rmashton
Member
I don't know if anyone else has had this problem.
My wife and myself want to buy our own boat and need to decide if we require a 'sea' option on any boat we may purchase. It's our first boat, so we're looking at between £20-40k, we will mainly cruise on the Thames, being based anywhere from Reading to Windsor (haven't decided on Marina yet), but might want a sea option for when we eventually get down onto the tidal Thames and beyond.
The problem I have is trying to get a day on a motor cruiser at sea so we can decide if this is something we would like to do. I have tried in vain with several of the 'larger' UK suppliers such as Sunseeker, Sealine and Fairline and all their sea schools fail to respond to emails, phone calls or the like. (I haven't tried the dealers directly as I don't wish to waste their time by getting a sea trial in a boat we have no intention to buy - just the affiliated sea school.)
Can anyone recommend an RYA approved school who could do meet our needs and maybe take in a 1 or 2 day course at the same time which will introduce us to motor cruising at sea? Southampton area would be OK, but being in Berkshire any 2 day course would be residential so we can travel as needed.
I'm hoping to attend the SBS with my wife, and will discuss directly the issues I have come across with some sea schools with both themselves, dealers, manufacturers and the RYA to let them know about the lack of customer satisfaction in this area.
My wife and myself want to buy our own boat and need to decide if we require a 'sea' option on any boat we may purchase. It's our first boat, so we're looking at between £20-40k, we will mainly cruise on the Thames, being based anywhere from Reading to Windsor (haven't decided on Marina yet), but might want a sea option for when we eventually get down onto the tidal Thames and beyond.
The problem I have is trying to get a day on a motor cruiser at sea so we can decide if this is something we would like to do. I have tried in vain with several of the 'larger' UK suppliers such as Sunseeker, Sealine and Fairline and all their sea schools fail to respond to emails, phone calls or the like. (I haven't tried the dealers directly as I don't wish to waste their time by getting a sea trial in a boat we have no intention to buy - just the affiliated sea school.)
Can anyone recommend an RYA approved school who could do meet our needs and maybe take in a 1 or 2 day course at the same time which will introduce us to motor cruising at sea? Southampton area would be OK, but being in Berkshire any 2 day course would be residential so we can travel as needed.
I'm hoping to attend the SBS with my wife, and will discuss directly the issues I have come across with some sea schools with both themselves, dealers, manufacturers and the RYA to let them know about the lack of customer satisfaction in this area.
