Piers Park Sailing Center

as a homeschooling helicopter mom and early childhood educator, who’s very involved in my childs education and personal development. this was our first camp experience. i have so many thoughts and feelings. let’s unpack an honest review. piers sailing center has so much to offer and they’re accessible. they educate children about sailing, water safety, sea creatures and they even learn how to fish. in between this they have time blocks dedicated to play. there are different groups of activities to do. to my knowledge the kids are allowed to choose where they would like to be. the program runs from 9am to 4pm monday through friday. they’re also super flexible with modifying your child’s schedule and days they will attend. i believe the camp is divided into different age groups. there’s even a “cool down ” area for the kids to retreat to in the office if they’re feeling overwhelmed or need a break. i heard about this program from our visits to piers park. which sparked me to enroll my kid who loves all things outdoors. omar who is the education director assisted me in doing so. he was very kind, helpful and gave me a brief run down of the program during the springtime. i was told that they allowed parents to be close by which was a plus for me. however i can tell it was a bit off putting for some of the employees. personally i think it’s strange when programs don’t allow it. so i lingered around like a fly on the wall throughout the day. i wish there was an onboarding orientation or debriefing for newer parents or families. so we could know what the day to days would actually look like before camp starts. what protocols are taken when children are having tough times, etc. i think it would be a really great opportunity for the parents to mingle and to become better aquatinted with the staff. as once the camp started i was really confused about what my child would actually be doing. i didn’t realize that he would be on a boat sailing his first day. my mommy nerves were not prepared for that. there was a bit of miscommunication of what i was told parents were permitted to do. i did have to ask a few times to get more of a clear response. i also didn’t realize that the staff would primarily be teenagers or younger adults. although it’s amazing that they’re embarking on a journey of learning how to be responsible and well rounded teenagers to adults. i personally wasn’t prepared for the level of responsibility they’re given. i ask alot of questions especially when it comes to who i’ll be trusting to care for my child when i’m not present. i know this is pretty uncommon this day and age. catherine who is the director of youth programs and omar sat down with me and answered every single question i had. which definitely eased my nerves a bit. i was told that all of the counselors or staff have either been apart of the camp themselves or have gone through extensive trainings and continue to sharpen their skills. i appreciate how mindful they are about allergies and ensuring every childs dietary restrictions are being considered. i know it’s camp, it’s hot and there’s a lot to handle. however the energy can sometimes feel a bit chaotic, unwelcoming , stand off ish or incredibly awkward. especially from certain staff members. i’m warm , bubbly and very friendly. so it throws me off a bit when folks who work with children aren’t. people skills are incredibly important when working with children and families. so i hope everyone continues to sharpen them and remember that if you don’t want to communicate with kids or their parents working with children and family’s probably shouldn’t be the proper career path. although i’m grateful my son is enjoying it, learning new ways to coexist with peers, remembering his manners, how to follow directions or rules, making new buddies and having new experiences. i’m not entirely sure if we’ll be back next year but it’s definitely left quite the impression and i’ve certainly got my steps in from walking around the park so far this summer.

Great park, very Clean. It has slides for kids. Good for family. This park has a public restroom and free parking. Highly recommend.

Piers park is a hidden gem in East Boston. Its a place that doesnt see alot of foot traffic other than locals and thats a shame as people are missing some of the best views of downtown Boston.

Great sailing center, boats are clean and well maintained and a trip around the harbor gives great views of all of Boston

Nice place to relax and have a coffee. Nice view

Great experience with kayaking with friends. The staff were very patient with me. I don’t know how to swim and was scared but was able to learn to kayak on my own. Shout out to Nick who helped me become more confident with the water and kayaking. Beautiful view of the city.

Excellent experience: friendly and knowledgeable staff, beautiful and convenient location. A perfect fun way to spend the day out on the water with friends on Boston Harbor.

