Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses Reviews

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Christopher R Dulake 2025.12.01

Just spent a great weekend getting my RYA Day Skipper Practical with Giles and Andy at Academy Sailing. I came away having filled in the gaps in my practical knowledge and experience and at the same time, did some sailing in windy conditions in good company. All went smoothly thanks to good planning by Academy Sailing and a well equipped yacht. Thank you Giles and Andy and fellow trainees, Matt & Gallinda.

Just spent a great weekend getting my RYA Day Skipper Practical with Giles and Andy at Academy Sailing. I came away having filled in the gaps in my practical knowledge and experience and at the same time, did some sailing in windy conditions in good company. All went smoothly thanks to good planning by Academy Sailing and a well equipped yacht. Thank you Giles and Andy and fellow trainees, Matt & Gallinda.

Just spent a great weekend getting my RYA Day Skipper Practical with Giles and Andy at Academy Sailing. I came away having filled in the gaps in my practical knowledge and experience and at the same time, did some sailing in windy conditions in good company. All went smoothly thanks to good planning by Academy Sailing and a well equipped yacht. Thank you Giles and Andy and fellow trainees, Matt & Gallinda.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.12.01

Thanks Chris. Kathryn and I are so pleased you had a great time. Congrats on the RYA Day Skipper qualification - thoroughly deserved with such an excellent solid performance from you through the whole course. Well done and thank you. Andy & Kathryn 😊⛵️👍

Francesco Medici 2025.11.09

This was my second course with academy sailing. Again, I have learnt a lot and had an enjoyable time. Our instructor was competent, engaging and mindful of individual learning needs. Comfortable boat with all modern equipment. Food was excellent. Highly recommended.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.11.09

Thank you Francesco - glad you had such a great time and thank you for doing your courses with us too. ❤️😊⛵️

Catharine Howard 2025.10.20

The course that Academy Sailing run over 5 days from Burnham on Crouch is a rgood way to discover that sailing is a wonderful sport. Giles, our instructor was a class teacher, endlessly patient and encouraging. The yacht is well equipped and that includes a varied and tasty menu. The river is beautiful and I came away with a core understanding of the basics of sailing. We laughed a lot too.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.20

Thank you so much, Catharine! We’re so pleased you enjoyed the course and discovered a love for sailing — that’s exactly what it’s all about. Wonderful to hear you had such a great time with Giles and the crew. Wishing you many more happy days on the water and hope to be able to help you in the future with more sailing. Andy & Kathryn ⛵😊

Andy 2025.10.20

I completed both my Comp crew and Day skipper with Academy Sailing, both times the instructors were fantastic, in addition to the course content the food and hospitality provided was first class, you certainly won't go hungry! I will always recommended Academy Sailing to anyone wanting to complete their RYA training.

I completed both my Comp crew and Day skipper with Academy Sailing, both times the instructors were fantastic, in addition to the course content the food and hospitality provided was first class, you certainly won't go hungry! I will always recommended Academy Sailing to anyone wanting to complete their RYA training.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.20

Thanks so much, Andy! It was a real pleasure having you aboard for both courses. We’re delighted you enjoyed the training (and the food!) and that you got so much out of it. Wishing you plenty of great sailing adventures ahead. Andy & Kathryn ⚓😊

Jamez Raque 2025.10.18

Amazing week's sailing. I did the competent crew course with 3 day sailors which I loved because I was doing night sailing and route planning which made the course even better. Best moment was the 6 hour sail from Harwich to the Crouch on one tack. Giles, our instructor, was very patient and except for the missing pasta and excess cheese the food was great. Well worth every penny. I would especially recommend doing the course over 5 consecutive days rather splitting it up over a couple of weekends. I'm doing the day sailor next year.

