Sailing News

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

RYA Coastal Skipper Practical Explained — Your Questions Answered

Oct 21, 2025

The RYA Coastal Skipper Practical course is an intensive five-day sailing qualification that builds real-world skippering confidence. Learn what experience you need, where you’ll sail, and what to expect from this advanced RYA training with First Class Sailing.

Round the Island Race 2021

Jul 20, 2021

In July 2021, 2 years after the the last Round...

The De Guingand Bowl Race

Jul 2, 2021

Here is the latest instalment from team...

The ARC Rally 2021

Mar 19, 2021

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is on the horizon for November 2021. A friendly race for sailors seeking a Transatlantic challenge with participants coming in a huge variety of vessels and experience.

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?

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					  Our excellent experience of sailing with Keith Miller and first class sailing  - We had a fantastic five days Sailing under the excellent tuition of Keith Miller. Two of our group were novices and now we all have a love of sailing. We... read more enjoyed every aspect of our time on the boat and huge thanks to Keith for all that he taught us. We would highly recommend both first class sailing and Keith Miller.				
Christopher M
August 29, 2026 

					  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 course  - Excellent Day Skipper refresher with Dave Evans as our Skipper/instructor. Great sailing, lots of learning and course flexibility.				
NickJ831
September 11, 2026

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

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...

The Long and the Short of Atlantic Messages

Jan 19, 2018

It has been a calm day on the Atlantic Ocean and the FCS crew of Challenger 2 have set aside some time to write... Day 10 Blog 17/01/2018 Another calm and sunny morning from the Atlantic. We’re still ploughing on ahead on course 085 degrees under diesel power...

Heading into the Wind – An Atlantic Adventure

Jan 15, 2018

More news from the FCS crew as they sail from Antigua to Portsmouth, almost one week in they are finding their feet, although footholds would be more helpful if that pesky wind blew in the right direction! Mate's report first and then messages from the crew....

Poetry in Motion from that Atlantic Swell

Jan 10, 2018

The FCS crew on Challenger 2 are settling in on their voyage from Antigua to Portsmouth and here is the latest report, it includes a sea shanty and hopefully the first of many! Time to Meet Mother All is well on Challenger 2. Sailed by moonlight through the...

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