Peppermint
New member
Anybody used them????
The Southern Sailing School
- Thread starter Peppermint
- Start date
Reap
New member
I used to work for them!! What do you want to know?
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CPN
New member
I did both Day Skipper practical and Coastal Skipper shore-based courses with them.
Good classroom tuition with small class of six.
The practical course was just that. Three students to one instructor, so everyone got plenty of practice. The boat was a nice heavy Rival 34, so no worry about the odd knock when one of us made hard contact with a quay or pontoon. The boat was to be used, not nursed through a week's course
Highly recommended school.
Peter
PS I am not associated with the school in any way
Good classroom tuition with small class of six.
The practical course was just that. Three students to one instructor, so everyone got plenty of practice. The boat was a nice heavy Rival 34, so no worry about the odd knock when one of us made hard contact with a quay or pontoon. The boat was to be used, not nursed through a week's course
Highly recommended school.
Peter
PS I am not associated with the school in any way
Badger
Member
Trashed boats but really good instruction.
billmacfarlane
Active member
I used them last Autumn for a week doing Coastal Skipper Practical and ICC . The tuition was first class , the boat was well used and you could inflict the odd bash on it and nobody minded. You'll get much more tuition than the syllabus and have a great time. I'd thoroughly recommend them with one proviso - the food wasn't brilliant. Mind you I'm a bit fussy about my food !!!!!
CliveG
Well-known member
I used them for my Coastal Skipper Practical.
In late March last year.
We sailed in any weather!
Beating into Force 9/10 wind against tide up the Solent!
I would agree with other postings.
Old boats that have had a hard life, but most of the kit works.
Apart from the heater in our week! We did get cold and damp.
Great instructor - really help us to achieve the required standard.
You need to have done your homework on the theory before the course to get the best from it.
The food was not good but was a great excuse to visit the pub most evenings.
I would recommend Southern Sailing to anyone.
In late March last year.
We sailed in any weather!
Beating into Force 9/10 wind against tide up the Solent!
I would agree with other postings.
Old boats that have had a hard life, but most of the kit works.
Apart from the heater in our week! We did get cold and damp.
Great instructor - really help us to achieve the required standard.
You need to have done your homework on the theory before the course to get the best from it.
The food was not good but was a great excuse to visit the pub most evenings.
I would recommend Southern Sailing to anyone.
bigmart
New member
I did a Yachtmaster work up course with them many years ago. You would be hard pressed to find a better school.
Martin
Martin
nicho
Well-known member
Did my Day Skipper practical with them last September (5 days on board). The ratio was 4 students to one instructor (who was really good by the way). Boat was a bit of a wreck (Sadler 34), though as a consequence, the odd knock did not matter - we also learned a fair bit about boat maintenance!!
Usually ate at a pub, or when anchored, opened tins. The whole thing was very instructive, and above all fun.
Thoroughly recommended.
Usually ate at a pub, or when anchored, opened tins. The whole thing was very instructive, and above all fun.
Thoroughly recommended.
tomg
New member
My wife, an artist, did a competent crew course with them a few years ago with four others plus instructor on a UFO. Fairly 'cosy' sleeping arrangement and pretty foul weather. The instructor was a bit of a nutter and almost went over the side when trying to release a jambed sheet - none of the students could have managed the yacht or even have made a VHF call had he dunked. It frightened her so much that she has sold many paintings done off the back of her 'horrifying' experience. Great paintings, good profits, so wonderful experience. Artists sometimes need adrenelin to kick-start them into a new mode. I did all my training with them, own boat, and they were great.
stephenh
Active member
Highly recommended -
I did C/S & Y/M with Southern and then went on a Boat Handling w/e with them. By the end I could do a figure of 8 in a deep keel yacht (carter ?)
Backwards !!!
Not too sure of the use of this - is there a Boat of the Year Show Dressage competition ?
stephenh
I did C/S & Y/M with Southern and then went on a Boat Handling w/e with them. By the end I could do a figure of 8 in a deep keel yacht (carter ?)
Backwards !!!
Not too sure of the use of this - is there a Boat of the Year Show Dressage competition ?
stephenh
Luke
New member
I did my day skipper with them 15 years ago - when John Goode (of Sailing Today fame) used to run it personally - not sure if he has time nowadays. Since then I have recommended it to anyone who wants a course - and without exception everyone I know who has been there rates them way above the bigger schools. The fact that they keep the number of students down on their boats gives you more time doing and less time watching. It means less profits for them - but that seems to be secondary to maintaining their reputation.
pkb
New member
Did a yachtmaster theory five-day course with them in 1991. Great facilities and good tuition. They also have a good reputation for preparing people for the practical. They've been around a long time which probably speaks for their word of mouth reputation.