Amazing week's sailing. I did the competent crew course with 3 day sailors which I loved because I was doing night sailing and route planning which made the course even better. Best moment was the 6 hour sail from Harwich to the Crouch on one tack. Giles, our instructor, was very patient and except for the missing pasta and excess cheese the food was great. Well worth every penny. I would especially recommend doing the course over 5 consecutive days rather splitting it up over a couple of weekends. I'm doing the day sailor next year.

Amazing week's sailing. I did the competent crew course with 3 day sailors which I loved because I was doing night sailing and route planning which made the course even better. Best moment was the 6 hour sail from Harwich to the Crouch on one tack. Giles, our instructor, was very patient and except for the missing pasta and excess cheese the food was great. Well worth every penny. I would especially recommend doing the course over 5 consecutive days rather splitting it up over a couple of weekends. I'm doing the day sailor next year.

Amazing week's sailing. I did the competent crew course with 3 day sailors which I loved because I was doing night sailing and route planning which made the course even better. Best moment was the 6 hour sail from Harwich to the Crouch on one tack. Giles, our instructor, was very patient and except for the missing pasta and excess cheese the food was great. Well worth every penny. I would especially recommend doing the course over 5 consecutive days rather splitting it up over a couple of weekends. I'm doing the day sailor next year.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.18

Hi James - thank you so much for your review. Giles loved having you on the course. It was a lovely crew and I know a lot of fun was had. Looking forward to welcoming you back on board Dream Odyssey for your RYA Day Skipper course. Thank you again. Andy & Kathryn 😊❤️👍

Tim Robertshaw 2025.10.16

I’ve just completed the 5-day Day Skipper course with Academy Sailing, and it was an absolutely brilliant experience from start to finish. Our instructor, Giles, was outstanding — clear, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable. He struck the perfect balance between professionalism and good humour, making learning both effective and enjoyable. He welcomed a bit of banter, which made the atmosphere on board relaxed and fun while still being focused. The group of fellow learners and crew I had the pleasure of sailing with couldn’t have been better — a great mix of people, all keen to learn and work (and Drink) together. It really made the experience even more memorable. One of the highlights for me was the route we took. I had mentioned during a previous course with Andy that I’d love to sail from Burnham-on-Crouch to Felixstowe, and to my surprise, that’s exactly what we did on the first day! From there, we explored some of the beautiful local rivers — including a slightly tense but exciting exit from the River Deben. The yacht itself was lovely — comfortable, well-maintained, and a pleasure to sail. And I can’t go without mentioning the food — absolutely fantastic as always! All in all, a great week with great people, superb instruction, and experiences that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended to anyone looking to build confidence and skills on the water.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.16

Thanks you so much Tim. It was lovely to have you back with us. Glad you had a lovely week - congrats on becoming RYA Day Skipper. We will pass on your lovely feedback to Giles. Thank you again 🙏🏻❤️🤗⛵️👍

Tim Robertshaw 2025.10.16

Having just completed a 2 day prep/refresher course I can honestly say the experience completely exceeded expectations. Andy managed to run the days to cater for each persons needs effortlessly , his patient and calm teaching style is so encouraging along with some banter thrown in. He was great at always encouraging everyone and taking positives from situations to improve our sailing skills. The boat is absolutely immaculately clean and thoroughly maintained and the food is outstanding so thank you Kathryn for your work behind the scenes preparing this. If you want top class instruction, restaurant quality food and to be made to feel at home and welcome throughout then I would highly recommend Acadamy Sailing.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.16

Hi Tim - just seen this review which has popped up from your 2 day refresher / prep for your Skipper course. Pleasure having you with us and thank you for the kind feedback ❤️😊👍

