Afterguard Sailing Academy

I took the Two-​day intro sailing class on my birthday, and it turned out to be a great one. Steve and Maliq are all very patient and knowledgeable. We learned tacking, knots, safety, right of road etc, though a single day is pretty much enough for these to be taught.
It would be better if the weekend was not so hot and windy enough to actually sail

I really enjoyed my intro sailing class today. Actually I feel so excited that I am going to take two full days class as well. Maliq explained everything is a simple and easy to understand way.

It is unfortunate that I have to write this review today as I chose this sailing company on the highly positive feedback it had received from others. After trying to bring to Mary’s attention the extremely hurtful, discriminatory and unprofessional experience we had she decided to ignore my messages and now I am left with no choice but to write this as a response to their lack of customer service skills and care.
I would also like to mention that I am a perfect example of the Canadian stereotype. I am nice, helpful and want the best for every person involved in any experience. I also believe that if anything isn’t up to satisfaction that something should be said and the same respect should be treated to the other party vice versa. This was not the case in this entire ordeal.
My parents were visiting from Canada and seeing as it was not only their first time to California but also their first time learning to sail I decided to find a company that would take very good care of them. I bought a groupon for all four of us, my parents, fiancé and I for an introductory course to sailing. However when it came time to book I was informed it was only for one hour total on the boat, even though Steve on the phone had told me it was for 3 hours originally before I even bought the groupon.(the one hour was not listed on the actual groupon deal when purchasing) I figured you can’t learn much in that time, being it was my parents first experience sailing I wanted something a little more extensive for them, so asked Mary if she could upgrade us for an extra cost. After much negotiating through email and phone (especially due to Steve telling us something differently to begin with), we came to a suitable outcome of 3 hours of learning to sail and I paid the high extra $$.
We show up on the day of sailing and our boat is nowhere to be found. 30 min later and nothing. Seeing as we arrived 20 min early as recommended we got antsy. Being there was little wind that day we figured it could just be that the captain got stuck on the way over. I called Afterguard, Mary answered and said he left on time so should be there soon, would check in with Captain and get back to me. She never got back to me. Number one unprofessionalism. We just waited another 15 min and finally saw our boat arriving. Almost one hour late. We then proceeded to watch our guide for the day, make 4 attempts to dock his boat, Should have been the first indicator of our experience we were about to have.
Captain Steve doesn’t greet us at all. Doesn’t tell us if we could get on the boat nor how to get on the boat. Doesn’t tell us where to sit nor what to do. Basically he just ignored us. It was awkward and I was slightly embarrassed already as I could tell this wasn’t going to be a personable experience on Steve’s part. I could see it on my parents and fiancé’s face as well.
My dad being the kind sociable man that he is tries to make conversation with Steve and begins by stating his career as a former politician. Steve cuts him off and goes on to insult him blatantly on this. (that is the first thing out of his mouth) I see my fathers face falter but he keeps his smile on his face and continues on with his cheery conversation. Steve would continue to not only make insulting remarks about politicians but politics in general in USA and Canada throughout the trip. I was absolutely fuming and insulted at this point that my parents had to experience this rudeness.
Besides lack of social skills and customer service etiquette on our Captains part, he also did not share any history, give us any information on the sail nor did he take us anywhere spectacular in the 3 hours. In all fairness the wind wasn’t cooperating. To top it all off we didn’t learn to sail at all. I didn’t know what to do or say I kept waiting for him to take charge and teach us something. I am not sure if it was just lack of organization on Mary’s part or lack of decency and experience on Steve’s part, maybe he was having a bad day. I have no idea but if I could have given 0 stars I would have. The only thing that made it a bit worthwhile was the adorable dolphins that happened to stop by and say hello.
He then seemed to hurriedly return us to our port and even had ME keep track of the time for him to make sure we didn’t go over our 3 hours. When we get there he tried 4 times to dock the boat, I can see my fathers face starting to get frustrated because he knows that Steve wasn’t overcompensating for the wind which is a basic rookie move. Not only that we were all seriously wound up from the bad experience and couldn’t wait to get off of the boat. A kind gentlemen who was docking his own boat over nearby ran over to help and guide Steve so he could get into the dock.
When I kindly explained what had happened to Mary she told me that Steve had said all the opposite of me. Basically he lied to her to save his ass. Being he is her husband and what we experienced I didn’t expect any less.

