Sailing News

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

First Class Sailing Offers Young Explorers a Unique Sea Adventure for Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award On-Board Golden Vanity

Feb 22, 2024

In the news First Class Sailing is thrilled to announce an exciting and enriching opportunity for young adventurers to embark on a residential at sea as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Set aboard the iconic 1908 classic yacht, Golden Vanity,...

Day 5: Wendy Smashes Speed Record!

Nov 29, 2018

Challenger 4 has started to build up steam in...

Day 4: Bay Watch vs Crime Watch

Nov 28, 2018

The crew have developed some competitive...

Long Voyage Fruit and Veg Preserving Experiment – Rolling Updates

Nov 28, 2018

Below are the latest readings and updates from...

Day 3: I See An Orange Moon A-Rising…

Nov 27, 2018

In today's blog, the crew of Challenger 4 are...

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					  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 

					  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 

					  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 

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

A welcome break in hot sunshine and gentle winds

Dec 5, 2011

After days of being punished and thrown around things have definitely turned for the better, we have emerged from our dry suits stinking like dead rats and are enjoying a lovely spinnaker run in a hot sunshine and gentle 20-25 knots of wind. I guess conditions like...

The Southern Ocean Weight Loss Program

Dec 5, 2011

If you are looking at a non-surgical equivalent to a gastric band look no further, come to the great south where we'll make you feel a constant knot around your stomach to lose weight. In the past few...

Financial Crisis – Finally flying in the right direction after a windless night

Dec 2, 2011

We spent the night in a windless hole with a 2-3 knots current dragging us west, we can only blame lack of research and preparation for not knowing about this adverse river in our way, i guess everyone had to cross it but we certainly got the worst of it as we had no...

Marco and Hugo-An emotional roller coaster in the grips of the south easterlies

Dec 2, 2011

I didnt have the easiest of starts, mentally, I think the stress in getting things ready in Cape Town wore me out and I have to admit to a very tough first 48 hours. We have all been there in nasty weather thinking why the hell we're doing it and when you are tired...

Financial Crisis Moves South- The Southern Ocean

Dec 1, 2011

A tough start for leg 2 of the Global Ocean Race We're at sea admiring a beautiful sunset and in the distance we can just make Cape Good Hope that we are leaving behind us, this will most likely be the last piece of land we'll see till we arrive in New Zealand. My...

MARCO ANNOUNCES NEW CREW MEMBER

Dec 1, 2011

Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon ready to set off for leg 2 of the Global Ocean RaceSays Marco I cannot believe it has been over three weeks since we arrived to Cape Town, time seems to have dissipated like the clouds that blow over Table Mountain when the Southeaster...

Marco Nannini thanks First Class Sailing for their sponsorship and support- Londons’s Leading Sailing School.

Nov 8, 2011

We've been at sea exactly three weeks today and we've just passed the island of Fernnando da Noronha, which we had to leave to port to pass through the Fastnet Marine scoring gate. We are currently holding 4th position, which suits us as we are still leading the pack...

Wednesday 19th October- Financial Crisis in the South

Nov 8, 2011

I have totally lost count of the days, we are into the 4th week at sea I believe, last night I had to wear a thermal as it is starting to get chilly at night, I still find it amusing to see the weather changing as we move on the globe.... you start somewhere on the...

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