Sail Trimming & Spinnaker Weekend
Send the weekend getting to grips with flying a spinnaker and learn how to trim those sails to perfection!
Send the weekend getting to grips with flying a spinnaker and learn how to trim those sails to perfection!
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A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
Already at Day Skipper level and keen to progress to longer passages? Then this intensive practical and theory based course is ideal for you, whether you're training for fun or hoping to work in the sailing industry.
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Essential theory for all Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore students
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Send the weekend getting to grips with flying a spinnaker and learn how to trim those sails to perfection!
Join us for this fantastic five day RYA Day Skipper course split over two weekends - and only lose one day out of the office!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this fantastic two day weekend - and discover why we think sailing is one of the most fun activities around!
Take a step up from shorter day sails by completing your Coastal Skipper with us and enjoy passages further afield!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
Women's Open Keelboat Championship (dates tbc)
Join us for a day of practicing close quarter manoeuvring skills. We'll practice the best techniques for manoeuvring under engine, look at what you can do to extricate yourself from tricky situations, and help you gain confidence at the helm like you've been doing it for years! There will be plenty of time to practice and ask questions. We like to mix the levels of experience and your RYA qualified skipper will be on hand to coach you each step of the way.
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
Send the weekend getting to grips with flying a spinnaker and learn how to trim those sails to perfection!
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
Sea, sailing and sparkles...what more could a girl wish for?!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
A short race across to the beautiful Channel Islands and the return trip over 3 days.
The perfect opportunity work on your sailing skills with the help of our instructor
Have you got your Comp Crew qualification or your about to take it and want to know more Navigation before going on to do your Day Skipper? The Essential Navigation course is fantastic for those of you eager to know more about the theory and it can all be done in one weekend! Subject syllabus includes; Charts, Publications and Terms Buoyage Navigation Safety Anchoring Tides Electronic Navigation Rules of the Road Weather Forecasts Pilotage Passage Planning
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Five day prep week to make sure you're up to speed and ready for the exam at the end!
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
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Complete your RYA Day Skipper theory over two weekends and only take one day out of the office!
Our complete Day Skipper is an intensive course which enables you to complete the Day Skipper Practical and theory courses with just over ten days to include two weekends - cutting down your time off work - awesome planning!
Join us for this fantastic two day weekend - and discover why we think sailing is one of the most fun activities around!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
The perfect way to spend a weekend with your Mum, Auntie or Sister!
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Become a qualified Yachtmaster and get into the sailing Industry - earn money doing what you love :)
Practical sailing, navigation and safety training all complement each other and help to develop your skills as a sailor. Take this intensive 4 week course and go from absolute beginner to RYA Day Skipper! This is MODULE 1 of our YachtmasterPro 1-2-3, our GFS professional training programme - whether you join us for just this module or all three, you'll feel very confident and competent by the end we can assure you!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
The most famous one day regatta in the world with up to 1800 boats coming from all over the globe to take part in this race around the Isle of Wight *Please note - there is no on-board accommodation with this place
The most famous one day regatta in the world with up to 1800 boats coming from all over the globe to take part in this race around the Isle of Wight *Please note - accommodation for the race is limited and will be allocated on a early booking basis - the date for the race is also provisional at this stage and will be confirmed asap. Early bird booking until December 31st 2017.
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this sail from Cowes to Cork in Southern Ireland in preparation for Cork Week
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Five day prep week to make sure you're up to speed and ready for the exam at the end!
An exciting and world famous week long race regatta attracts upwards of 10,000 competitors with waterside activities hosted in the Crosshaven Race Village
The perfect opportunity work on your sailing skills with the help of our instructor
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Five day prep week to make sure you're up to speed and ready for the exam at the end!
The perfect opportunity to take your sailing and navigation skills to the next level - this four day skills and experience week is ideal for girls working towards their Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster Offshore qualification.
A fantastic opportunity to start learning to sail as a complete beginner or improve your existing sailing skills over the course of a fun two days of time out during the week.
One of the most glamorous race events of the season, the Taittinger Champagne Regatta is hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Yarmouth and is a weekend of action packed round the cans racing and parties!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day sail from Cork in southern Ireland to Cowes as we return our boat to the Isle of Wight after Cork Week.
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Send the weekend getting to grips with flying a spinnaker and learn how to trim those sails to perfection!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
Join us for the first half of Cowes Week - the most famous race regatta in the world!
The most famous race regatta in the world, this full week of racing attracts competitors and spectators from around the globe and turns the whole of Cowes into a party town! We enter both the non-spinnaker and spinnaker class meaning we have options for all levels of experience to join us!