i stumbled upon afterguard sailing academy on groupon. they were offering 2 day sailing lessons and i thought to myself ‘that sounds cool– why not?’
day 1 started off at 9am with an instructor-​in-​training teaching us how to tie 4 different knots. then we threw on some sunscreen and headed out to the docks with our life jackets. there we spent another hour and half learning all the parts of the keelboat and what we need to do before we sail off. the co-​owner of afterguard, steve jumped into our boat and once we left the harbor, we started getting our hands dirty right away– tacking and jibbing until 4pm. who knew sailing could be such hard work!
the next day, it was just me, another student and steve on the keelboat. our instuctor-​in-​training was teaching on another boat. at first it was intimidating because we had to remember everything we learned from the day before and apply it on day 2. i liked it though because it really enforces what you learned on day 1. (you will be surprised how much you learn from just one day of sailing!) whenever we had questions, steve was more than happy to help us. because we got our feet wet the day before, we made it out on the sf bay much earlier at around 10:15am. as we tacked our way around the bay, steve would quiz us on water traffic, different parts of the keelboat and etc to help prepare us for the optional test we would take once we get back to the harbour.
once you pass that test, you can brag to all your friends that you are a competent crew member. how cool is that?! i had such a good time that i am already planning on coming back here to get my asa 101 certification :)

Very happy I joined the club. Took several lessons as well (bareboat chartering, navigation and more to come). Everyone is awesome. Great place to charter boats from and to be a part of a club. Highly recommend. Thank you Captain Mary.

Had a great time learning to sail a keelboat in two day-​long sessions. You learn a ton and definitely feel like you could captain /​work a sailboat in an emergency if need be. If you pass your test at the end you are certified as a Competent Crew Member and can rent or work on sailboats. Mary and Steve are true sailors and experts and kind as can be.

Mary and Kevin, thank you for an amazing day out sailing the sf bay! as a native, i’ve never had the pleasure of seeing the natural beauty of our area and learning about its history so uniquely! the wine tasting was great as well. i’ll definitely be back for sailing classes, and i wish you continued success! you offer an amazing service to the community, with your outreach programs and also, of somewhat equal importance, making birthdays absolutely incredible and memorable.
thank you!

Vee and I spent an unforgettable birthday sailing with Mary and Kevin of Afterguard. The first time that I spoke with Mary I felt completely at ease. She was very accommodating and helped me schedule a time that worked around our dinner plans. Kevin and Mary picked us up on time and we began our tour of the bay. I have lived in San Francisco all my life and never learned as much about the history of the bay until that day. The experience exceeded our expectations. I will gladly use their services again in the future. I wish the best for Mary and Afterguard.

I was out with Captain Mary and two others for an evening sail last night. Mary and I where taking down the sail while someone else was at the helm. We all felt the boat shutter and we realized we had run aground on a sunken boat. The tide was sinking and there was a real chance the hull of the sunken boat would pierce our boat causing significant damage.
Mary did a really great job of not blaming the person at the helm. She took responsibility for not warning him ahead of time (though he is very experienced sailor) and told him it wasn’t his fault. She also handled the situation well directing us to use and anchor to Kedge the boat of the wreck. We all kept calm and eventually got the boat free.
Many other captains would have blown up at someone who ran aground near clear markers. It actually turned out to be a great lesson for everyone involved.

Mary Swift runs a great sailing school. I bought lessons for my sons-​in-​law and they felt like they learned a lot. The lessons are thorough, but totally personalized. If you want to learn how to sail. Afterguard should be your first choice.

Our sailing experience on the Sunset Champagne Sail was perfect. The captain, Rory, and first mate, Yuri, went out of their way to make sure that we were able to relax, see the beautiful scenery of the City and experience the sunset from the perfect vantage point, having the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of all of our sunset shots. They were very easy to talk to and were happy to share their sailing knowledge with us. I would definitely do it again. Mary also did a great job of keeping in touch with us and went out of her way to ensure that we got the most out of our sailing experience.

