The St. Augustine Yacht Club (SAYC) will dedicate the Stanley and Catherine Paris Sailing Center, located at 110 E. Carver St., at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. The ceremony will celebrate and recognize the success of its youth sailing program that serves hundreds of youth annually and has reached more than 3,000 young people since 2012.
The new facility stands next to SAYC on the Salt Run lagoon behind the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The building includes instructional spaces, offices, storage, ADA-compliant restrooms and showers, an observation deck and an operational pier with a floating dock for safe water access.
Drs. Stanley and Catherine Paris donated the property on which the facility sits to help meet the growing needs of the SAYC sailing programs and provide ample space for future opportunities for expansion.
The Sailing Center grew from SAYC’s sailing program, founded by the late Wendy Thomson, and is now a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It operates year-round, offering youth and adult instruction, home-school and after-school programs, racing opportunities and community outreach. All programs are open to the public; SAYC membership is not required.
U.S. Sailing Association, the national governing body for sailing in the United States, recognized the SAYC Sailing Center program as the nation’s Most Outstanding Community Sailing Program in 2025 for its leadership and commitment to expanding public access to sailing. The association serves more than 15,000 clubs and sailing centers nationwide.
The realization of the Sailing Center facility is the result of a decade of dedication from SAYC members, Sailing Director Marissa Burrier and numerous donors, volunteers, families and young sailors across St. Augustine and North Florida.
Burrier said, “This facility is much more than a new home for sailing. It is a launch pad for the next generation of sailors, leaders and competitors. It represents the beginning of an exciting new era of sailing in St. Augustine.”
SAYC Commodore Jan Spencer added, “We are so proud of our new facility that really gives our kids and our programs a place they can call home. It elevates the quality of the programming and the educational experience, and it positions us to connect more people with sailing. It guarantees that we will remain a vital community resource for years to come.”