Very well kept park with a childrens play section. Outstanding views of boston and the harbor. Lots of shelters and places to sit and enjoy the evening. One of the best places in east boston

Went sailing a couple weeks ago and had it on my to do list to write a review. The experience was good, there were multiple young people who did a great job helping us out. The main person we interacted with was Teddy who was very knowledgeable and had a great attitude. I definitely will be back, price points are fair, and location is good! Highly recommend this school

Did an intro to sail class & harbor cruise hybrid experience for 3 hours one day with my sister and brother-in-law. Was truly an amazing day that I will never forget! We were given a quick intro and then we were off sailing around the harbor. First went down towards Southie and then went up to Charlestown along the city. Wanted to mention that none of us had sailing experience prior and by the end of the tour the three of us were able to sail without the instructor needing to do it for us. We had so much fun and if you're looking for an activity to do that is interactive, I highly recommend. One thing I want to note is that if anyone in your group doesn't take direction well or is scared of boats - this obviously wouldn't be the activity for your group. If you've never been sailing before, when you get sailing pretty fast against the wind, the boat tends to really lean to one side (really really lean), it's totally normal but, I would say that the participants in this activity need to be somewhat in good physical shape. Pro Tips: Bring sunscreen, wear close toed shoes, and bring water

Beautiful view I love going on walks. It had great view with the cities and boats. Had great time reading about history there

I had never sailed before, but I signed up for a Spectacle Island trip this summer and had a blast. The instructor was knowledgeable and friendly. I'm hoping to take some classes next summer and get out on the water some more!

So much fun! We bought a Groupon for the Intro to Sailing lesson. They were a bit hard to reach at first (they never answer their phones), but once we were in touch, everyone we spoke to was professional and helpful. They were very understanding of our schedules and were flexible with rescheduling -- we handled pretty much everything via email. The sailing lesson itself was two hours long and included all the basic knowledge about how to operate a sail boat. Matt, our very young, but seasoned instructor, tailored the lesson to our skill level, and was very knowledgeable about everything related to the Boston Harbor. It was basically an interactive tour of the Boston Harbor. Intro to Sailing is really an all-levels lesson, and a fun activity for all ages!

PPSC is a great sailing center. I've been a member of CBI on the Charles and BSC on the harbor in the North End. Those are great sailing centers too but PPSC is definitely the best value. The staff are very friendly. When you buy your membership, they make you do a quick check-out sail with one of them to show that you're competent. Mine took 20 minutes or so. The boats (Sonars) are launched off the dock and sail pretty well under main only so it's easy to solo sail. The main is always rigged on the boat which is nice. Just gotta roll and cover when you're done. No motors but the harbor wind forecasts are reliable. They'll pick you up if you really need it.

Piers Park Sailing is an oasis in East Boston: a cool retreat from the hot city, offering a picturesque quay, sound fleet of Sonars, a laid back club house and young staff who relate well to young sailors in their summer programs. My boys completed the Science of Sail program and had a great time. I saw the kids working together to rig the sloops and develop teamwork. Great thing! I always felt they were safe too, as Piers Park has protocols about wearing life jackets and staff who, although young, are well trained for boating safety and first aid. Some parking available onsite but also mere minutes walk from Maverick Station on the Blue Line or by BHC water taxis. It's a non-profit. Two sides to that: they have tight budgets and do well executing solid programs with that real constraint. However, communication can be spotty (phone or email) and should be expected to be improved. But I can sense, with all staff I dealt with, that they all truly love working with the kids and are giving their all to make their experience the best. Don't hesitate to send your kids here. I will be sending mine again next season.