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Join us for the second half of Cowes Week, the most famous week-long race regatta in the world and concluding with a massive water-based fireworks display on the Friday night!
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Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Sea, sailing and sparkles...what more could a girl wish for?!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
The classic annual race to the Channel Islands! Great for the offshore experience, mile-building and the cross-channel journey. This 100 miler is definitely one you can't miss doing at some stage. The passage into St Peter Port is a real learning curve and there are some great sights along the way. This is going to be a popular event!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta is a fantastic week of racing out of the beautiful town of Dartmouth in Devon.
These weekends are suitable for ANYONE who simply wants to gain more experience on the water and are the perfect way to practise and perfect those tricky mooring manoeuvres without undertaking a 5 day RYA course. We'll practice the best techniques for manoeuvring under engine, look at what you can do to extricate yourself from tricky situations, and help you gain confidence at the helm like you've been doing it for years! There will be plenty of time to practice and ask questions. We like to mix the levels of experience up and give you the opportunity to have a really lovely fun and educational weekend (if that is what you want!) with an RYA qualified skipper coaching you as much or as little as you prefer.
A three day trip returning the boat to Cowes after the Dartmouth Regatta.
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Already at Day Skipper level and keen to progress to longer passages? Then this intensive practical and theory based course is ideal for you, whether you're training for fun or hoping to work in the sailing industry.
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A fantastic offshore race to Cherbourg
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
Essential theory for all Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore students
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Five day prep week to make sure you're up to speed and ready for the exam at the end!
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
Take a step up from shorter day sails by completing your Coastal Skipper with us and enjoy passages further afield!
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
This event is ideal for both absolute beginners and those who want to just get a little more time and experience on the water.
Complete your RYA Day Skipper theory over two weekends and only take one day out of the office!
Our complete Day Skipper is an intensive course which enables you to complete the Day Skipper Practical and theory courses with just over ten days to include two weekends - cutting down your time off work - awesome planning!
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
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The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
The ideal way to build some miles towards your next RYA step, gain more experience or just escape the weekly grind!
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
The perfect opportunity to take your sailing and navigation skills to the next level - perfect for girls working towards their Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster Offshore qualification or for those looking to get more practice between Competent Crew and Day Skipper.
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
These weekends are suitable for ANYONE who simply wants to gain more experience on the water and are the perfect way to practise and perfect those tricky mooring manoeuvres without undertaking a 5 day RYA course. We'll practice the best techniques for manoeuvring under engine, look at what you can do to extricate yourself from tricky situations, and help you gain confidence at the helm like you've been doing it for years! There will be plenty of time to practice and ask questions. We like to mix the levels of experience up and give you the opportunity to have a really lovely fun and educational weekend (if that is what you want!) with an RYA qualified skipper coaching you as much or as little as you prefer.
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Five day prep week to make sure you're up to speed and ready for the exam at the end!
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
A five day yacht-based RYA practical course where you learn to become a skipper
Join us for this five day RYA Competent Crew course
Join us for this fantastic five day course, split over two weekends - and only have to take one day out of the office!
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
This five day introduction to sailing course is split over two weekends, ideal if you'll struggle to escape from the office for five whole days!
Come and race with us across the ocean from the dramatic shores of Lanzarote to the chilled island of Grenada in the southern Caribbean – on this 14-16 day race of a lifetime! This combined Package includes an Offshore Race to prepare you for what it takes to race offshore! (These are offered over various dates in our Racing Calender). The next step up from the ARC (The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), this event will really push you to your limits! Racing against boats of all shapes and sizes (from 30ft to 100ft+, including well known boats such as Leopard – a famous Farr 100) with professional crews creates an intense competition. Racing across the Atlantic is a lifelong dream for many sailors – and what better way to do than in an all female crew with a dedication to safety and FUN! Sign up now for the most extraordinary Adventure of a lifetime!
Come and race with us across the ocean from the dramatic shores of Lanzarote to the chilled island of Grenada in the southern Caribbean – on this 14-16 day race of a lifetime! This combined Package includes an Offshore Race to prepare you for what it takes to Race Offshore! (These are offered over various dates in our Racing Calender). The next step up from the ARC (The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), this event will really push you to your limits! Racing against boats of all shapes and sizes (from 30ft to 100ft+, including well known boats such as Leopard – a famous Farr 100) with professional crews creates an intense competition. Racing across the Atlantic is a lifelong dream for many sailors – and what better way to do than in an all female crew with a dedication to safety and FUN! What are you waiting for?! Early Bird discount at £2900! Sign up now for the most extraordinary Adventure of a lifetime!