I have been sailing with my husband and friends for about 10 years. I tried to take a class from another school. The first day out was miserable. I was teamed up with 2 young women, and all the focus was on them. I just didn’t want to do it again The second day I said ouch when I twisted my knee a little and I was told I could not continue the class.
I met Mary at the Strictly Sailing event in Jack London. She spent about an hour talking to me. So, I signed up for the basic class. Mary teamed me up with another woman who was similar to me in skill and personality. It was great. It was the best thing I could have done to bring my confidence up and to build skills. I was so excited when I was able to take the helm and maneuver the boat by myself. It was the best 2 days I have spent in a long time. Steve is a great instructor. If you have ever even thought about sailing I highly recommend this school. They are professional, knowledgeable, and know how to teach. I am so excited that I am signing up for the next class as well.

Bought this sailing trip through Groupon. It included wine tasting at The Winery SF after the sail, which was a nice way to end the day.
Mary led our sail and was a wealth of information about sailing and San Francisco history. She is professional, knowledgeable, and good at managing group dynamics.
We helped sail the boat, which was an unexpected thrill. Also, Mary took us close enough to some of the America’s cup competitor rigs to get fantastic photos as they practiced in the Bay.
This company does a lot of nonprofit work with local kids, so I am especially happy to support it.
I will definitely return for more sails with Afterguard.

I haven’t been sailing since November and was feeling the need to be back on the water!
We went from calm seas to 30 mph winds after crossing under the bridge!
The SF Bay changes on a dime… always expect the unexpected! :)
What a great little adventure!
Afterguard is a very professional and service conscious Sailing Academy!
They ensure your experience is an enjoyable one!
The RedBull Race Boat zooming past was an added bonus!
I was in safe hands with Rory and Dan, Coast Guard Certified!
Thank you for a wonderful day on the Bay! I will be back!

On a whim, I bought a Living Social deal for a basic sailing class with Afterguard. I really had no idea what to expect, but after two days of learning the ropes with Dan, I was hooked. I took the ASA 101 course with Steve this past weekend, and am trying to juggle my schedule to take 103 with Mary later this month.
Everyone at Afterguard has been amazing. I like the laid back atmosphere and never once felt like I was looked down on or out of place because I was a newbie. Everyone was very patient with me and they are SO knowledgeable, I just tried to soak up as much info from everyone as I could and I had a blast doing it.
The location is great, too, just off 880 makes it easy to get to and because it is on the South Bay it is usually a little warmer and not quite as windy, making it perfect to practice in.
If you have any interest in learning to sail at any level, or just learning about sailing in general, I highly recommend Afterguard!

Travelzoo had a sailing + wine tasting deal several months ago, so I pitched the idea to my mom and sister for some fun bonding time (most of our fun bonding time involves alcohol).
We arrived at 8:45, were on the boat by 9:00, and our trip was just about 3 hours. The captain and co-​captain (David and Mike, I think) were friendly and knowledgeable. David pointed out wildlife (we passed a beach full hundreds of seals, and I think there was a dolphin somewhere) and gave us some history about the area and some info about the the new span of the Bay Bridge. Of course it was freezing, but we wore our layers and they had hot tea and blankets for us and navigated us to Tiburon, the only sunny area in the entire bay. The three of us spent the majority of the trip sitting on the front of the catamaran, quickly lifting our feet every time we hit a bigger wave, but it was a pretty smooth trip. Smooth sailing, if you will. We had a great time!

If you want to learn to sail, the Afterguard Sailing Academy is where you should go. Mary is a skilled sailor, a patient teacher, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the local waters in the San Francisco Bay area. No wonder why ASA selected Cpt Mary one of four top sailing educators in the USA to co-​author 2 of their textbooks.
I like to give credit where credit is due. Overall, an excellent experience. Plus, you can’t find a less expensive way to go sailing on the bay.

Mary and Steve are fantastic sailors and teachers. They want you to learn and the whole experience is memorable and fun. And after you earn your certificate, you have a very good way to practice skill on the Wednesday night sails.

I had a great experience learning from Mary. She is detail oriented, but helps make you feel relaxed and can adapt well to different learning styles.
I have recommended her to several of my friends and will continue to recommend her.
Another bonus: The Wednesday night sails in the estuary… a great way to either get introduced to sailing or to practice up on your skills at a very affordable rate.