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A world-class sailing venue

Discover ASC Portland

An unrivalled location

Sailing at the home of the British Sailing Team

Based at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, sailing in Portland Harbour offers the benefit of sea sailing, but in a safe and enclosed environment giving versatility to all sessions. We are lucky to have a consistent wind and great conditions for sailing all year round.

World-class facilities, the best waters in Northern Europe, extensive and high-quality kit and a fantastic team of experienced instructors. Portland has it all!

Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club

Extreme adventure awaits at ASC Portland! Join us for an actioned packed day of fun, including sailing, kayaking, MegaSUPing and more…

Adult Learn To Sail Week

Our 5-day intensive learn to sail week is the perfect option for complete beginners. We will aim to cover the RYA Level 1 and 2 syllabuses over the course of the week.

Youth Beginner Sailing Week

Learn the ropes with this fun-filled week of basic sailing for children aged 8 and above. No experience needed.

Join in with the fun

Explore our most popular activities

Whether you’re looking for beginner level courses, expert level coaching, taster sessions, birthday parties or holiday activities, we have something for everyone. Discover what ASC Portland has to offer.

Sailing

Learn to sail, progress with RYA courses and advance with race & instructor training.

Instructor Training

A wide range of RYA and British Canoeing instructor courses for a variety of sailing and watersports careers.

Taster Sessions

Try something new without commitment with our watersports & sailing tasters.

Our upcoming events

What’s on at ASC Portland

Explore our upcoming events and open days and discover ways to get involved with your local sailing and watersports community.

List of events in Photo View

Our LATEST NEWS

Explore our most recent news stories and blogs.

Practical information

Location & facilities

Based at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which was chosen to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ASC Portland offers world-class facilities and safe, reliable sailing and watersports conditions.

Centre location

Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Osprey Quay, Portland DT5 1SA

Open 7 days a week, 9am to 5pm

01305 457400

Centre facilities

Based at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which was chosen to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ASC Portland offers world-class facilities and safe, reliable sailing and watersports conditions.

Meeting & training rooms

Free wifi

Free parking

Cafeteria with sea-view terrace

Changing rooms

Toilets

Accessible facilities

Showers & lockers

Join the ASC Portland community

Community clubs and charitable programmes

Discover our range of community sailing clubs and programmes, subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation. Access the water regularly and discover your potential at ASC Portland

Sailing Club

A weekly sailing club for all levels, aimed at helping young people develop their skills and progress with their sailing.

WhenSaturdays and Wednesday evenings
WhoAges 8+ for beginners to intermediate
Price£15 per session*
HowBook online or in person

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation saving individuals at least £35 per session

Improver Sailing Club

A weekly sailing club for young people who are RYA Stage 3, or equivalent and want to progress with their sailing.

WhenEvery Saturday from 1:30pm – 4:30pm
WhoAges 8+ at RYA Stage 3 or equivalent
Price£15 per session*
HowBook online or in person

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation saving individuals at least £35 per session

Race Club

A weekly sailing club aimed at children at RYA Stage 3 or equivalent sailors, enabling them to learn and develop racing techniques.

WhenEvery other Sunday from 9:30am – 4:30pm
WhoAges 8+ at RYA Stage 3 or equivalent
Price£40 per session*
HowBook online or in person

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation. Full price for the 7 hour club is £60

Adult Sailing Club

A weekly sailing club for beginners, aimed at helping adults develop their skills and progress with their sailing.

WhenEvery Saturday from 9:30am – 12:30pm
WhoAdults Level 1 or equivalent experience
Price£15 per session*
HowBook online or in person

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation saving individuals at least £35 per session

Adult Race Club

A weekly sailing club for young people who are RYA Stage 3, or equivalent and want to progress with their sailing.