Essential theory for all Yachtmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore students
A weekend of race training and inshore racing in this fun but competitive race series
Five day prep week to make sure you're up to speed and ready for the exam at the end!
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This three day race weekend is the first of a series of UK offshore RORC races of the season. This is a great first offshore race for anyone who hasn’t taken part in a longer weekend race before because we start the race on a Saturday which means you have the whole day to settle into the rythm of racing before you get into the night watch.
"I LOVED my first offshore race! The adrenaline at the start was really flowing - and knowing we would be racing across the channel to France was really exciting, especially flying the spinnaker in the dark!"
Starts: 19:30 Friday, Shepards Wharf Marina
Finishes: Ends Monday time TBC
Usually the race starts on Saturday morning, so expect a Friday evening meet (7.30pm) to allow time for a crew get-together and dinner. The race usually heads to Le Havre in France, allowing for some time ashore before sailing back to Cowes to arrive on Bank Holiday Monday May. On the water here are challenges enough to keep your skills well honed, not least a race through the night which will give any novice to offshore racing a great taste of the thrill and spills of this exciting sport.
For many boats that are competing in the RORC Fastnet race (**NEXT ONE 2017 - join us now!) the RORCCervantes Trophy Cup is a good shake down sail for the team to get ready for the forthcoming season – dependent on the course the miles range from 95-140nm If you are considering a Fastnet in the future – or just want to see how much fun they are then this is a great race to try out that desire!
Offshore races are exciting especially at the start and success relies on the team working together and creating a watch system if you are unable to stay awake for the estimated sailing time, which is likely. This, and sailing at night are the main challenges for the skipper and crew as well as maintaining that all important concentration. Expect to be active for periods and involved in all aspects of looking after fellow crew onboard.
Last year we had a hard fought race which required more than a little skill to succeed in. As we raced across the Channel we enjoyed a close fought race with our rivals all the while keeping a weather eye on the tides and the tricky Traffic Separation Scheme along the way. Even without separation schemes to keep you busy, there are plenty of challenges to keep your skills well honed, not least a race through the night which will give any novice to offshore racing a great taste of the thrill and spills of this exciting sport.
We like to think we will go ashore at the end of a race although we cannot always promise this if the weather forecast doesn’t allow. We do have to get back to Cowes and this may mean we turn around straight away. The skipper will make this decision based on weather forecast and crew capability as safety of the yacht and crew is the priority.
None. Any sailing experience is of benefit and previous night sailing is a great advantage for all concerned. Good awareness of sea sickness is advisable before a channel crossing – if you do suspect you may get sick it is advisable to read our info about precautions in our joining instructions and start taking tablets before you step onboard.
Whilst it is not a requirement, we recommend that you ensure that you have an up-to-date RYA Sea Survival and ISAF Offshore Safety certificate, before taking part in these races.
You can undertake a DAY SAIL or a weekend or even a course to be ready for this adventure but it's not essential.
Got the offshore racing bug? Why not join us for the holy grail of offshore races - the biannual Rolex Fastnet Race
We mostly coach on yachts of between 37 and 41ft. Our yachts have been specifically chosen as they are easy to handle, great for learning! There is no denying us girls sometimes don't have the physical strength of the boys but with our technical ability and a well-chosen yacht we can do just as well. You will usually find yourself aboard an Élan 37, Jeanneau 37 or a Beneteau 40.7. All of your time will be spent living as crew-mates on your yacht. Most of the yachts have 9/10 berths with 3 cabins and a saloon so the boats will normally have 2 persons in each cabin i.e. 6 - this is always the case for an RYA course, MAX 6 persons on-board. On some events e.g. races we use the saloon which can sleep an additional 2-4 person.
Cowes is widely credited as being the birthplace of UK yachting, seeing hundreds of 'yachties' descend every year on the seaside town and swelling its resident population multifold!
With a wealth of activities on and off the water and a year-round mild, sunny climate the island attracts loyal visitors and second home owners alike all year round but especially during the spring and summer months when the world class sailing conditions attract professional sailors from around the world to take part in famous regattas and races - as well as thousands of spectators who gather shoreside to watch the dramas unfold.
Easily reached by high speed passenger ferry, car ferry or even hovercraft (the island has the last remaining hovercraft service in the world) from Lymington, Southampton or Portsmouth on the mainland, the island is the perfect destination for young and old alike with plenty to see, eat and do.
Our values are simple: Encourage, Support, Challenge and Respect!
Click on the link above to view available dates - or if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with us!