Testimonials

Day Skipper Course

Taylor is VERY knowledgeable and a great teacher

..time on skills was great. Taylor is VERY knowledgeable and a great teacher

Laurel
Day Skipper Course
March, 2025

Brilliant all round

Brilliant all round, thank you Taylor

Cally
Day Skipper Course
March, 2025

Exceeded expectations!

Exceeded expectations! Super knowledgeable instructor (Hannah). Great calm learning environment. Great food, boat, conditions etc! 10/10

Jess
Day Skipper Course
Jan, 2025

We had a fantastic week as a family

We had a fantastic week as a family. Taylor did an outstanding job teaching at all levels, super patient with everyone, great with the kids and excellent chef. We learnt a lot in just a few days.

Nicolas
Day Skipper Course
Jan, 2025

Very helpful course for boat handling

Very helpful course for boat handling – gained new experiences in anchoring, mooring, parking. Will be useful for real life & Hannah increased my confidence for handling sailing yachts in future

Katie
Day Skipper Course
Dec, 2024

Fantastic experience

Fantastic experience. Hannah’s teaching style and relaxed attitude made learning easy and enjoyable

Sean
Day Skipper Course
Dec, 2024

Great week on board

Great week on board with a mix of learning on the go as well as relaxing at anchor. …as well as top notch food by Ross

Kimberlea
Day Skipper Course
Nov, 2024

Great combination of fun and learning

The week was a great combination of fun and learning. Stuart knows it all and is an amazing teacher.

Jim
Day Skipper Course
Feb, 2024

Immediate feedback & support for me to learn & succeed

Thank you! I learned about & practiced a great range of skills that were appropriate to my level, and there was immediate feedback & support for me to learn & succeed. Stuart’s skill & knowledge enabled him to support all of us

Adele
Day Skipper Course
Feb, 2024

Heaps of practical practice & good debriefs

Really clear explanations, helped the theory make sense & loads of new learning. Heaps of practical practice & good debriefs. Great food – so much fresh veg!

Laura
Day Skipper Course
Feb, 2024

Very enjoyable learning experience

Very enjoyable learning experience. Abel Tasman is a beautiful area to sail. Learnt heaps, gained confidence to sail further.

Tony
Day Skipper Course
Nov, 2023

Amazing experience

Amazing experience and learnt lots/solidified other experience & learnings. Hannah was awesome & so patient. Great cook too.

Holly
Day Skipper Course
Nov, 2023

Excellent teaching.

Had a very good time. Learnt a lot and Jiri increased my confidence with sailing massively. Excellent teaching.

Kurt L. UK
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Jiri is an exceptional instructor

Jiri is an exceptional instructor who instructed everyone on board (various levels) to a superb level. The instruction was extremely motivational and inspiring. A very amiable and personable young man

Tim R, UK
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Calm, knowledgeable and a brilliant teacher…

I booked this course to gain experience, having already qualified as a Day Skipper. Jiri was excellent. Calm, knowledgeable and a brilliant teacher…. He made the week excellent.

Fiona F. UK
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

A very good week

A very good week, great sailing, beautiful area. The instruction was excellent, I have learnt a lot through the course and greatly enjoyed it.

Chris, UK
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Everything was spot on

Everything was spot on. Dave could not have been a better instructor. He was constantly teaching and sharing knowledge. Cannot get across just how helpful Dave was.

Jalen, Canada
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Lovely Boat

Good booking process, easy communication, good equipment on board, would recommend, lovely boat… this has really built my skill base…

Polly, UK
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Couldn’t have asked for better

Really thorough and well taught course which will give me all the tools to sail better & safer. Couldn’t have asked for better.

Chris, UK
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Everything was perfect

Again, everything was perfect in this 2nd course I took at the Sail Nelson school.

Raoul, Switzerland
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

An inspirational teacher. And a mean cook!

