Welcome to SSA! We are excited to celebrate our 74th summer of instilling the love of sailing in kids and adults. We strive not only to teach our students how to sail, but also to cultivate a sense of responsibility that will keep Seneca Lake a place that all can enjoy.
It’s Spring and the SSA board is already making plans for Summer 2021! We are waiting for New York State to publish guidelines for summer programs that will help us craft our 2021 Summer offerings. We plan to publish our summer schedule on May 1st. In the meantime, you can explore some of our typical offerings by just clicking on the boxes below. Click on the “Contact us” button below if you’ve got questions that can’t wait!
In the interim, you should know that our summer 2020 season was a remarkable success, in spite of the restrictions placed on us by the pandemic. We safely hosted over 60 sailors, both kids and adults, during our shortened season. We partnered with the Geneva Boys & Girls club to bring kids out onto the lake. We trained adult sailors in some pretty exciting conditions. And we had a blast doing it. Check our Gallery Page for a taste of what we did.
Finally, you can also visit our Donation page to think about how you can help us continue to bring sailing, the outdoors, and a love of this beautiful place together for you and for our community. Thanks for visiting!
Welcome to SSA! We are excited to celebrate our 74th summer of instilling the love of sailing in kids and adults. We strive not only to teach our students how to sail, but also to cultivate a sense of responsibility that will keep Seneca Lake a place that all can enjoy.
It’s Spring and the SSA board is already making plans for Summer 2021! We are waiting for New York State to publish guidelines for summer programs that will help us craft our 2021 Summer offerings. We plan to publish our summer schedule on May 1st. In the meantime, you can explore some of our typical offerings by just clicking on the boxes below. Click on the “Contact us” button below if you’ve got questions that can’t wait!
In the interim, you should know that our summer 2020 season was a remarkable success, in spite of the restrictions placed on us by the pandemic. We safely hosted over 60 sailors, both kids and adults, during our shortened season. We partnered with the Geneva Boys & Girls club to bring kids out onto the lake. We trained adult sailors in some pretty exciting conditions. And we had a blast doing it. Check our Gallery Page for a taste of what we did.
Finally, you can also visit our Donation page to think about how you can help us continue to bring sailing, the outdoors, and a love of this beautiful place together for you and for our community. Thanks for visiting!
Full-day Advanced Adventure Camp
(1 session, week of 17 August) Monday through Thursday, 9-4 . This session is designed for sailors who love sailing and have at least 2 weeks prior experience, ages 10-17. These more experienced sailors will have opportunities to sail different classes of boats and expand their skills on the water with challenges and games, including opportunities to learn and practice racing techniques. This class will include fun, safe activities on the water. See our Youth Sailing page for more info.
Half-Day Sail Camp
Half-day Adventure Week (2 sessions, weeks of 27 July and 3 August) Monday through Thursday, 9AM to 12PM. These sessions are designed for all skill levels ages 9-17. Children age 7 – 8 with previous sailing experience and prior communication between parent/guardian with the head instructor may be approved to take this class. See the full description on the Youth Program page
Attended Open Sail
Sailors must have prior experience and be approved by SSA instructors ahead of time. Participants could check out an SSA boat for a three-hour time slot, sailing under staff supervision. There is no formal instruction during open sailing; staff are present to assist on shore and on the water in case of emergency. For both adults and youth.
Adult Sailing courses
Adult Sailing courses for individuals and groups. 4-evening course: Monday-Thursday. Pre-formed, low-risk groups (couples, households, etc.) allowed to share a boat. Maximum capacity of 3 adults per boat. No experience required. See our Adult Sailing Page
Private Instruction
Private Instruction for individuals, couples, parent/guardian & children, children/youth, or other pre-formed, low-risk groups. Beginners and experienced sailors welcome. Maximum capacity of 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children (<13yrs) or 1-4 children/youth.
COVID-19 NOTICE: SSA is monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, following guidelines set in place by the New York State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as NYS regulations on business activities.
New for 2021
Look for our “First Sail” opportunities at the Geneva Farmer’s Market this spring; you can sail with us right off the Geneva waterfront! Details to follow or contact us at the email below. (Okay, we planned this for last year, but COVID threw a monkeywrench in the works. We’re going to try again!)
Who we are
Sailing is fun! Seneca Sailing Academy (SSA) was formed in 2012 as a non-profit organization focused on community members with access to responsible seamanship skills. Specifically, we promote and provide:
- sailing instruction for youth and adults
- race training
- the exchange of sailing and boating information
- public awareness regarding boating safety
- public awareness regarding the ecology and preservation of Seneca Lake