 39 feet.
Visit us
Take FM-2094 (Marina Bay Drive) and turn north on Admiralty Way into Watergate. Follow the road to Sackett's Sailing Center on the water.
Sackett's Sailing Center, Watergate Yachting Center
Marina Bay Drive (FM-2094), Clear Lake Shores, TX 77565
Get directions
Before you sail
The forecasts, tools and reading we trust. All links open in a new tab.
We’ve found the local NBC station, Channel 2, to be much more accurate than The Weather Channel and other non-broadcast sources. Your safety comes first, then making sure you have fun.
Click2Houston weatherPractice at home
Step-by-step animations of every knot you’ll use aboard: bowline, cleat hitch, clove hitch, figure eight and more. Great for practicing before class.
Call or email to pick your dates. We'll help you choose the right course.
Bay Area Sailing School