... to New England Science & Sailing (NESS)

We teach sailing, marine science and adventure water sports to students from ages 4 to adult. NESS makes getting on the water incredibly easy and affordable offering a wide range of courses in marine sciences, sailing, windsurfing, and adventure sports like kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, fishing, and surfing to children and adults. Our extensive curriculum (over 150 courses) and incredibly dedicated staff make NESS a fantastic place to learn and have fun. Our scholarship program helps make our programs accessible to all. From the first moment the students interact with our staff, they feel at ease and confident that our talented teachers will help them reach their goals. We invite you to extend your online visit to our campus at 70 Water Street in Stonington Borough, where you can meet our instructors, tour our facilities, and perhaps ... get you out on the water to learn, have fun while gaining a greater appreciation of our marine environment We recommend you bookmark this page, and re-visit us often, as this site is updated regularly.

Marine Science

Each week will have a fun and adventurous theme, while investigating the wonders of our New England marine life. Classes incorporate age-based field studies, lab experiments, hands-on-learning and engaging activities focused on environmental and ocean awareness. Each year we design new program themes to ensure that our students are engaged, continually learning and having fun! All of our instructors have a degree in the marine science field or have a strong background in science and outdoor education. Our hands-on activities bring life experiences to the classroom and students out into the natural environment around them.

Kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Surfing

NESS Adventure Sports classes offer a variety of week-long water activities. Our programs promote learning, exercise, and teamwork through outdoor, interactive fun. Programs offered include our extremely popular surfing programs, kayaking and snorkel classes, adventure fishing and combinations of water sports wrapped into one! Fishers Island Sound, with all of its islands, inlets and coves, is the perfect place for anglers to fish, paddlers to explore and surfers to find a clean little break. Students are guided through the program by our fully trained, certified and experienced staff members. The adaptability of weekly programs allows for students of different skill levels to be equally challenged and engaged through a variety of new experiences.

Sailing, Racing - Opti, 420, O'pen BIC, JY15, Laser, BIC Windsurfer, Ideal 18 keelboats

Join in the fun of sailing! The skills and great memories will last a lifetime. For some classes no experience is necessary, others build on existing skills. Our sailing program provides a supportive environment where youth sailors of all ages and abilities can improve their sailing skills, while learning respect for their fellow sailors, boats, and the water – while having fun. All the instructors on our team are either US Sailing Level 1 (Instructor) or Level 2 (Coach) certified. And our windsurfing instructors are also US Sailing trained and certified in windsurfing. NESS is one of only 13 community sailing programs in the country that are certified by US Sailing.
Classes are able to take advantage of NESS’s unique and extensive fleet of Optimists, Optimist trainers, Club 420s (main, jib, spinnaker and trapeze) O’pen BIC dinghies, JY15s, Lasers, BIC windsurfers and Ideal 18 Keel boats.
We offer classes on a variety of schedules to fit many needs. Take a core course for 4 weeks or choose a weekly class!

Why NESS?

NESS’s programs integrate adventure education, STEM education, environmental stewardship, and inclusiveness for a powerful, fun learning experience.  NESS is large enough to have the scale to offer a diverse range of classes, yet NESS’s low student to instructor ratio (6:1 for most classes) means students truly become part of the NESS family.  What could be more fun than being on (or in!) the water, learning new skills, surrounded by friends old and new, and guided by knowledgeable, dedicated staff?