James Bardrick 2025.10.16

After years of talking about it, my wife booked us on the RYA Day Skipper Practical course with Academy Sailing. We boarded Dream Odyssey on Monday morning and lived aboard until Friday afternoon. Having already completed the excellent RYA Day Skipper Shorebased course with Skippers Online, we needed to complete the practical course to get our ICC to allow us to charter a yacht in Europe. The week totally exceeded our expectations. We had great instruction covering all aspects of the syllabus so we learnt so much and improved on what we already thought we knew and could do. The best thing was that at the end of the week having received our certificates , we both agreed that we had had a fantastic week of sailing. We explored the Essex and Suffolk coast and river and we loved meeting , learning, socialising in the evenings and sailing together with our fellow students and brilliant instructor. This was all a real and unexpected bonus; and I haven’t mentioned yet just how comfortable living on Dream Odyssey was and the wonderful food. It was all terrific so not just a course passed but a fabulous 5 day holiday into the bargain ! Thank you Academy Sailing. We were lucky with the weather but you made sure nothing else was down to chance - we can’t recommend this experience too highly.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.16

Hi James - so glad you had such a great time. You did brilliantly on your RYA Day Skipper qualification. Really appreciate the review - thank you so much! 😊 Andy & Kathryn 😊👍⛵️

Joanne Powell 2025.10.06

Hi Andy and Kathryn. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the great course and such fabulous food. Thank you for all the gluten free bits, too. I learned loads and certainly feel I will make a more competent crew now especially required as my husband has just put an offer on a sailing boat after doing competent crew, day skipper and coastal skipper with you! I will definitely book next year for day skipper when it all feels a bit more fluent.

Hi Andy and Kathryn. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the great course and such fabulous food. Thank you for all the gluten free bits, too. I learned loads and certainly feel I will make a more competent crew now especially required as my husband has just put an offer on a sailing boat after doing competent crew, day skipper and coastal skipper with you! I will definitely book next year for day skipper when it all feels a bit more fluent.

Hi Andy and Kathryn. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the great course and such fabulous food. Thank you for all the gluten free bits, too. I learned loads and certainly feel I will make a more competent crew now especially required as my husband has just put an offer on a sailing boat after doing competent crew, day skipper and coastal skipper with you! I will definitely book next year for day skipper when it all feels a bit more fluent.

Hi Andy and Kathryn. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the great course and such fabulous food. Thank you for all the gluten free bits, too. I learned loads and certainly feel I will make a more competent crew now especially required as my husband has just put an offer on a sailing boat after doing competent crew, day skipper and coastal skipper with you! I will definitely book next year for day skipper when it all feels a bit more fluent.

Hi Andy and Kathryn. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the great course and such fabulous food. Thank you for all the gluten free bits, too. I learned loads and certainly feel I will make a more competent crew now especially required as my husband has just put an offer on a sailing boat after doing competent crew, day skipper and coastal skipper with you! I will definitely book next year for day skipper when it all feels a bit more fluent.

Hi Andy and Kathryn. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the great course and such fabulous food. Thank you for all the gluten free bits, too. I learned loads and certainly feel I will make a more competent crew now especially required as my husband has just put an offer on a sailing boat after doing competent crew, day skipper and coastal skipper with you! I will definitely book next year for day skipper when it all feels a bit more fluent.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.06

Hi Jo - so pleased you enjoyed it so much. Your kind words mean a lot. And congrats on buying your Moody sailing yacht!! You will have so many lovely times on it. We will keep an eye out for you on the water and we look forward to welcoming you back for your RYA Day Skipper course! ❤️

Mike Larcombe 2025.10.05

Really enjoyed my split-weekend Day Skipper course. We had the full range of conditions and our excellent instructor (Giles) made the most of the opportunity. The other crew members were a pleassure to spend time with too and the food was superb! The boat was comfortable and felt very safe, even in the extreme weather. It would have been easy to cancel the course, but thanks to Giles we used every scrap of time to cover the things we needed to. Would thoroughly recommend this sailing school - comms and kit-list etc were all very clear and everything worked out just fine - despite the weather!! Thanks to Academy, and especially to Giles.

