best sailing school around the Solent?

[alant]

One question I would ask is does the fee cover marina costs. I did my Coastal Skipper with First Class and we had to pay as we went along. Not a problem for me but one of the crew was on a tight budget and struggled.

First Class instructor was very good though and even arranged with CG for us to be used for a helicopter rescue exercise.

I'd also support those who say go out of season or early season, you get a good night sail without being knackered the next day.

+1 for Hamble, best instructor I've come across. She was also the best boat handler and where she moored the boat in their marina at the end of the weekend defied belief.

+1 for Trysail. I didn't do a course just along for the ride on a Coastal Skipper/DS but was impressed with the setup and instructor and Falmouth is a nice sailing area and good break from the Solent.

Was 'she' ginger?

 

[alant]

When I was involved with the RYA system, yacht masters could teach up to Day Skipper, an instructor ticket only needed for YM prep. Is this still the case, if so I would check the level of the instructor you might get. Insist on the full ticket.

YM Prep, isn't an RYA course, so even your granny can teach it.
Might be restricted if via a school though.
DS, could be taught by a YM, then changed to Cruising Instructor etc IIRC.

 

[emsworthy]

When I was involved with the RYA system, yacht masters could teach up to Day Skipper, an instructor ticket only needed for YM prep. Is this still the case, if so I would check the level of the instructor you might get. Insist on the full ticket.

When I did my DS with Sunsail our instructor certainly wasn't "the full ticket" in more ways than one! Took us on a night sail from Solent to Weymouth in one go against wind and tide and then didn't have a clue what to do when the steering failed 5 miles out from Weymouth on the return trip.

I don't care what tickets he had, I for one wouldn't want him on my boat as crew let alone skipper it!!

 

[Twister_Ken]

I agree with Topcat in recommending Southern Sailing School.

I had a week's Day Skipper course in 1997 and it was excellent. Not a minute was wasted during the week, we covered everything in the syllabus and much more besides.

They also didn't overcrowd the boats and had a standby one in case of damage.

Southern Sailing was sold about 3 or 4 years back. No longer the same people, so don't know if the current lot have such an impeccable reputation as it used to have under John Goode.

 

[Talulah]

When I was involved with the RYA system, yacht masters could teach up to Day Skipper, an instructor ticket only needed for YM prep. Is this still the case, if so I would check the level of the instructor you might get. Insist on the full ticket.

No longer the case.
2 Levels of Instructor
Cruising Instructor (up to Day Skipper)
Yachtmaster Instructor (Up to YM Coastal)

 

[Summer Sailor]

Thanks everyone. I will pass on all the advice and recommendations.

SS

 

[SimonFa]

Was 'she' ginger?

No. Quit a tall lass who'd been with them some time. My log book is on the boat so I can't look up her name. She was a bit fed up with being a sailing instructor so I wouldn't be surprised if she had gone on to something else.

 

[fancyfootwork]

Hi everyone. Disclaimer: I work for Sailing Logic, an RYA school based in Hamble.

Generally the RYA courses are so well structured, that there is little to separate many sailing schools. I don't think there is a 'best' school - it depends on what you are looking for. (cheapest, closest to you, newest boats, etc)

But I would agree that before you book, call a few schools as on the phone you will get a really good vibe of their approach to customer service, and how that matches what you are looking for. If you are looking to invest considerable time and money (eg a fasttrack course) then try to arrange a visit to see the boats, meet the team, ideally to meet other students and hear what it is really like.

Top 5 Questions to Ask the school:
- are mooring fees included? (make sure you are comparing like-with-like on pricing)
- what food is included? (same reason - how many meals ashore will you need to pay for)
- how old is the boat?
- what is the combination of students (although most schools mix students up - you would learn more on a course of 3 day skippers & 2 Comp Crew than 5 Day Skippers)
- what back-up support is there? If the boat breaks down, are you stranded? A good school will have back-up processes.

Don't bother to ask: What is your pass-rate? A high passrate could be indicative of a good instructor, or one who has very poor standards

hope that helps you all. Happy Sailing!
Sharon

www.sailinglogic.co.uk/rya-courses/

 

[Flossdog]

No one has mentioned Hobo Yachting. Quite a few years ago I did my ICC exam with them (to get a "bit of paper" to show overseas officials) and was really impressed with Ken (the owner). It was a day long "exam" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, after 40 yrs cruising, I learnt a fair bit too! Am keen to do some astro nav (not because I need it but because I would enjoy learning how to do it and have enormous satisfaction in being proficient) and will go back to Hobo to do it.

 

[Elessar]

Was out playing with First Class Sailing (Shamrock Quay) at the weekend. Both are brand new, first sail......