Bought 2 Living Social vouchers for the 2-hour Intro to Sailing lesson and it was awesome. Do not get discouraged if they are entirely unresponsive to your emails and voicemail messages trying to set up a reservation. Gray, the head instructor and apparently only person that can take lesson reservations, was on vacation the week I was trying to book. And it seems the rest of the place is a bunch of laid back kids on their summer job (and what a summer job it must be!). So it took at least one call every day of the week to finally get a hold of someone that could take my reservation. Jack - one of the instructors - finally answered the phone on Friday and was able to squeeze us into a lesson at noon on Saturday. Getting to Piers Park is interesting since you have to take 93 to the Airport exit. I took my wife on a surprise date and didn't tell her what we were doing and she was totally confused as we headed to East Boston! You can also take the Blue Line to Maverick I believe, but coming from Somerville that wasn't really an option. There is tons of street parking around Piers Park so no worries there. On arrival, we met Jack, our 21 year old instructor from Ireland in Boston for the summer, and he immediately had us throw on life jackets and get underway. We had our lesson with two other girls and it was great having such a small group lesson. We jumped on the boat, Jack had us hoist the mainsail, mount the jib, and we were off. Once Jack got us into open water (well, the harbor anyway), he let us each take the helm and operate the till, practice tacking, and work the jibsheet. He worked the mainsheet the entire time (which I'm glad he did because it looked a little more advanced). You can tell Jack was a great instructor since I had never been sailing before and I can now use all the proper terminology (at least I hope I'm using the proper terminology!). We were out in the harbor on a beautiful day for 2 hours, sailing around and having some laughs. We really went all around the harbor too - toward the World Trade Center, down toward Faneuil Hall, around by Charlestown and the USS Constitution, and then back to Piers Park. It was so much fun, I am honestly considering doing the certification course.

Piers Park Sailing Center is what a sailing center should be - convenient, casual, beautiful and just a whole lot of fun. As a landlubber I was totally freaked out about sailing in the harbor. But I took an 'Intro to Sailing' class last summer and ended up graduating with the ability to maneuver a boat on my own through the harbor. It was awesome! It is the most amazing view of the City and it is T accessible. This is the best place to learn to sail in Boston!

I had a Yelp deal for a sailing lesson, so this is a review of that - I can't speak for being an actual member, but the lesson I had was top-notch. Piers Park, where this place is situated, is a fantastic park on its own. It's a few minutes' walk from the Maverick stop on the blue line, and is a very new and well-kept park with a world-class view of the financial district. Sailing out of here is very cool. Our boat was 4 students and the instructor. Our instructor, despite being far younger than the youngest student, was extremely well-qualified and knowledgeable. Everyone was able to get involved - the two sitting toward the front of the boat had the task of managing the ropes that change the sail's orientation. We were also all able to take the rudder and steer. Great scenery and a non-pretentious atmosphere mean that if I ever get the itch to sail again I'll be doing it with these folks.

Best kept secret in Boston! I absolutely love this place. Their instructor named Adam is also amazingly knowledgable and alarmingly good looking.

Nice little sailing club. Mostly staffed by kids. A variety of boats. Generally very acommodating. Their students show the mark of excellent seamanship. A must check-out for local sailors.

Piers Park Sailing Center is possibly the best-kept secret in Boston boating. Forget any stereotypes you have about sailors wearing blue blazers, hanging out at exclusive yacht clubs and drinking expensive cocktails -- PPSC is a non-profit organization dedicated to getting the teeming masses out onto the water. After paying a yearly fee, members (and up to 4 shipmates) can use one of the club's ten boats just about any time during daylight hours from May to October. In several years as a club member, I've never had a problem getting a boat any time I wanted one. PPSC also offers lessons for aspiring captains, and a Friday-night racing series. All in all, a PPSC membership is your low-cost key to explore the watery expanses of Boston Harbor and its many islands.

Took the Introduction To Sailing course yesterday (instructor was Gray). I had a great time and hope to go back to learn some more when I'm back in the area later in the summer. Gray was very easy going and helpful.

My review is nothing to do with the sailing. It has everything to do with the rude staff members. I am surprised that basic manners such as please and thank you and simple common curtesy is not a part of the business plan. The sailing is wonderful once you get past the rude staff.

Had a Groupon for the 2 hr sail and used it on Monday for a terrific 2 hrs on the Harbor. Despite the prior reviews about difficulty getting somebody to answer the phone, I did not run into that problem at all. Gray answered right away when I called on Friday, and quickly booked me for Monday afternoon. Rob was a great instructor and I had plenty of time handling both the Tiller and the Jib sail. Couldn't have been more pleased with the experience. Great operation with a nice fleet of 420's.