Sailing News

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

Sailing Through History: The Beaulieu River’s WW2 Legacy

May 13, 2025

First Class Sailing tutors will often sail on the Beaulieu River, and you could too when you sign up to one of our RYA sailing courses. But did you know about the river’s wartime history? The Beaulieu River is not just known for its natural beauty...

Sailing Round Britain

Mar 7, 2022

In April, May and June we will be sailing a boat around Britain. There are 5 legs available for those keen to build miles and enjoy some great sailing experiences. Each leg has been allocated 6 days and the distances of each leg vary, the shortest being 175nm and the longest being around 390nm.

The Round the Island Race, really is a Race for All!

Feb 14, 2022

In June 2022 over 16,000 sailors compete in this unique yacht race around the Isle of Wight. It is a race for all. Be part of the fun, excitement and magnificent spectacle that is the Round the Island Race. Crew spaces are available on our yachts in June 2022.

Night Sailing

Jan 4, 2022

Night sailing has its own rewards and challenges – it can be quite disorientating, but also magical. Hands-on experience undoubtedly is the best way to embed the skills you’ll need to see you through the night.

Are you a First Class Skipper?

Dec 17, 2021

First Class Sailing are here to help you progress on your journey from being an aspiring skipper with some yachting experience to being a confident offshore Yachtmaster .

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					  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 

					  Yachmaster Ocean Theory  - 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... read more 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!				
Marty S
October 24, 2025 

					  Great night sailing weekend. - I did the night sailing weekend on the Solent. Callum was very friendly and knowledgeable. He planned the weekend together with the participants such that everyone could have an input... read more regarding what they wanted to get out of the course. It was a great weekend and the Jeanneau Voyage 12.5 was really a great boat in windy weather. The food was very good and the office staff were helpful and responded very quickly.				
Federica D
November 8, 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

Do you have what it takes to be a Yachtmaster?

Feb 9, 2018

Yachtmaster Offshore The RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence is largely regarded as the pinnacle of sailing qualifications. The Exam To achieve the qualification you need to pass a practical on the water exam that can last for up to 12 hours. That...

The Atlantic Rovers Return to the Sea

Feb 5, 2018

Having filled their boots ashore the FCS crew have returned to the sea, or in this case the English Channel and have their sights on Portsmouth. Still time to blog and also regale us with a ditty they composed during said boot filling sessions... Day 23 Friday...

Wind! Gale! Action! Mother Nature’s Welcome Home

Jan 31, 2018

No mention of the FCS crew getting the Channel jitters – a known phenomenon that sees people go slightly loopy as excitement of land builds! However the Chain Locker in Falmouth gets another mention... Date :31 January 2018 Time : 12:00 GMT Position : 49.37.82N...

Goodbye to the Atlantic and Hello to the Chain Locker

Jan 30, 2018

Bishops Rock lighthouse, The Chain Locker Pub, fish and chips; having crossed the Atlantic how much will these British landmarks mean to the FCS Crew as they land at Falmouth? Will they miss the whales, 45 degree living, the everlasting horizon, the donkey, the...

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...

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Sailing News

Sailing Through History: The Beaulieu River’s WW2 Legacy

Sailing Round Britain

The Round the Island Race, really is a Race for All!

Night Sailing

Are you a First Class Skipper?

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Success!

All Blogs

Do you have what it takes to be a Yachtmaster?

The Atlantic Rovers Return to the Sea

Wind! Gale! Action! Mother Nature’s Welcome Home

Goodbye to the Atlantic and Hello to the Chain Locker

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

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