Really enjoyed my split-weekend Day Skipper course. We had the full range of conditions and our excellent instructor (Giles) made the most of the opportunity. The other crew members were a pleassure to spend time with too and the food was superb! The boat was comfortable and felt very safe, even in the extreme weather. It would have been easy to cancel the course, but thanks to Giles we used every scrap of time to cover the things we needed to. Would thoroughly recommend this sailing school - comms and kit-list etc were all very clear and everything worked out just fine - despite the weather!! Thanks to Academy, and especially to Giles.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.05

Thank you Michael - congrats on the RYA Day Skipper. Thoroughly deserved and an absolute pleasure having you on the course 😊 Andrew & Kathryn

Sarah Thomas 2025.10.05

I’ve just completed my RYA Competent Crew course with Academy Sailing and couldn’t be happier with the experience. The instruction was clear, supportive, and perfectly balanced with practical learning. I now feel confident and capable as part of a yacht crew. The whole week was well organised, enjoyable, and even the food exceeded expectations. A fantastic introduction to sailing — highly recommended!

I’ve just completed my RYA Competent Crew course with Academy Sailing and couldn’t be happier with the experience. The instruction was clear, supportive, and perfectly balanced with practical learning. I now feel confident and capable as part of a yacht crew. The whole week was well organised, enjoyable, and even the food exceeded expectations. A fantastic introduction to sailing — highly recommended!

I’ve just completed my RYA Competent Crew course with Academy Sailing and couldn’t be happier with the experience. The instruction was clear, supportive, and perfectly balanced with practical learning. I now feel confident and capable as part of a yacht crew. The whole week was well organised, enjoyable, and even the food exceeded expectations. A fantastic introduction to sailing — highly recommended!

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.06

Thanks Sarah - glad you had such a good time and we really hope to see you again. ❤️

Nigel Matthews 2025.09.29

I recently completed my RYA Competent Crew course and it was an unforgettable experience from start to finish. I joined as a complete beginner with only a basic understanding of sailing, but by the end of the course I felt I had quickly gone from novice to capable and confident on the water. The hands-on learning approach worked well and in all weathers over the five days too! Also, really good to meet new people in the same boat 😉, there was a real sense of camaraderie and by the end it felt like we'd become a small close-knit team. Our instructors, Andy and Giles, were both highly capable and friendly, creating an easy-going, enjoyable and fun atmosphere and always happy to go over things again when needed. The boat was perfect, well maintained, spacious and the meals provided by Kathryn and prepared by the instructors were outstanding, especially the homemade almond slice and (of course) the banana cake 🙂 I would highly recommend this course. The organisation, the boat and the people make for a fantastic setting to develop your skills and enjoy a few days sailing.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.06

Thanks for such nice words Nigel. Glad you enjoyed it so much. Hope to see you soon. ❤️

Perry Harris 2025.09.23

I recently returned to complete my Day Skipper course with Academy Sailing, having previously done my Competent Crew with them last year. I chose to return because the first experience was outstanding, and once again, they did not disappoint! The boat Dream Odyssey is beautifully maintained and feels less like a training vessel and more like a welcoming home on the water. The food throughout the 5-day course was exceptional, Kathryn really knows how to create incredible breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (plus more cake than you could possibly eat!). This time I had the pleasure of being trained by both Andy and Giles. They are absolutely fantastic instructors who strike the perfect balance between professional guidance and making sailing an adventure. Even when we had a sail in the rain, the high quality foul weather gear provided by Academy kept us all completely dry and comfortable. If you’re considering booking a course with Academy Sailing, I cannot recommend them highly enough. Great people who feel like friends for life, a superbly kept boat, amazing food, and top class teaching. Thank you, Academy Sailing, for another unforgettable experience! See you on the Costal Skipper course soon!!