Had a lot of fun and really felt like skills and confidence improved over the week. Dave is hugely knowledgeable and calm under pressure – an inspirational teacher. And a mean cook!

Malcolm, New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Fantastic course.

Fantastic course. Highly recommended for anyone contemplating keel boat sailing or ownership. Dave is a perfect tutor, mixing patience with calm throughout and revealing the simplicity in every aspect.

Malcolm, New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Very informative course

Very informative course. Been sailing part time for years – great to be on a course learning so much as refresher and new knowledge.

Geoff C New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Very knowledgeable skipper

Excellent course providing practical experience by a very knowledgeable skipper who tailored content to each individual…..look forward to the Coastal Skipper course.

Paul A. New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Wealth of knowledge

Great instructor. Very calm. Clear instructions. Wealth of knowledge. Great food. Good laughs. Always felt safe. Would recommend course to others.

Peter H. New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Legend

Legend. High level of knowledge. Professional and personable with great stories of his experience at sea. Made the course even better.

Dom B. New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Exceeded expectations

Exceeded expectations. Dave is an excellent tutor. Thorough, patient, fun and with an enormous bank of experience from which to draw on to illustrate his teaching. If you want to improve your sailing skills – or a beginner – you can’t go wrong with this course. It is so informative, pitched to whatever level and great fun. Don’t hesitate – just do it!

Jo M. New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Continuous education

Very helpful to sail for a week with continuous education. Because of his great experience and calm Dave allowed us to have a go at everything without causing anxiety.

Thomas A. Switzerland
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Fantastic. First class in all areas

Fantastic. First class in all areas. Very Encouraging, never a cross word. Positive and Kat knew her subject extremely well.

Colin A. New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Excellent journey

Excellent journey, I am planning to do this experience again.

Norberto B. Argentina
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Kat is a great instructor, really friendly and patient

Kat is a great instructor, really friendly and patient, happy to go over things again and explore beyond what’s currently being taught. I took this course to get a crew cert to use while crewing deliveries. I learnt so many things and how much more there is to learn A++

Andrew K
Day Skipper Course
June, 2018

Really relaxed vibes

Really relaxed vibes and learnt heaps. Food was bloody good too. Covered everything. Heaps of fun

Robert H, New Zealand
Day Skipper Course
June 2018

 

Competent Crew Course

I learnt a lot from a very knowledgeable and patient instructor

I learnt a lot from a very knowledgeable and patient instructor and we got to visit some beautiful places and enjoy ourselves! Cant fault the team & experience as a whole.

Kathryn
Competent Crew Course
Jan, 2025

A very good experience

Taylor made learning to sail fun & not scary. He explained & gave instructions well. I feel more confident on the water. It was a very good experience.

Charisma
Competent Crew Course
Jan, 2025

Had a wonderful time and learnt heaps

Wonderful – Had a wonderful time and learnt heaps. Hannah did a great job at supporting our learning and tailoring instructions to each of us. She is an excellent instructor

Dave
Competent Crew Course
Dec, 2024

Achieved my goals

Really great, achieved my goals, gained good experience and really upskilled

Jen
Competent Crew Course
Dec, 2024

Trip of a lifetime

Had a great trip! Hannah was fantastic and super encouraging. Definitely was a trip of a lifetime & I gained so much confidence over the 5 days – so stoked!

Maya
Competent Crew Course
Dec, 2024

Amazed how good Hannah was at teaching & sailing

Loved the week, varied sailing, learnt many new skills and gained valuable experience. I was amazed how good Hannah was at teaching & sailing.

Dan
Competent Crew Course
Jan, 2024

A fantastic week!

Hannah was brilliant. I’m a complete beginner and by the end of the week I felt so much more confident. Hannah made the most of varied wind conditions and we never felt like there was a missed teaching opportunity. A fantastic week!

Sophie
Competent Crew Course
Nov, 2023

Great experience

Gave myself a better knowledge of sailing… very good… very patient, great experience of sailing the world’s oceans, great teacher. I feel the course covered everything I needed to make me a better sailor.

