About Us
About Atlantic Yachting
Atlantic Yachting is a boutique, family-run sailing company and Manhattan’s oldest sailing school. Since its inception in 2006, Atlantic Yachting has grown to become Manhattan’s premier sailing provider, offering everything from Private Sailboat Charters, to Group and Private Sailing Lessons for adults, and New York City’s first Summer Sailing Programs for kids.
We believe it is our hospitality and our true desire to provide an outstanding, authentic sailing experience to every client that has earned us glowing reviews, numerous return customers, and exceptional press.
Amber Crabb
Performance Sailing Instructor
Amber learned to sail as an adult on her college sailing team in Bellingham, Washington and quickly fell in love with racing small dinghies.
After securing her US Sailing certification to teach, she began instructing at her local nonprofit boating center where she learned how cool and fast J24s are! Four years, a degree in Environmental Policy, and hundreds of sailing students later, Amber decided to move to New York for a change of scenery, pace, and community.
While racing sailboats hooked her, Amber is deeply passionate about sharing the healing and therapeutic benefits of sailing with anybody interested. Like all of our instructors, Amber is an instrumental part of Atlantic Yachting culture and we’re thrilled have kept her aboard for so many seasons!
Eric Emerick
Fleet Manager, Charter Captain, & Instructor
Eric Emerick began sailing at age 12 on a lake in Northern Indiana. When not working on the family farm or playing soccer, he spent most Saturdays each summer competing as the youngest skipper in the local fleet, often teaching friends and family members the basics of sailing in exchange for their assistance as crew. First majoring in Engineering at Purdue University, he drastically changed tack, ultimately graduating with a Theatre Acting degree and a certificate in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. His pursuit of further training in acting technique at the Maggie Flanigan Studio brought him to New York. Nicknamed ‘The Hudson River Cowboy’ often donning his signature cowboy hat and trademark Midwestern charm, he’s been sharing his passion for the art and science of sailing with Atlantic Yachting since 2018.
Andrew Fontein
Instructor
Growing up, Andrew spent his summers sailing dinghies, catamarans and day sailors on the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, Canada. At Amherst College, he joined the sailing club, gaining his first exposure to racing.
After college, Andrew survived a long career in finance, having spent 10 years in New York, 12 years in Tokyo, and finally 8 years in London. But alas, not enough time sailing!
Since retiring and returning stateside, Andrew has been making up for lost time on the water, enjoying day sailing and racing in New York Harbor. He is looking forward to teaching (and learning!) in the fun and safe environment at Atlantic Yachting. Andrew holds an ASA Keelboat Sailing Instructor Certificate. In addition, he holds the title of “Head of BS,“ aka babysitting his 3 young grandkids, whom he is actively recruiting for his crew.
Paloma Guzman
Office Manager
Paloma is thrilled to be on the Atlantic Yachting team on the administrative side. An East Coaster almost all her life, she’s always loved being by the water and on the water (provided she’s taken her Dramamine!) When she isn’t handling calls and emails you can find her in Central Park with her family- playing soccer with her son, helping her daughter across the monkey bars, and generally enjoying the chaos of raising kids in the city. She’s looking forward to introducing them to sailing once they’re old enough…provided everyone has taken their Dramamine.
Jonathan Horvath
Director
Jonathan learned to sail in a small lake at a summer program when he was twelve years old. He fell in love with the sport, and ten years later he was running the program. The same thing happened here in NYC.
He started with Atlantic Yachting in 2009, and since then he has done basically everything: he’s led our Summer Youth Sailing Program, he’s presided over more than 100 marriage proposals as mate and captain on our private sailboat charters, and he’s taught countless group and private lessons, helping to get scores of new sailors out on the water.
Before joining Atlantic Yachting, he spent ten years teaching sailing in Rhode Island, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and his home state of Florida.
Henry Lane
Instructor
Henry joined Atlantic Yachting in 2019 as a camper and worked his way up to Counselor-in-Training (CIT) and then Youth Instructor. Henry has developed a strong passion for sailing and is eager to educate the next group of Atlantic Yachting campers.
Henry is a native New Yorker and recently graduated from the Collegiate School on the Upper West Side. At Collegiate, he was the Science Olympiad team captain and a mentor and student leader of the Lower School Science Olympiad. Henry is also a dedicated volunteer at the US Coast Guard Cutter Lilac Preservation Project—right across from our marina on Pier 25! Henry is an American Sailing Association (ASA) certified Small Keelboat Instructor. He’s also a graduate of Atlantic Yachting’s ASA Basic Keelboat (ASA 101) and Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) courses. As if that weren’t enough, he also holds a US Sailing Level 1 Instructor certification.
Ben Luu
Instructor
Ben grew up sailing 420s in high school on Lake Michigan in Chicago, IL. It quickly became his favorite extracurricular, eventually becoming captain of his high school team and competing at two high school national events.
Ben joined the Husky Sailing Team at the University of Washington his freshman year, competing in college sailing events all along the Pacific coast. He transferred to Boston University sophomore year and joined the BU sailing team, competing in events all over New England, including the 2024 College Sailing Nationals. He has taught youth and adult keelboat programs for three years in three states, as well as having coached local JV High School teams in Chicago.
