Sailing School Recommendations

[Magic_Sailor]

OK, here's a serious one.

What sailing schools along the Hampshire, Dorset coast would the Fellowship of the 'But recommend and why?

Magic

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[zephyrsailor]

see link below. cheap friendly and very good. i learnt with them and now work for them.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>http:// [url]www.yachting-school.com [/url]</font color=purple>

 

[StellaGirl]

Well I recommend Southern Sailing - John Goodes set up - OK - so alot of people say the boats arent the best you will find. But I didnt go to spend a week on a nice boat (I did my course in February too) I went to learn as much as I could....and I certainly did. Have heard good reports about the Hamble School of Yachting too...

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[Peppermint]

Southern were good enough for me. The boats work, The instructors are very good, the food is ordinary but they will let you run aground, hit a pontoon or make any other cock up you like in safety. I think you learn more from getting it wrong than from just doing the minimum sylibus.

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[Badger]

Southern have a good reputation but I would also include BOSS in the top list.They have very good instructors and the boats are not as trashed as Southern.They also do "experience" trips down to Normandy,Brittany etc for people who don'y wnat to do a course but just build offshore experience.

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[StephenW]

Have used both Southern School of Sailing and Hamble School of Yachting, both are good. Hamble were particularly good for theory and Southern for practical, particularly Coastal Skipper upwards..

Southern has older but very serviceable boats that they allow you to practice on in the true sense i.e. get it right but also make mistakes & show you how to rectify them/sort things out.



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[Spuddy]

I did a couple of sessions with Hamble. Stax of food - we couldn't eat half of it.
They'd chartered the boats in so that can be pot luck as to type but condition was fine.
Freelance instructors were good - as a teacher myself I respected their enthusiasm in putting stuff over.
My other experience of sailing schools was up on the clyde - change of view - recommended.

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[Lizzie_B]

Can second Southern for practical. We were fortunate in that we had an engine problem and ended up spending five days doing virtually everything under sail, including night entry into Yarmouth in 7 gusting 8. Having had a cracking five days they then gave us a free long weekend (3 full days) at a time chosen by us, to make up for engine troubles. While the boats may be less luxurious, I think they are perhaps more like the type of boat many of us would be likely to be buying.

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[lazyguy]

Another vote for Southern Sailing - day skipper paractical completed in Sept.

One important distinction - Southern have only four students plus instructor per boat. Most other schools have five students plus instructor.

This gives everyone about 20% more hands on time on every task, and less repetition of the basic exercises like mooring up to a pontoon.

OK, the boats are old and knackered, but they are happy for you to try things like testing the depth guage by running aground in thee Beaulieu river (deliverately). Useful lesson in what to do when you do ground as well.

Ad we gota n interesting chat with John Goode in the pub on the thursday night - this was the time that the "Storm Jib up the backstay" debate was goin on here and you may be interested to hear his opinion of some of the participants on this forum!

lazyguy

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[Rich_F]

I'd second the good food at the Hamble school of yachting. However, I was less convinced by the freelance instructors. We had three differnet instructors over the three weekend course, and they ranged from excellent (Terry Bavistock) to poor.

Of course, you can learn a lot by seeing how not to do things...

Rich

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[zefender]

I see from your profile that you're a YM. So, out of interest, what's the purpose of the question?

In my experience, Southern Sailing (actually I used J.G.'s Cornish Cruising) were very laid back and not in the slightest bit precious about the boat. But that was just as well, as it was an old heap. 4 students is the max, which is good, but on a Contessa 32, you certainly wouldn't want any more!

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[jonjo]

Re: Southern Sailing negative

My brother-in-law did a 6-day Southern Sailing School course late summer this year and was distinctly unhappy with the experience.

He booked the course after I forwarded positive YBW Scuttlebutt comments about this establishment. The instructor/pupil ratio might be good but 5 adult men in a Rival 34 is crowded by todays standards.

The Rival 34 is a go-anywhere design but apparently it is school policy not to visit France during a 1 week course, so for scooting around the Solent any modern design would do.

By the end of the week the smelly and crowded living conditions had turned the experience into something of a sentence to be endured.

What really annoyed my brother-in-law was that during the week they shared pontoon space with other Solent sea school boats where the same course fees buy better living space and superior food. SSS cuisine is truly awful I was told.

The conclusion has to be that John Gould is knowingly drawing down from the Southern Sailing school goodwill account or that the school isn’t operated proficiently.

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[Peppermint]

Re: Southern Sailing negative

It depends on your background. Sounds like typical cruising conditions to me. Never enough room, nowhere to put wet stuff, no privacy.

Sheer Luxury.

I've not been to any other sailing school though so I can't compare.



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[jonjo]

Re: Southern Sailing value for money?

I think value for money was the issue that irked the said disgruntled customer.

The no-frills SSS package should be priced accordingly.

Anyhow I seem to be in a distinct minority here, so if I can get one message across it should be that if you are looking for a holiday as much as training experience SSS is not the best option.

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[Rowana]

Your link doesn't work. There is a space after the "www"



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[rhinorhino]

Re: Southern Sailing negative

Had my best and worse courses with SS. Best a weekend introduction to sailing with a great Aussie guy who's best quote was "I don't know when I learn't to sail but when I was four I was sent off each morning in a Mirror to get my old man's paper from the next island"
Worst a DS course just before x-mas skipper didn't want to be there, didn't like women and had a chip on his shoulder about money. The last wasn't helped by a Geordie who was asked how much he earned, he said "£5,000" the instructor said how can you afford to sail on £5,000 a year to which he replied no that's a week!
Boats where in a poor shape then (four years ago) don't know about now however.

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[zephyrsailor]

does it work now?

or phone dream or two on 0800 970 7845 for a brochure.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachting-school.com>http://www.yachting-school.com</A></font color=purple>

 

[kesey]

Re: Southern Sailing value for money?

I did Coastal Skipper with SS in June, as did one of my friends. Another did Day Skipper on another SS boat. We all had a great time, learnt a lot and thought we got great value for money.

The boats were used but clean and very seaworthy..and accordingly we were allowed to try stuff in them that we would not try in our own boats in a hundred years..eg running them aground. The instructors were excellent. Ours was Steve Brand. The guy can sail and knows how to teach. His MOB work alone is a good reason to do a course.


I agree that if you are looking for a holiday there's no point in going to Southern Sailing. If you want to learn to sail and to feel that you have not wasted a week or so there's every point. It's nice to be a happy satisfied customer and the guys that we met while on the course were certainly that. Well done John Goode and team.

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[Will]

Re: Southern Sailing value for money?

Glad to hear Steve Brand is still there. I remember doing my Competent crew and Dayskipper with him when I was 15... I now sail for a living, and instruct too, probably much to his horror. But it's largely down to his easy going attitude that I do what I do full time. He sort of epitomises SS I think - a little rough round the edges but totally professional and leagues ahead of any other teaching establishment I've encountered in this country. And that's a lot of them. I have nothing but respect for the way in which John Goode teaches and runs/ran his school.

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[Rowana]

Yep!

Works fine now

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