Ashley, New Zealand
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Brilliant!! Awesome 5 days! Good food! Good company!

Awesome!! First time sailing, loved it! Chris was awesome. Learnt heaps!! He made everything easy to understand. Brilliant!! Awesome 5 days! Good food! Good company!

jade, New Zealand
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Sailing in some stunning locations

Had a great time this week sailing in some stunning locations…. Dave has excellent teaching methods and made the whole week a fun experience.

Charlie, UK
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Safe learning environment

…a safe learning environment, practical experience gained was wonderful & there was much time for practice and repetition to practice all the skills, leaving me wanting to sail more and learn more.

Lawrence, USA
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Great instruction

…Many thanks to David for his great instruction & excellent teaching & to Chris for his help with our pre-course questions. Meals, particularly dinner were great…

Caitlin, USA
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Expectations exceeded!

Expectations exceeded! Highly knowledgeable instructor & the course was the ideal experience to get a taste of the sailing lifestyle. Highly recommended

Terry, Switzerland:
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Dave inspired confidence

I really appreciated Dave’s calm, cheerful and positive approach. He inspired confidence. I felt free to ask lots of questions, his experience is obvious and his enthusiasm for what we were doing felt genuine. I’d definitely recommend this course and look forward to more.

Bridget C. New Zealand
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

Great mix of fun and sweat

Was a great mix of fun and sweat. We learnt a lot, both theoretical and practice. Felt well supported through the whole experience. Dave was fabulous. Easy company and also an excellent instructor who was always in control. Dave was magic with the kids. This was such an amazing experience. I was really worried, but keen. After the course I feel so confident in my ability to learn more and I have fallen in love with the ocean.

Lee B-D, New Zealand
Competent Crew Course
June, 2018

A huge amount of knowledge

Gained a huge amount of knowledge, good course structure. Good teamwork on board. Kat was an excellent instructor

Fabian A, Germany
Competent Crew Course
June 2018

We saw Hectors Dolphins

It was an amazing adventure. Lots of different things to see and do. I can’t wait to start sailing again. We saw Hectors Dolphins which was incredible!

Ella D, age 12
Competent Crew Course
June 2018

Great tutor, extremely patient

Excellent, full content, great tutor, extremely patient. Great course. Spending time/sleeping on the boat allowed for great ability to gain confidence

Chris D, New Zealand
Competent Crew Course
June 2018

Great quality instruction

Great quality instruction. Jiri really helped explain issues clearly and with enthusiasm

Howard R, UK
Competent Crew Course
June 2018

A very good course

A very good course; Jiri was to the point, so there was no misunderstanding as to what you would achieve from the course, depending on experience…… he also could cook! Lol

Craig F, UK
Competent Crew Course
June 2018

 

Coastal Skipper Course

An amazing experience

It was an amazing experience that definitely has boosted my confidence. It (Ross) has given me really useful skills

Megan
Coastal Skipper Course
Jan, 2023

Wonderful week on board

Wonderful week on board. Vessel well set up for needs, Ross was extremely approachable. Fantastic course.

Hannah
Coastal Skipper Course
Jan, 2023

Epic week

What an epic week that turned out to be. Fantastic. I have been left with a very high regard for Dave, the Farr 1020 and your organisation. Thank you.

Ian, UK
Coastal Skipper Course
june, 2018

Surpassed my expectations

Surpassed my expectations. A very well spent week – wish I had done it years ago. Learnt very valuable techniques to enable me to enjoy a more complete control of my boat. Many thanks.

Kevin J. New Zealand
Coastal Skipper Course
June, 2018

Dave was a great cook, sailor and instructor.

Dave was a great cook, sailor and instructor. Great week, lots of fun, learnt lots.

James M. New Zealand
Coastal Skipper Course
June, 2018

 

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