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
Brilliant all round
Brilliant all round, thank you Taylor
Exceeded expectations!
Exceeded expectations! Super knowledgeable instructor (Hannah). Great calm learning environment. Great food, boat, conditions etc! 10/10
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.
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
Fantastic experience
Fantastic experience. Hannah’s teaching style and relaxed attitude made learning easy and enjoyable
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
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.
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
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!
Very enjoyable learning experience
Very enjoyable learning experience. Abel Tasman is a beautiful area to sail. Learnt heaps, gained confidence to sail further.
Amazing experience
Amazing experience and learnt lots/solidified other experience & learnings. Hannah was awesome & so patient. Great cook too.
Excellent teaching.
Had a very good time. Learnt a lot and Jiri increased my confidence with sailing massively. Excellent teaching.
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
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.
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.
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.
Lovely Boat
Good booking process, easy communication, good equipment on board, would recommend, lovely boat… this has really built my skill base…
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.
Everything was perfect
Again, everything was perfect in this 2nd course I took at the Sail Nelson school.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Wealth of knowledge
Great instructor. Very calm. Clear instructions. Wealth of knowledge. Great food. Good laughs. Always felt safe. Would recommend course to others.
Legend
Legend. High level of knowledge. Professional and personable with great stories of his experience at sea. Made the course even better.
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!
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.
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.
Excellent journey
Excellent journey, I am planning to do this experience again.
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++
Really relaxed vibes
Really relaxed vibes and learnt heaps. Food was bloody good too. Covered everything. Heaps of fun
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.
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.
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
Achieved my goals
Really great, achieved my goals, gained good experience and really upskilled
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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…
Expectations exceeded!
Expectations exceeded! Highly knowledgeable instructor & the course was the ideal experience to get a taste of the sailing lifestyle. Highly recommended
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.
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.
A huge amount of knowledge
Gained a huge amount of knowledge, good course structure. Good teamwork on board. Kat was an excellent instructor
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!
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
Great quality instruction
Great quality instruction. Jiri really helped explain issues clearly and with enthusiasm
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
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
Wonderful week on board
Wonderful week on board. Vessel well set up for needs, Ross was extremely approachable. Fantastic course.
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.
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.
Dave was a great cook, sailor and instructor.
Dave was a great cook, sailor and instructor. Great week, lots of fun, learnt lots.
