Sailing News

A mix of insights into our courses and trips, engaging stories from some adventures, and educational content for anyone passionate about sailing.

Easter Sailing Holidays UK: A Learning Escape in April 2026

Mar 3, 2026

Discover Easter sailing holidays UK in April 2026. A learning holiday with mile builders and RYA courses from Southampton. Because chocolate really does taste better after a day at sea…

Mile Building for Yachtmaster: Sail from the Solent on Extended Passages

Apr 15, 2025

Following on from our blog about...

How Long is the Competent Crew Course?

Apr 9, 2025

The RYA Competent Crew course is 5...

How Do Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore Certificate Of Competence Differ?

Apr 9, 2025

Over the last few blog posts I've been walking...

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					  All female boat for day skipper practical  - Being in an all female boat is a great way to learn. Kirsten, our instructor, had a very calm and reassuring style. The small size of the group (only 3... read more of us) meant we got a lot of attention and many opportunities to practice.				
ALMC62
October 15, 2025 

					  Comp Crew Course - If you’re thinking about learning to sail, we would definitely recommend the Competent Crew course with First Class Sailing in the Solent. We completed the course as a group of... read more five (3 adults, a 16 and a 12-year-old) and it exceeded our expectations from start to finish. 

Our boat was very well maintained and served us well throughout the course. We explored the Solent, visiting some fantastic Marinas along the way – including Gunwharf Quays, the Hamble and Cowes Yacht Haven.

Our skipper, Simon, was exceptional throughout. He was calm, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable, always taking the time to explain things clearly and in a way that made everything easy to understand. His relaxed approach created a great learning environment, and we all gained a huge amount of confidence and practical sailing experience over the few days.

The course struck the perfect balance between hands-on learning, skill-building, and simply enjoying being out on the water, especially as the weather was wonderful. We came away not only with new abilities, but also fantastic memories and a real enthusiasm to continue sailing.

A big thank you to First Class Sailing for a well-organised and enjoyable experience.				
Gavin H
October 5, 2026 

					  Excellent training course with Fergus!  - Excellent training course with Fergus! He made sure that across levels we were all learning and having fun! The extra context from his experience sailing was insightful and entertaining!				
Jamie S
October 25, 2025

First Class Sailing Ltd

5.0

Based on 278 reviews

review us on

Maurice MacSweeney

11:45 30 Oct 25

Over the last few years First Class Sailing have taken me all the way from complete novice to Coastal Skipper, with theory and other courses along the way (like VHF, First Aid, etc), and there's now no other school I'd want to train and study with. They really stand out from other providers with the quality of their instructors and the support and responsiveness you get from the office team. There's never too many students on a course, so you get lots of time to practise and learn from the instructor. By the end of each course you really feel you've been stretched and graduated to a much higher level of skill. A really high quality outfit and thoroughly recommended!

Response from the owner 13:56 06 Nov 25

Hi Maurice, we're so pleased to have been with you from the start of your sailing journey. That's great that you enjoyed the ratio of students to instructor and felt confident with the levels you achieved. Thanks for the review, we hope you manage to get plenty of sailing in after all the hard work you've put in.

Marty Stromquist

15:22 24 Oct 25

I just finished another training week at First Class Sailing’s training center. The week was dedicated to Yachtmaster Ocean Theory, with a highlight on Celestial Navigation. The instructor, Nigel Rennie FRIN (Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation), was fantastic. It was very fast-paced, but covered the basics and theory behind Celestial Navigation. The jewel of the week was Rennie. His abundant patience, coupled with his experiences and passion for the art, made the week incredible. First Class Sailing have the best instructors. They know their craft and have real-life experience to make training both fun and memorable. Well Done!

Response from the owner 13:42 06 Nov 25

Thanks Marty. We're so pleased you enjoyed Nigel's expert guidance and passion for sailing. Like all our instructors, he loves teaching and sharing his knowledge, but manages to make it fun too. Thanks for the recommendation.

Anne-Laure McLeman

10:07 15 Oct 25

Being in an all female boat is a great way to learn. Kirsten, our instructor, had a very calm and reassuring style. The small size of the group (only 3 of us) meant we got a lot of attention and many opportunities to practice. Such a good week!

Response from the owner 13:24 06 Nov 25

Thank-you for the review Anne-Laure. That's great that the all female option suited you well and you enjoyed learning with Kirsten. Hopefully all that practice has set you up well for future sailing. Good luck!

Angus Sandison

19:57 07 Oct 25

Really great experience with First Class. My partner and I did our Day Skipper over two weekends with our instructor Mark. He was fantastic. Patient as we learned and made the whole thing fun. The boats are great and organization by First Class was seamless. Would totally recommend.

Response from the owner 13:17 06 Nov 25

Thanks Angus. That's good that you enjoyed Mark's style of teaching and also had lots of fun along the way. Wishing you lots of happy sailing in the future.

Tricia Bunten

18:48 07 Oct 25

I just finished a fantastic week taking my Day Skipper practical with First Class Sailing and I highly recommend them. I chose the Women Only week and had an incredibly patient instructor who was able to help each of us individually with areas of weakness but also worked great with us as a group. I had never sailed in the Solent before and it was the perfect location for this class. I am so grateful for First Class and my instructor for helping me build confidence and experience.

