Courageous Sailing Center

Courageous was established in 1987 by Boston sailing enthusiast Harry McDonough, who envisioned the sport of sailing as a means of fostering unity and life skills in children of all economic and ethnic backgrounds. Courageous has developed into a nationally recognized, year-round educational center, serving our community through lessons and memberships for adults, sailing for those with special needs, corporate teambuilding, and youth development opportunities. Our main focus remains our youth programs, which utilize sailing, the marine environment, and science education as platforms for social-emotional and academic growth. Courageous is committed to ensuring equitable access to high-quality, engaging, multi-year learning opportunities for kids throughout Boston and beyond. We serve approximately 1000 young people per year, of whom over 600 participate for free in multi-week summer or school-year programs. Approximately 2 out of 3 summer students receive need-based scholarships, with 57% paying nothing at all. Our programs reflect the diversity of Boston, with over 60% of our summer sailors identifying as youth of color. Young sailors remain involved with Courageous over the course of a decade or more, many eventually becoming paid Instructors-in-Training and instructors themselves. Years of evaluation have confirmed that Courageous programs are effective in empowering youth to strengthen leadership and other crucial 21st century skills, become confident sailors and swimmers, and—in the case of our summer academic support program, offered in partnership with Boston Public Schools—become more engaged in learning and improve academically. At Courageous, young people from all walks of life come together to build skills that will take them far beyond Boston Harbor, supported by a community of people united by the belief in the transformative power of setting sail.