He is a rising junior, studying mechanical engineering at Boston University, and has dabbled in political science and economics in the past. Outside of school, Ben enjoys biking in Central Park, meeting new people, learning new skills, and exploring new places.
Kai Nizhner
Youth Programs Director
Kai has been with Atlantic Yachting since 2019, and progressed from camper to Counselor-in-Training (CIT) and then Assistant Youth Instructor over his time here. He learned how to sail on the Hudson and, although he enjoys expanding his sailing horizons beyond the waters of New York, whenever he is out on the Hudson, it feels like home.
Kai is a native New Yorker. In high school, he was the founder of his school’s sailing club and racing team. Now, he is entering his sophomore year at Cornell University, where he is part of an engineering team that designs and builds an autonomous robotic sailboat every year!
Kai is an ASA certified Small Keelboat Instructor. He is also certified in ASA 101 Basic Keelboat (with Atlantic Yachting!) as well as ASA 103.
Dave Polakoff
Charter Captain & Head Instructor
Dave has been sailing the Hudson River and the waters surrounding New York City for more than 30 years. He is known for sharing not only practical sailing skills, but also his deep enthusiasm for the region’s maritime culture and its history.
In addition to his work at the helm, Dave is a licensed New York City Sightseeing Guide, bringing local knowledge and storytelling into every sail—especially Atlantic Yachting’s Guided Sightseeing Charters.
Beyond New York Harbor, Dave has logged extensive sailing time on the Chesapeake Bay and in the British Virgin Islands. He holds American Sailing certifications through Coastal Navigation, along with Basic Keelboat, Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, and Catamaran Instructor credentials, and is also licensed by the United States Coast Guard. His sailing articles have been published by American Sailing and Latitudes & Attitudes.
If you are unable to sail with Dave, you can still experience his adventures through his camera lens via his Instagram and online photo store.
Dave was the drummer for the rock and roll cover band, “Otto,” and would have driven the band boat, if they had one.
Dave is a graduate of Lehigh University.
Perry Schaffner
Youth Instructor
Perry grew up on her family’s water ski boat in the Lake Tahoe area before she caught the sailing bug. After a flotilla trip in Greece with friends in 2022, she knew sailing was her next passion and immediately began learning to sail in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Since then she has combined her loves of travel and sailing to sail in some spectacular places around the world.
In the winter season she coaches alpine ski racing in the western half of the country. She is excited to combine teaching kids with all of her sailing experience.
Zoë Tomlinson
Instructor
Zoë has been with Atlantic Yachting since 2013, where she went from camper, to Counselor-in-Training (CIT), to Counselor over her 10 years here.
After graduating high school at the Convent of Sacred Heart, Zoë began her undergraduate experience at Colorado College as part of the class of 2025. Although still undecided regarding her academic pursuits, she is excited to find out while playing for Colorado’s basketball and lacrosse teams.
Siena Vega
Assistant Youth Instructor
Siena has been sailing with Atlantic Yachting for 8 years. Over that time she has gained hundreds of hours of knowledge about sailing and navigation. Recently Siena gained her ASA 101 certification and she can’t wait to continue working on additional advanced certifications. Siena loves teaching and learning the personalities of the campers, her favorite parts about camp is giving out the awards and seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces, and helping them practice new skills on and off the boats.
Sophie Zinberg
Instructor
Sophie grew up learning to sail with Atlantic Yachting, and she has been an avid seagoer ever since. From racing C420s with the University of Chicago sailing team on Lake Michigan to crewing 45-foot catamarans in the Virgin Islands and New England, Sophie has experienced a wide range of sailing adventures, but her favorite remains teaching on Atlantic Yachting’s J24s.
A graduate of the University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience, Sophie is now excited to channel her scientific background into a legal career. Her experiences teaching young people to sail have inspired her to pursue juvenile justice, focusing on integrating neuroscience research and developmental psychology into juvenile courtrooms.
When she’s not on the water, Sophie enjoys learning new languages, baking delicious treats [Editor’s note: we can attest to this—they are indeed delicious.] and developing her photographv skills.
Charlotte Urquhart
Youth Instructor
Charlotte grew up sailing on her parents’ Cape Dory 28 in Belfast, Maine. After moving to Georgia, she started racing 420s after school and quickly learned to love the sport. She then continued her 420 racing at boarding school in Connecticut and at the University of Chicago, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Economics. She has taught sailing on both Hobie Cat 16s in Georgia and Optimists in Maine. During the past few summers, she’s been racing International One Designs in Mount Desert Island, Maine. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Management at the Booth School of Business and hopes to take a gap year after graduating. In addition to sailing, she also loves to ski, write, develop her film photography skills, travel, play squash and tennis, and bike around the city. She is excited to be part of the Atlantic Yachting team this summer as a Youth Instructor.
Elena Bach
Charter Mate
Elena grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, where she spent her childhood sailing and boating on the Chesapeake Bay. Since then, she’s taken every opportunity to expand that passion—sailing through the Bahamas, exploring new coastlines, and even transiting the Panama Canal, which remains her favorite adventure.
