Sailing for All
Youth Camps
Youth sailing and water activity camps are held at the DSSA Pier on Park Point throughout the summer.
Sailing Lessons
Wheather you have never sailed before or just want a refesher, we can help you get comfotable and confident on the water.
Open Sailing
Already a sailor? Then become a member of the DSSA and enjoy the use of our diverse fleet of trainers, racers, and daysailers.
Cruise Boats
With a membership and a small day-use fee, experienced cruisers have access to the DSSA’s motorized cruise boats.
2026 Programs and Events
The DSSA will be hosting 6 days of sailing classes in September from 12pm-3pm each day for ages 7-17 and open to all skill levels.
The classes will be taught by DSSA certified sailing instructors and course material will follow the DSSA Youth Camp material listed above. Choose individual days if you’d like to test the waters or to fit your schedule or sign up for all 6 days! The goal of these classes is to take advantage of the wonderful September weather and introduce basic sailing skills, terminology, and safety on the water to homeschooled students.
Dates and times
September – 9th, 10th, and 11th (Wed-Fri) 12pm-3pm
September – 16th, 17th, and 18th (Wed-Fri) 12pm-3pm
Click HERE for pricing and more information on September youth classes
Duluth Blind Sailing is a new program that started in 2025. We partner with Lighthouse Center for Vital Living, Twin Cities Blind Sailing Club, and US Blind Sailing. Duluth Blind Sailing sails every other Thursday evening starting June 18th to September 10th 5:30pm-8pm. We have proper equipment to handle most needs. The DSSA has a variety of vessels that we use for our adaptive sailing programs that cater to new and experienced sailors! Dates are also located on our pier calendar.
This season we are offering group adult cruise boat lessons. The course is one day from 9am-3:30pm with a 30min lunch break. The goal of this course is to be checked off to use our cruise boats and for you to feel comfortable/confident to operate the cruise boat fleet. You will need prior sailing experience to sign up and it will be required that you have sailed several times leading up to the course. The course fee is $180 for annual members or $220 for non-annual members. Contact the Waterfront Director to sign up or if you have any questions. The course material will be our Cruise Boat Evaluation Form. Each Saturday or Sunday is its own course.
Sunday July 12th 9am-3:30pm – $180 for annual members – $220 for non-annual members
Saturday August 15th 9am-3:30pm – $180 for annual members – $220 for non-annual members (Course is Full)
Sunday September 20th 9am-3:30pm – $180 for annual members – $220 for non-annual members
As our wonderful sailing program continues to grow more volunteers are needed at the DSSA. Volunteering with the DSSA provides essential support from filling gaps in service to building social connections within our community for this non-profit 501-c3. As a DSSA annual member there is a loose requirement of 4 hours of volunteering. We are looking for individuals looking to go above and beyond this. We are so thankful for our past and current volunteers along with our amazing Instructors in Training.
Below are two attachments with volunteer subjects we need help with. All volunteers with the DSSA that would like to work with youth and sailing participants need to go through a quick interview and background check with the Waterfront Director or DSSA Board Member. If you are interested please reach out to us at any time of the year!
Pier Calendar
Use our calendar to see open sailing hours and check for pier closings due to weather or events.
- 2026 Open Sailing Starts June 8th! Week Days 2pm-8:30pm, Weeks Days during youth camp sessions 4:30pm-8:30pm. Saturdays from June 13th – August 15th 2pm-8:30pm, Saturdays from August 22nd – October 17th 10am-4:30pm.
- Open Sailing will close an hour early if no boats are on the water at that time.
- The pier will close in inclement or unsafe weather conditions. Last minute closures will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages along with being indicated on our pier calendar.