Sailing News

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

Three Steps To Skippering A Yacht In The Med

Oct 28, 2024

Check out our infographic on Three Steps to Skippering a Yacht in the Med.

Sailing Holidays in the UK: Whole Boat Charter

Mar 13, 2021

Whether you know the ropes or are new to sailing, a whole boat charter could be the perfect holiday for you and your family. Would you like the chance to relax and let our experienced skipper take the helm or perhaps you are after a more hands-on learning experience?

Sailing Holidays in the UK: The West Country

Mar 6, 2021

There has never been a better time to explore our wonderful coast and a UK Sailing Holiday is the perfect way to do it. The West Country coast offers a beautiful backdrop of quaint fishing villages, seaside towns and rolling hills.

Sailing Holidays in the UK: IOW Anchorages

Feb 24, 2021

There really is so much to explore and enjoy on a UK Sailing Holiday we’ve decided to share ‘spots’ along the coast. This time – Isle of Wight Anchorages. The Isle of Wight offers some beautiful spots to drop your hook so don’t overlook these hidden gems.

First Class response to Golden Vanity Crowdfunding!

Feb 19, 2021

On 12th January 2021 First Class Sailing launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise money to restore Golden Vanity. In the space of five weeks, an amazing £25,405 has been donated by a total of 155 supporters to help bring back to life this historical Brixham sailing trawler.

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					  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 experience.  - Very good experience with First Class Sailing. Mark was a terrific teacher and the boat was well equipped and comfortable for a 5 day course. Would definitely recommend.				
Michael K
October 8, 2025 

					  A consistently great experience  - 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,... read more 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!				
Mo M
October 30, 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

Day 13 – the missing Blog! Jamaican madness and heart felt reflexions

Jan 30, 2018

What follows is a blog that has only just made it back from the boat. It is from Day 13, so before the boat reached the Azores. There are some wonderful insights into the friendships that can develop on an Atlantic crossing and what causes them to come about. Day Blog...

A Whale and Unseasonal North Atlantic Weather

Jan 29, 2018

Where is the wind? As skipper Neil points out this is the weirdest spells he has encountered. However the FCS crew are undaunted and making the most of their voyage with the prospect of full on sailing around the corner. Morning all An exciting 24 hours on...

Challenger 2 finds its way across the high pressure in the Atlantic and ask not how far we have to go, rather how far have we come…

Jan 29, 2018

Day 17 Saturday January 2018 50-55 Knots - that was last year! Good Morning Well there has been little or no change of any significance since our last mid-day report. We are still motoring through the high at between 7 – 8 knts. The sea state is glassy with a slight...

Chocolate-Gate and the wobble of motoring

Jan 29, 2018

Day 16 Friday 26th January 2018 Nightly Chocoloate restriction lifted Position at noon: 41°11.88 North, 22°36.04 West Morning all Another jolly day on the good ship Challenger 2 still motoring, latest weather is still no wind until the channel, only slight change is...

Atlantic Rollers and The Many Ways to Describe Them

Jan 26, 2018

As usual the FCS crew have provided us with a variety of interesting posts, with almost all of them having a go at describing Atlantic rollers - those friendly giant waves that... well, we'll let them put pictures into your mind's eye. First up is the midday...

Back on the Atlantic and Heading to Falmouth

Jan 25, 2018

After a couple of days off the FSC crew are ‘rested’ and back on Challenger 2. What did they do in Horta? How did they spend their time? Will most of it stay in Horta? And what does it feel like to be back on board? All is revealed in today’s blog from the...

Crossing the Atlantic Using Denebola and Chertan

Jan 21, 2018

The FCS crew on Challenger 2 can almost feel the dry land and taste wet beer that awaits in Horta or this leg from Antigua to Portsmouth Harbour. First update comes from the mate and that will be followed by the crew’s musing. Will tinned sweetcorn get a...

Is This The Perfect Weather for Sailing the Atlantic?

Jan 20, 2018

Starting with the Skipper’s report and then following with the FCS crew on Challenger 2 as they sail towards the Azores on their voyage from Antigua to the historic city of Portsmouth... Shorts, T-Shirts, Sunshine and Wind - the best of Sailing Date :19 January...

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Sailing News

Three Steps To Skippering A Yacht In The Med

Sailing Holidays in the UK: Whole Boat Charter

Sailing Holidays in the UK: The West Country

Sailing Holidays in the UK: IOW Anchorages

First Class response to Golden Vanity Crowdfunding!

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Success!

All Blogs

Day 13 – the missing Blog! Jamaican madness and heart felt reflexions

A Whale and Unseasonal North Atlantic Weather

Challenger 2 finds its way across the high pressure in the Atlantic and ask not how far we have to go, rather how far have we come…

Chocolate-Gate and the wobble of motoring

Atlantic Rollers and The Many Ways to Describe Them

Back on the Atlantic and Heading to Falmouth

Crossing the Atlantic Using Denebola and Chertan

Is This The Perfect Weather for Sailing the Atlantic?

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