She is closely connected to the Annapolis sailing community and has been involved with the Annapolis Sailboat Show, as well as helping launch the Cruisers Creating Content Foundation, which supports sailing travel vloggers around the world. Through this work, she has assisted on charters in the Bahamas and continues to seek out opportunities to learn, explore, and grow within the sailing world.
When she’s not on the water, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, finding her way to live music and a dance floor, or channeling her creativity into making clothing and jewelry. She’s excited to be part of the crew this season and looks forward to sharing her passion for sailing with others.
Sean Julien
Assistant Youth Instructor
Sean has been at Atlantic Yachting for 4 years. Starting as a young camper he fell in love with sailing and the wonderful camp where he learned. He loves to meet new campers and work hard to make sure every single one gets the same experience he did. Sean is a certified lifeguard, water safety instructor, and absolutely loves the water—even the Hudson. He can’t wait to continue to teach and learn as he continues his journey on the water.
Joshua Mccullah
Youth instructor/Charter Mate
Josh first fell in love with sailing in Jamaica Bay in NYC in a little Sunfish sailing boat. Much later in my life he ended up cruising around the Caribbean doing several passages from Columbia to the Bahamas. Most recently Josh has crewed on a charter boat sailing between the San Blas Islands in Panama and Cartagena, Colombia. Josh is very passionate about the sport of sailing and is stoked to share that with the AY community far and wide!
Jenny Wang
Assistant Youth Instructor
Jenny has been at AY as a camper and CIT for 7 years, and is a rising senior at The Dalton School. She loves anything related to marine science, especially being on the water and teaching kids about sailing, wildlife, NYC’s environment, and more! Recently she attended a semester abroad program in Eleuthera, Bahamas, as she loves to travel as well. Outside of school, Jenny is passionate about karate, skiing, reading, and piano.
Perrine Louvet
Youth Instructor
Perrine’s sailing story began on Hobie Cats along the coast of Brittany and has since taken her all over the world from refitting a catamaran in New Zealand, to ocean crossings, East Coast deliveries, Virgin Islands sailing, and Atlantic Ocean miles. She’s logged over 12,000 nautical miles, worked as a private captain in the Caribbean, and is just starting a new position as first mate on a 50ft performance catamaran that will be running sail training and adventure trips in New England throughout the summer. Before discovering her passion for sailing, Perrine got a neuroscience degree in Scotland- she continues to carry her fascination for health and fitness both on and off the water.
Mimi Johnston
Youth Instructor
Mimi grew up in North Carolina, where she first fell in love with sailing at a coastal summer camp. Now, she has worked on and around boats for the past 8 years. She started off as a sailing instructor at the same summer camp, and eventually moved to Wilmington, NC, where she continued to teach.
Mimi earned a degree in marine technology, where throughout the course she accumulated hundreds of days of sea time, and also learned about sea life and ocean patterns. Her floating classrooms included two different research vessels, and her work included a wide range of sailboats. Now, she works as delivery crew part time, and moonlights as a ski instructor in the winters. She is so excited to get on the water again and share the joy of sailing!
MEET OUR FLEET
J/24 - Youth Programs, Group & Private Instruction
Our J/24’s are outstanding educational sailboats. The J/24 has become the world’s most popular keelboat and is renowned for its excellent handling and fine feel for the wind and water.
The J/24 was designed to fulfill the diverse needs of recreational sailors such as cruising, one-design racing, daysailing and handicap racing. It is the perfect boat for youth sailors because it provides the feel and handling of a small boat, with the stability and safety of a larger, non-capsizing boat.
MEET OUR FLEET
J/80 - Group & Private Instruction
The newest addition to our sail training fleet, the J/80 is a sleek, modern racer and day sailor with clean lines and a lot of power. You’ll love the spacious cockpit, large sail area and effortless boat speed, even in light wind.
Even in heavier wind, the boat retains impressive stability and handles its power with ease. But with great power comes great responsibility, so we recommend the J/80 for our intermediate-to-advanced students.
MEET OUR FLEET
Beneteau Oceanis - Charter Yacht
Vitamin Sea is a Beneteau Oceanis—a modern sailboat with all the amenities. Relax and stretch out in the spacious cockpit, complete with above-deck table stocked with your favorites treats by our attentive crew, or make your way up to the bow for breathtaking views of the NYC skyline and the Statue of Liberty—all while streaming your own custom playlist to our Bluetooth sound system.
Too much sun or a little bit of rain? No problem! Vitamin Sea’s canvas Bimini shade will keep you cool and dry, but there’s plenty of space to catch some rays too. While you’re relaxing topside, the Beneteau Oceanis’ fast, stable design is working hard below the waterline to get you to all the best spots quickly and safely.
A Word About Safety
Our entire fleet is optimized to keep things safe and fun for both and novice and advanced sailors. With full wraparound lifelines (cable railings around a boat) and a heavy lead keel, the risk of ending up in the water is very, very slim. All our vessels have reefing mainsails and multiple foresail options.
What does this mean? It means that we are able to “de-power” the sails depending on wind speeds, making for a safe, comfortable experience.