Welcome to another episode in the First Class Sailing, ‘Take the Helm’ series. 

For this edition marine podcaster Ceri Hurford-Jones is joined by Sophie Le Butt, who recently completed (and passed!) both her Day skipper theory and practical courses with First Class Sailing

Sophie was a fantastic guest to talk to as she gave me her views on both the courses and their challenges, along with sharing her own personal direction of travel in the sailing world.

I hope you’ll find her story interesting and that it provides you with some useful insights into how First Class Sailing could help you achieve your own objectives on the water.

For more information just click on the link:

https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

Welcome to another in the First Class Sailing series of Take The Helm with me Ceri Hurford-Jones

For this episode I'm joined by Stephanie and Lawrence, a couple who have together recently completed a competent crew course with First Class Sailing…..

I was really keen to find out how they got on…but I also wanted to discover if there had been much stress on the boat, what they had learned and what they were going to do next!

If you would like to follow in their footsteps just click on the link to find out more......https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

Welcome to another episode in the First Class Sailing 'Take the Helm' series, with me Ceri Hurford-Jones, For this episode I'm joined by Steve Barrett who recently completed a number of courses with First Class Sailing

Steve was a great guest to talk with, as he’s come into the sailing world at the start of his retirement life, so had a different motivation for gaining his qualifications.

I hope you’ll find his story interesting and that it provides you with some useful insights into how First Class Sailing could help you achieve your own objectives.

To find out more just click here....https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

For this episode I’m joined by 2 very special guests for this fascinating episode of Take The Helm

Hilly and Alex Guerandel, are both Freelance Yachtmaster Offshore instructors who also happen to be a couple!

They are both excellent ambassadors who are very experienced with dozens of successful students having  passed through there courses. Between them they have many thousands of cruising miles under their belts, and clearly love imparting on their knowledge.

To find out how you could get out on the water and discover new adventures just click here https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

Do share and like this episode and let me know what you think

Paul Lewis has a very simple philosophy on board the boat....having fun whilst learning!

He said 'the first part of the course is always about bringing everybody together so everyone feels included and starts to work together as a team'.

Paul wants his candidates during the course to have had a good opportunity to plan a trip, deliver a trip and be a support crew for the rest of everybody else.

If you would like to join Paul on board a First Class Sailing boat just click here

https://www.firstclasssailing.com/rya-courses/day-skipper-practical?_gl=1*aowib8*_up*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwq86wBhDiARIsAJhuphkpNqrp_H-g5iWwg3kswbZ73tMPEz_RVP5KP_gFPUPp7kE7fV9bnBEaAlOMEALw_wcB

In this episode John Lenz describes his time sailing with various members of the First Class Sailing family....to find out how you could begin your own nautical journey with a coastal sailing course just click here

https://www.firstclasssailing.com/rya-courses/coastal-skipper?_gl=1*fd951r*_up*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwq86wBhDiARIsAJhuphkpNqrp_H-g5iWwg3kswbZ73tMPEz_RVP5KP_gFPUPp7kE7fV9bnBEaAlOMEALw_wcB

Born in South Africa, raised in Australia John Lenz describes himself more English than Aussie or South African. His grandfather, who was a Yorkshire man, moved to Zimbabwe many years ago and absolutely loved the ocean from who John clearly got his passion from.

Later in life he and his business partner were looking for somewhere get out of the office and have a bit of a chat..... and that's when his journey with First Class Sailing began.

Welcome to another episode in the First-Class Sailing ‘take the helm’ series.

Today I’m with Bruce Wickens a shore-based instructor with First Class Sailing.

Learning with FCS is a great way to learn how to navigate. and are directly aimed at those that have done little or no actual navigation, regardless of whether you have a lot of sailing experience or in fact none!

The course includes learning lots about Day Skipper navigation (including use of GPS and electronic charts), meteorology, the collision regulations and safety procedures.

To book your next course visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/rya-theory-courses?_gl=1*1cr3bpt*_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAiAi6uvBhADEiwAWiyRdhb-bfttcjsn8Us2swwwMpDTBjeMYIEMuwW783GNghwTfcFuu8FWRBoCV8sQAvD_BwE

For this episode podcaster Ceri is talking all things racing with Cameron Davis, who runs a fantastic yacht called Espresso Martini, on behalf of First Class Sailing.

He and his first mate will take you out on the water to get a real taste of life at the cutting edge of the racing world in a safe and fully supported environment giving you an experience and adrenaline rush like no other, combined with the satisfaction of working in a team that’s being tested to its limits.

To book your taste of racing just visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/yacht-racing

Ricky discovered the thrill of sailing relatively late in his life after booking a sailing holiday on a whim for his family. He then signed up for a Round-The-World yacht race, billed as the "Worlds Toughest Yacht Race" - the Global Challenge 2004-5.