WhenEvery other Sunday from 9:30am – 4:30pm
WhoAdults at RYA Level 3 or equivalent
Price£40 per session*
HowBook online or in person

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation. Full price for the 7 hour club is £60

Volunteer Instructor Training

Volunteer Instructor Training provides an affordable way to gain qualifications and build a career in the Marine & Maritime Industry whilst giving back to the sailing community. Volunteer instructors can have a huge impact on their local communities and increase the numbers of people who are able to experience sailing for the first time or continue a pathway in their sailing career.

Ages 16+
Pricefull funding available*
HowGet in touch to book or enquire

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation.

Discover Sailing

Discover Sailing is made available to all young people, regardless of their background or ability. Our Discover Sailing sessions enable young people to access an exciting new sport and become more active individuals.

WhoAges 10+ for beginners to intermediate
Pricefrom £5 with subsidies available*
HowGet in touch to book or enquire

This course is subsidised by the Chesil Sailing Trust and Andrew Simpson Foundation.

Aiming High

Aiming High is a sailing and watersports programme which supports young people living with a learning and/or physical disability. The programme also focuses on young people’s mental health, using sailing and watersports to boost young people’s sense of self-worth and help them manage their emotions.

WhoAges 7+
Pricefrom £5 with subsidies available*
HowGet in touch to book or enquire

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation.

Young Leaders

Young Leaders provides young adults with the opportunity to attend a leadership-training programme where they learn key skills and are prepared for the Dinghy Instructor qualification.

WhoAges 14+
Pricefrom £50 per weekend*
HowGet in touch to book or enquire

This course is subsidised by the Andrew Simpson Foundation.

We’ve got something for everyone

School and youth group activity days

Our team will be happy to put together a bespoke package to meet the needs of your group. The centre can cater for group sizes of up to 120 people, taking part in a range of activities including sailing, windsurfing and paddlesports. The centre team has a wealth of experience in ensuring that activities cater to children with all levels of experience and will adapt activities to meet any additional needs.

Enquire about a group booking at ASC Portland

How we’re transforming lives

Our success stories

We work closely with groups and individuals to help them grow and succeed through learning new skills, building confidence and developing essential teamwork and leadership skills. Explore some of our success stories below.

ASC Portland welcomes Jon Egging Trust for watersports activities morning

A group of 15 young people came down to visit us at ASC Portland from Wey Valley Academy as part of a new leadership programme and took part in a morning of sailing and shore-based activities.

ASC Portland launch new sustainability programme for Schools and groups

The team at ASC Portland are offering an exciting new Sustainability Programme for schools and groups. The programme is designed to help young people gain a greater understanding of the natural world and give them the skills and knowledge to be more environmentally aware.   

Using sailing as a tool for pupil engagement with ASC Portland

ASC Portland’s Pupil Engagement Programme (PEP) uses sailing as a tool to focus on specific attributes such as; teamwork, communication, determination, confidence, creativity and independence.

Our dedicated centre team

The people that make us who we are

We pride ourselves on having the best team in the industry, from top-quality instructors to exceptional customer-service givers and experienced managers. Our seasonal instructor team can grow to over 100 over the summer. Our senior team members below are your best point of contact year-round.

Alex Porter

Operations and Regional Manager

Nathan Bloss

Centre Manager

Una Wood

Chief Instructor

Holly Jones

Community Outreach & Experience Coordinator

Speak to the team at ASC Portland

Make a general enquiry

Whether you’d like to ask about a bespoke activity, a course recommendation or anything else, our friendly centre team will be able to help. Call during normal opening hours or send a message with the form below:

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    Contact details

    ASC Portland
    Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Osprey Quay
    Portland DT5 1SA

    Our sailing community

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    You’re in safe hands

    All of our courses are led by industry-leading professionals, with experience in working with children and those with additional physical and learning needs.

    Recognised as experts

    Our centres have RYA accredited instructors and coaches, meaning you are getting the highest level of expert tuition for you and your family.

    Ethical fundraising

    We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, showing that we are committed to fundraise in a way that is legal, open, honest and respectful.

    Not sure where to go?

    If you’d rather speak to a person, get in touch with our Centres directly on +44 (0)300 124 0449 9am – 5 pm, Monday to Saturday to have a chat.