Response from the owner 16:59 04 Nov 25

Thanks Tricia, we're so pleased you enjoyed the Women Only week and had a positive experience. We always say that the Solent really is one of the best places to learn and it has some beautiful scenery to explore too, so that's good that you appreciated it. Hope you manage to get out on the water soon.

Evan Ainsworth

20:30 05 Oct 25

They do say that what sets great companies apart is customer service. This is my third time with first class sailing the first time was a few years ago when we did our competent crew it was one of the best weeks of our lives. Then we came again in August for the kids to do their competent crew and my wife and I to do our day skipper course. Unfortunately when I did my day skipper course the weather was terrible and I was unable to have a good session to pass. So Jake said to me you can come back and have a free weekend on us to enable you to pass. And again I had a fabulous weekend. There was just three of us on the boat. A wonderful instructor, Tom, and another student. Tom was an excellent instructor he was relaxed, he had great experiences, he got on with the practical part of sailing not just a lot of theory and he was thorough. He had lots of practical tips to make sailing easier and had some good exercises forest to try. We had a super trip down to Yarmouth where he cooked a wonderful dinner and then we went to the pub. Where we met another first class sailing group and spent the evening listening to their tall tales. The following day we had a super sail back to Southampton, with lots of cool exercises and I was thrilled to pass my day skipper.

Response from the owner 16:46 04 Nov 25

Thanks for the review Evan and congratulations on passing your Day Skipper practical, the hard work has paid off. That's good that the whole family joined you for one of the trips and so now hopefully you have some willing crew members for future sails. Good luck!

hugo kirby

15:26 09 Sep 25

great course with a very engaged and helpful instructor - who was happy to go outside the curriculum and give us the benefit of his wider knowledge - throroughly recommended

Response from the owner 15:30 11 Sep 25

That's good that you appreciated the experiences and extra knowledge that the instructor passed on. Thanks for the recommendation.

Justin Brooks

11:11 23 Aug 25

We would highly recommend First Class Sailing.

Very well organised with a top quality instructor who provided tuition tailored to our differing needs.

A fantastic option for a couple wanting an entire boat to do a mixed Competent Crew / Day Skipper itinerary.

Response from the owner 14:21 28 Aug 25

Thanks Justin. We always find that mixing the Competent Crew & Day Skipper works well, so that's great that it worked for you too. Hope you manage to get out on the water soon and put all your learning into practice.

ChrisC

15:37 22 Aug 25

Great experience doing a Yachtmaster Offshore prep week followed by exam. Lots of useful paperwork up-front for the course admin and training exercises. The 3-day prep format worked well and Hayley did a brilliant job of cramming in the training over those days. Lovely modern boat too called Sazerac. Will be back.

Response from the owner 14:17 28 Aug 25

Hi Chris, thanks for the review. Congratulations on gaining your YMO qualification. There's a lot to cover, but as you've found, the hard work really pays off. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future.

Miles Barr

11:27 03 Aug 25

I completed my Competent Crew and Day Skipper Practical with First Class Sailing. It was a great experience. I hired the whole boat each time, taking my family members along who also earned their Competent Crew qualifications.

Response from the owner 15:21 21 Aug 25

Thanks Miles. That's great that hiring the whole boat for your courses worked well for you all. Now that your family have their comp crew qualifications, you'll have plenty of help onboard for future sails! Good luck.

All Blogs

Yachtmaster Ocean Syllabus (what to expect in the theory course)

Dec 5, 2023

Our 40 hour Yachtmaster Ocean theory course runs over five evenings, and is designed for skippers who want the qualification, knowledge, and skills you need to skipper a yacht using astro-navigation - the use of the sextant and worldwide meteorology. But what are the...

How Many Miles Do You Need for Day Skipper?

Dec 5, 2023

Before you sign-up to our RYA Day Skipper practical course, please note that there is a pre-requisite of how many miles of experience you have before you are accepted on the course. To start RYA Day Skipper, you will need to have logged at least 5 days and 100 sailing...

Day Skipper Syllabus (Explained)

Nov 29, 2023

The Day Skipper Course is conducted on board a cruising yacht (7 to 15m LOA), to teach pilotage, navigation, seamanship, and boat handling up to the standard required to skipper a small cruising yacht safely by day in tidal waters with which the student is familiar....

What Does Day Skipper Allow You to Do?

Nov 24, 2023

The RYA Day Skipper practical course from Southampton is for aspiring skippers and the perfect next step for those that have completed Competent Crew. But what exactly does RYA Day Skipper allow you to do, and what can a Day Skipper do once qualified. RYA Day Skipper...

London Shorebased Sailing Courses

Nov 16, 2023

You can learn to sail in London in your office, home or club! If you’ve never taken a shorebased sailing theory course before, you may be curious as to what they entail and how you can take them in your office. Here are the details about the London Shorebased Sailing...

Why take an RYA Yachtmaster Theory Course?

Nov 16, 2023

You’ve done a Day Skipper Theory course and you’ve followed it up with a Day Skipper Practical. You’re ready to do away with an instructor and go and charter a yacht in the Med. Perhaps you’ve already been chartering for a couple of years. So why bother taking...

RYA Day Skipper Theory Online with Zoom – Your Last Chance to Sign-Up

Nov 16, 2023

The RYA have recently announced that all sailing schools are to stop doing Zoom and online courses, and to return to just offering face to face teaching. This means that First Class Sailing will soon stop new sign-ups to our RYA Day Skipper Theory online course, so...