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.06

Perry - well done on your RYA Day Skipper qualification. It was a real pleasure to have you on the course. Hope to see you back for your RYA Coastal Skipper to really push those skills!! 😊⛵️ thanks again. Andy & Kathryn

CLINT Beagle 2025.09.23

I've just completed a competent crew course with Academy Sailing and can highly recommend them. Fantastic tuition, food and yacht. Very professional whilst being a lot of fun. Have already booked the next course with them.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.10.06

Clint - well done on the course. Your were a super member of the crew. Glad you had a great time and we hope to see you back soon. ❤️

Steven Gates 2025.08.24

Academy sailing helped put together an unforgettable send-off for my grandparents. Highly recommended for family occasions.

Academy sailing helped put together an unforgettable send-off for my grandparents. Highly recommended for family occasions.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.08.24

Thank you Steven. It was such a pleasure to have your lovely family on board for such an important family event. So pleased it went so well for you and thank you for letting us play a part in helping make it happen. Andrew & Kathryn ⛵️❤️

Karen 2025.07.03

I did my Competent Crew from Lymington to Dartmouth. I was the only one doing CC, the other 3 doing their Day Skipper but this was to my advantage as I took in all they were learning. Our instructor, Giles, was excellent. He had knowledge and enthusiasm for sailing and teaching with a really good sense of humour which put us all at ease. Dream Odyssey was well appointed and comfortable and provisions were more than adequate. I would totally recommend Academy Sailing with its friendly and helpful owners Andy and Catherine. Catherine bakes good cakes too 😁

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.07.05

Hi Karen - thanks for the review - very grateful for such kind words. We are glad you enjoyed it so much and hope to see you back for your RYA Day Skipper course! Thanks again. Andy & Kathryn ❤️⛵️

Martin Whitehead 2025.06.06

I had a brilliant time, on the taster day, learnt a lot, and the instructor, was brilliant

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.06.06

Thanks Martin. Will pass on to Giles. Glad you had such a lovely time 😊👍⛵️

Jo S. 2025.06.03

We did a dayskipper course as a group of 4 friends and had an absolutely lovely time. Great course, boat, food and in particularly instructor! Would recommend 10/10.

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.06.03

Hi Jo - thank you for the very kind review. Glad you had a super time. Nice to chat to you a short time ago too. Hayley is a wonderful instructor and we are proud to have her working with us. Congrats on the RYA Day Skipper qualifications - great work and well deserved 😊⛵️👍 Andy & Kathryn

Darren Abbott 2025.05.29

Hi. We all had a brilliant week. Hayley was very patient and despite the occasionally lively weather conditions felt very safe in her capable hands. We all feel far more knowledgeable and feel inspired to learn and experience more to reinforce what we were taught. Dream Odyssey was comfortable and well equipped and the surroundings were peaceful at anchor in the evenings. Hayley took us to beautiful, sheltered spots hidden away and another in the thick of a race which was very entertaining to watch! The food was fabulous and a real highlight of the weekend, meal portions and snacks provided were generous and our waistlines may never recover! The cake was particularly delicious. The communication and warm welcome from booking to course completion has been outstanding and I would not hesitate to recommend you all to others wishing to take their competent crew course or day skipper. We would love to come back to build on our skills at some point if you would have us. Darren, Karen ,Will and Isobel

Hi. We all had a brilliant week. Hayley was very patient and despite the occasionally lively weather conditions felt very safe in her capable hands. We all feel far more knowledgeable and feel inspired to learn and experience more to reinforce what we were taught. Dream Odyssey was comfortable and well equipped and the surroundings were peaceful at anchor in the evenings. Hayley took us to beautiful, sheltered spots hidden away and another in the thick of a race which was very entertaining to watch! The food was fabulous and a real highlight of the weekend, meal portions and snacks provided were generous and our waistlines may never recover! The cake was particularly delicious. The communication and warm welcome from booking to course completion has been outstanding and I would not hesitate to recommend you all to others wishing to take their competent crew course or day skipper. We would love to come back to build on our skills at some point if you would have us. Darren, Karen ,Will and Isobel