Peter
Peter
Starspinner
New member
Did yachtmaster refresher with them 5 years ago followed by the loan of the boat for the exam, excellent.
G
Guest
Guest
Don't want to be a spoilsport after all these compliments, but did hear last year from a very reliable source about a student who had a (legitimate) complaint against Southern and wanted some/all money back. They were apparently not well treated, politely or otherwise. Guess this can happen anywhere, and may well be a one-off incident.
G
Guest
Guest
I did my YM Practical prep with them and my wife did her DS practical with them as well.We both found them to be excellent.I am a RYA Shorebased Theory Instructor and I have recommended them to my students who have all come back with glowing reports of them.I have no connection with Southern Sailing whatsoever.
TheOldGaffer
New member
I've gone through from day skipper to YM (power and sail) and instructor preps with them and great every time. Tried other schools too early days, sometimes just to get some sailing in during the winter, but for the best instruction, it's Southern every time!
Dave99
Member
Can only agree with compliments- I did my day skipper practical with them last year. Boats are a bit trashed (they call them workhorses), but instruction was excellant (recommend Neil).
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wind_pilot
New member
I developed an interest in boating 4 years ago when I went on 2 canal holidays in France; Canal du Nivernais and the Brest to Nantes. On the latter I got a taste for the sea by visiting La Roche Bernard. As I had aviation nav / pilot experience, did the YM Shorebased that winter with a correspondence school (NMCS, very good) Made me realise if I wanted to really do long passages in uncertain weather, then it had to be sailing. Problem was that I had negligible experience of sailing, thought it a complete mystery, was in mid fifties and couldnt swim! NMCS recommended Southern Sailing.
I completely endorse what most contributors have said about Southern Sailing. Work horse boats (so one did not worry about them too much). Mediocre but still acceptable ship-board food. Truly inspiring instruction. My instructor was a guy from Wales called Ray (who featured in a Sailing Today boat review recently). Very experienced, had seen it all, sailed in all weathers, knew exactly how to stretch people to limits they did not know they had. His favourite phrase when it was blowing a hooley was "This is a sailing boat. Get the sails on".
That season I consolidated my inexperience by chartering a rather ropy Sigma 33 and learned the responsibility of being skipper and diesel mechanic at first hand. Two years ago I bought my own boat, a Sadler 29, based in the Solent, with which I have since been to the West Country and to Brittany. My wife and I also went with Global Challenge on a circumnavigation of Svalbard and across the Barents Sea.
The point of this overlong saga is that it is really important to go to a GOOD sailing school when starting out, particularly later in life. Southern sailing were exactly what was needed. They provided a safe and friendly environment in which to build self confidence and extend capability without worrying too much about the boat. Strongly recommended; I am going to do my Coastal Skipper with them this year.
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I completely endorse what most contributors have said about Southern Sailing. Work horse boats (so one did not worry about them too much). Mediocre but still acceptable ship-board food. Truly inspiring instruction. My instructor was a guy from Wales called Ray (who featured in a Sailing Today boat review recently). Very experienced, had seen it all, sailed in all weathers, knew exactly how to stretch people to limits they did not know they had. His favourite phrase when it was blowing a hooley was "This is a sailing boat. Get the sails on".
That season I consolidated my inexperience by chartering a rather ropy Sigma 33 and learned the responsibility of being skipper and diesel mechanic at first hand. Two years ago I bought my own boat, a Sadler 29, based in the Solent, with which I have since been to the West Country and to Brittany. My wife and I also went with Global Challenge on a circumnavigation of Svalbard and across the Barents Sea.
The point of this overlong saga is that it is really important to go to a GOOD sailing school when starting out, particularly later in life. Southern sailing were exactly what was needed. They provided a safe and friendly environment in which to build self confidence and extend capability without worrying too much about the boat. Strongly recommended; I am going to do my Coastal Skipper with them this year.
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Reap
New member
Neil is no longer with them Dave
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skipperRO
New member
I did my YM Offshore prep week with them in September 2011 and I can confirm they are still at an excellent level. Same receipt: unfancy boats but good instructors.