That experience decided Ricky's future - he gave up his high powered career in Information Technology.Wind forward fifteen years and Ricky has now clocked up 260,000 sea miles, completed another Round-The-World-Race, this time as skipper in 2007-8, six trans Atlantic ARC races, six Fastnet Races, and sixteen Atlantic crossings as well as sailing as far North as the Lofoton Islands in the Arctic Circle and as far South as 62 degrees South, 120 miles further South of Cape Horn. 

He is the Principle of his own RYA Sailing School, instructs and examines for a number of other sailing schools including First Class Sailing.

First Class Sailing talk to Paul Pilsworth about the practical courses he runs for us and what to expect when you get on board for a weekend of week with him. Upon retirement Paul sailed across the Atlantic, before relocating to Cowes where he bought a yacht. He then realised his long held dream of sailing round Britain before becoming a cruising instructor! 

He's enjoyed teaching both novice and experienced sailors for First Class Sailing now for nearly 10 years. As many of my students say about him "Paul really is really living the dream!” 

To find out how you could take the helm on board one of First Class Sailing yachts just visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/ fulfilment of a long held dream of arriving at a favourite destination on our round Britain sail.

Alex Eyre talks to First Class Sailing's podcaster Ceri Hurford-Jones about her sailing experiences to date and her plans for the future. At the age of 7 Alex discovered sailing, mucking around in old wooden wayfarers in the Devon estuaries. But is wasn't until University that she really got the sailing bug as she joined the yachting team race training and exploring the Clyde, spending nights at anchor in remote Scottish villages and towns including Tarbet and Holy Loch.

In 2013 she ended up working on some ex Whitbread yachts in the Whitsundays taking backpackers on 3 day trips, followed by a life changing experience that saw her taking part in the Fastnet yacht race,In 2017 she decided to fulfill a life long dream and cross the Atlantic, at trip that really followed in her mother’s foot steps. 

And that is where First Class Sailing came in........

RNLI crew member Rebecca Miller talks to Ceri about taking part on the 2019 ARC yacht race and how in the middle of a night watch she was visited by a butterfly, whilst whales played in the wake of their 72ft craft. 

You could experience this for yourself by clicking here https://www.firstclasssailing.com

Clive Morgan tells Ceri how he moved from racing a dingy to helming a 72ft racing yacht across the Atlantic from the Canaries to the Caribbean in the ARC Rally. Sailing across the Atlantic is a pretty special experience, let alone racing across. Ocean racing is not for the faint hearted. It might be at times quite physically demanding, certainly exhilarating, and definitely fun. You could experience this for yourself by clicking here........

https://www.firstclasssailing.com

In this special 'live' edition Hugo talks to fellow candidate Ceri Hurford-Jones about his sailing experiences to date and his three days of yachtmaster prep as he gets ready to face the examiner. 

To talk to the First Class Sailing team about improving your own sailing skills visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

First Class Sailings podcaster Ceri Hurford-Jones continues to meet up with people who take up the challenges to improve their sailing skills and become more competent RYA qualified Day Skippers. Today he meets up with Julian Roberts to discover more about getting qualified. 

To book your own course just go to https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

Kate Hattersley explains how an on line theory course she is taking really helped her to get the knowledge she needed for the next step on her sailing journey with First Class Sailing. 

To find out how to expand your sailing knowledge via an online course, with a live instructor just visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/rya-courses/yachtmaster-ocean-theory-course

Nigel Rennie started sailing in 1984 whilst serving in the Army (REME). He qualified as a Yachtmaster Instructor in 1990 becoming an RYA Examiner a few years later. He’s skippered large sail training yachts worldwide, crossing most of the oceans and venturing south as far as the Falkland Islands.

Presently Rear Commodore Sailing for Warsash Sailing Club, Nigel splits his sailing time between instructing and examining Yachtmasters, teaching Celestial Navigation, offshore racing safety and boat handling skills. Recreational sailing includes supporting club sailing and family chartering

Here he share with First Class Sailing some of the wealth of experience he has built up as to what makes a Ocean Yachtmaster.

For more information on how to improve your boating skills just visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

Nigel Rennie started sailing in 1984 whilst serving in the Army (REME). He qualified as a Yachtmaster Instructor in 1990 becoming an RYA Examiner a few years later. He’s skippered large sail training yachts worldwide, crossing most of the oceans and venturing south as far as the Falkland Islands.

Presently Rear Commodore Sailing for Warsash Sailing Club, Nigel splits his sailing time between instructing and examining Yachtmasters, teaching Celestial Navigation, offshore racing safety and boat handling skills. Recreational sailing includes supporting club sailing and family chartering

Here he share with First Class Sailing some of hints and tips that could help you become a qualified RYA Yachtmaster.

For more information on how to improve your boating skills just visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/

First Class Sailing help boat owner Mark Essex achieve his goal of getting his Yachmaster qualification. Here he talks to FCS Ceri Hurford-Jones about how he found the course and the pressures of the exam and the challenging conditions it was was held in!

For more information on how to improve your boating skills just visit https://www.firstclasssailing.com/