Hi. We all had a brilliant week. Hayley was very patient and despite the occasionally lively weather conditions felt very safe in her capable hands. We all feel far more knowledgeable and feel inspired to learn and experience more to reinforce what we were taught. Dream Odyssey was comfortable and well equipped and the surroundings were peaceful at anchor in the evenings. Hayley took us to beautiful, sheltered spots hidden away and another in the thick of a race which was very entertaining to watch! The food was fabulous and a real highlight of the weekend, meal portions and snacks provided were generous and our waistlines may never recover! The cake was particularly delicious. The communication and warm welcome from booking to course completion has been outstanding and I would not hesitate to recommend you all to others wishing to take their competent crew course or day skipper. We would love to come back to build on our skills at some point if you would have us. Darren, Karen ,Will and Isobel

Hi. We all had a brilliant week. Hayley was very patient and despite the occasionally lively weather conditions felt very safe in her capable hands. We all feel far more knowledgeable and feel inspired to learn and experience more to reinforce what we were taught. Dream Odyssey was comfortable and well equipped and the surroundings were peaceful at anchor in the evenings. Hayley took us to beautiful, sheltered spots hidden away and another in the thick of a race which was very entertaining to watch! The food was fabulous and a real highlight of the weekend, meal portions and snacks provided were generous and our waistlines may never recover! The cake was particularly delicious. The communication and warm welcome from booking to course completion has been outstanding and I would not hesitate to recommend you all to others wishing to take their competent crew course or day skipper. We would love to come back to build on our skills at some point if you would have us. Darren, Karen ,Will and Isobel

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.05.29

Thanks you Darren. We are so pleased you and your family had such a lovely week. Really appreciate the kind words and we would love to have you back. Will certainly pass you lovely kind words onto Hayley as well. Thank you again. Andy & Kathryn

Gemma Smith 2025.05.19

My Husband and I have just finished our competent crew course with Academy Sailing and had an amazing time! I had heard from friends that doing comp crew “is not a holiday”, so I was anticipating a bit of a slog but I needn’t have been worried, the pace of learning was comfortable, plenty of tea and biscuit breaks, time to talk through all the practical activities to really understand it all. We did the split course over two weekends and had two different instructors, Andy and Hayley and both were super knowledgable, fun, and great teachers. To top it all off, the food was amazing, and it really made it for me - although we were working hard it did make it feel like a holiday after all. We are already looking for our next opportunity to go again! Thanks so much, Andy, Hayley and Kathryn!

My Husband and I have just finished our competent crew course with Academy Sailing and had an amazing time!
I had heard from friends that doing comp crew “is not a holiday”, so I was anticipating a bit of a slog but I needn’t have been worried, the pace of learning was comfortable, plenty of tea and biscuit breaks, time to talk through all the practical activities to really understand it all. We did the split course over two weekends and had two different instructors, Andy and Hayley and both were super knowledgable, fun, and great teachers. To top it all off, the food was amazing, and it really made it for me - although we were working hard it did make it feel like a holiday after all. We are already looking for our next opportunity to go again!
Thanks so much, Andy, Hayley and Kathryn!

My Husband and I have just finished our competent crew course with Academy Sailing and had an amazing time!
I had heard from friends that doing comp crew “is not a holiday”, so I was anticipating a bit of a slog but I needn’t have been worried, the pace of learning was comfortable, plenty of tea and biscuit breaks, time to talk through all the practical activities to really understand it all. We did the split course over two weekends and had two different instructors, Andy and Hayley and both were super knowledgable, fun, and great teachers. To top it all off, the food was amazing, and it really made it for me - although we were working hard it did make it feel like a holiday after all. We are already looking for our next opportunity to go again!
Thanks so much, Andy, Hayley and Kathryn!

Reply from Academy Sailing | RYA Sailing Courses 2025.05.20

Hayley - it was lovely having you and Darren on the course. You were both great and we had a lot of fun! Thank you for the lovely review and we look forward to seeing you again 😊👍⛵️ Andy & Kathryn

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