A crew racing a J/105 on the Chesapeake Bay, every person working.

Opening Doors to
Sailing and Opportunity

Sailing education for youth and adults, from a first sail to real skills and life-changing opportunities.

Support the mission Apply to sail

What we do

Sailing education and opportunity, for people who never had a way in.

Impact Sailing Foundation exists to support and fund sailing education — for young people and adults without the money, a boat, a club, or the connections to begin; communities historically kept out of the sport; and people for whom disability or hardship has put the water out of reach.

We support sailing education through charitable programs, partnerships, and funding designed to help people learn, develop, and advance.

Access

First sails, equipment, transportation, and entry into sailing for people who otherwise couldn’t participate.

Development

Training, events, offshore experience, certifications, and education that help sailors progress and build skill.

Pathways

Connecting people with programs, mentors, boats, employers, and opportunities that help them go further.

Why it matters

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.

Sailing asks something of you — handling sail in a breeze, fixing what breaks, making decisions with a crew depending on you. That is where confidence, skill, and leadership come from. But too often, the chance to learn and advance depends on access to boats, coaching, and the right connections.

No boat.
No club.
No money.
No connection.
Aerial view of Annapolis harbor at sunset.

One of the great sailing harbors in the world. And for many people, no way onto it. Annapolis, Maryland

Impact Sailing Academy

Our premier funded program.

Sailing education for youth and adults, free to eligible participants — from a first lesson to offshore, credentials, and careers.

A sailor at sunset on a small race boat
Accepting applications

Keelboat & Offshore

A coached pathway from a first sail to offshore crew, with real responsibility at every step. Youth and adults, Annapolis & Baltimore, year-round.

Explore the program →Apply to sail

Other programs

Hands-on Marine Skills →

STEM you can put your hands on, with a line to marine careers.

Classes, Credentials & Licensing →

Courses and credentials that open doors.

Impact Sailing Days →

First sails and supportive days for people facing hardship.

Adaptive & Accessibility →

Sailing adapted to each participant.

Athlete Scholarships →

Support for sailors who can’t afford to train and compete.

See all programs

Where sailing can lead

We open the door. They decide where it leads.

  1. 1First sail
  2. 2Learn the boat
  3. 3Crew
  4. 4Events
  5. 5Offshore
  6. 6Skills & credentials
  7. 7Careers & opportunity
  • A teenager who has never sailed becomes a college sailor.
  • A new crew member learns navigation, diesel systems, and offshore safety — and finds paid work on the water.

A pathway from a first sail to wherever sailing can lead.

Crew on the rail of a keelboat under sail.
Where it can lead: college sailing, and everything past it.

From the founder

Why this exists.

I didn’t grow up sailing. No family boat, no club, nobody in the sport. Then I walked past a table, wrote my name on a list, and two weeks later I was on a race boat. That one connection led to the College of Charleston offshore team, an Annapolis-to-Newport win, a Coast Guard captain’s license, and a life built around the water.

The opportunity was always there. The pathway was hidden.

Since 2023, Shane has connected more than 40 sailors to racing at no cost to them. Impact was created to expand those opportunities and build lasting pathways.

Captain Shane Kilberg — USCG 100-Ton Master, College of Charleston offshore team, Annapolis-to-Newport winner.

Shane Kilberg on the College of Charleston sailing team.
Shane Kilberg, College of Charleston sailing team.
Sailors aboard a boat at the dock at sunset in Annapolis.

After a race, Annapolis.

Get involved

Get involved.

Apply to sail →

Youth and adults. Free to eligible participants. Applications are for the Academy’s Keelboat & Offshore program; places open as funding allows.

 Volunteer or offer a boat →

Coaches, crew, boats, and time.

 Partner or sponsor →

Clubs, programs, schools, and businesses.

 Request support →

Entry fees, gear, a course, a ride to the boat. Grants open after 501(c)(3) approval, as funding allows and with board approval. Tell us what you’re looking for now.

Tell us what opportunity you’re looking for.

Support the mission

Help build the pathway.

Your support helps make sailing education possible — instructors, boat access, coached sessions, safety equipment, and funded places for eligible participants.

Donate Discuss a larger gift
Today: Impact Sailing Academy — Keelboat & Offshore

Sailing education and training for youth and adults, free to eligible participants, with priority for people without access to the sport — from first keelboat sessions to distance and offshore training.

Next, after the Foundation’s 501(c)(3) approval

Certifications and licenses, grants to community sailing programs, and advanced scholarships. We report not only what we spent, but what happened because of it.

Impact Sailing Foundation is a Maryland nonprofit corporation, incorporated in September 2026, that plans to apply for 501(c)(3) recognition. Until that approval, every gift is received by Spectrum Sailing, a 501(c)(3) that runs free sailing camps for autistic kids and adults — our charitable home and a cause we support — and designated for the Academy’s Keelboat & Offshore program (held at Spectrum as the restricted fund named Crew Connect Racing, the name on your receipt). Spectrum holds and controls all program funds. Best Boating Annapolis, a company owned by founder Shane Kilberg, is the program’s operator under the sponsorship agreement and is paid only under a services agreement approved by Spectrum’s disinterested board, with the founder recused; other qualified providers may be engaged as the program grows. The program is expected to transfer to Impact once Impact is approved, or otherwise to another 501(c)(3) with a similar purpose. The founding board is forming now. Checks, employer matching, and larger-gift details are on the donate page.

Charitable home & causes we support

Spectrum Sailing
Spectrum Sailing

Our charitable home until the Foundation’s own 501(c)(3) is approved, and a cause we support: free sailing camps for autistic kids and adults. spectrumsailing.org

Hospice Cup
Hospice Cup

The Chesapeake regatta that has raised millions for hospice care. Sailors from our community race under its flag. hospicecup.org

Open the door.

You don’t have to know where the pathway leads. You just have to help someone get on it.

Support the mission Partner or volunteer