Dates for 2023

One and two day courses available in March so just give me a call to arrange.

April 21 – 26th Plymouth start and finish. Suit YM prep. Three places left. At present we have one YM offshore candidate for an exam. If we get more I will need to extend the course to six days.

Sorry full

19th – 24th May. Penzance to Penzance Day skipper course. Might get to Scilly!

3 places left

Dates for 2022

I am available for own boat tuition anywhere and time over the winter months. However our training boat is now in refit.

She will be back on the water in March 23 for another great seasons training.

Rolling hitch anchor bridle

Old stuff under here.

Yes. that too. Gotta be done

Close quarters sailing skills  – a big part of what we do

Warping the Cat alongside

Havre Goslin on Sark in Channel Islands

Now you don’t see these every day.

“You’re smiling like the Dolphin” Channel Islands

TopCat Scotland and back 2015

Great sailing, great training ! Heres a few pictures from a trip taking us from Plymouth along both south and north coasts of Cornwall, over

to Lundy thence to south Wales. Buryport, over to southern Ireland
( Arklow, Wicklow, Houth) Northern Ireland too.  Annalong, Strangford lough.  Over to Portpatrick on the Mull of Galoway. Into the firth of Clyde via AilsaCraig, Campbelltown on the Mull of kintyre, loch Ranza on Arran, Kyles of Bute then a crew change in largs.

That was just to get north. Heading south again took in  Isle of Man, Menai Strait ( north Wales) and back via the Scilly’s. What a summer!

You get a little more with Top Cat. No we don’t swan around the Solent. These are  true Cruising courses. Passage planning big time. Real passage making. Every harbour is one we have rarely or never seen before!

2013 Spain adventure

Top Cat’s summer cruise got off to a fine start with an easy sail across the channel to L’Aberildut. I remember a right old fight getting the anchor back! tried every trick in the book and still getting nowhere. Eventually tried putting a small loop of chain around the main cable and dropping it down a tight main anchor chain. Drop the main chain and pull on the small loop. It worked! we couldn’t believe it. All stop here though as we found the starboard engine had cracked a piston? So a U turn and back over the channel via Ile de batz ( Beautiful drying anchorage in perfect shelter) Limped home, Well I call it limping, but we had sails and one engine just like half a boat!. Engine  re-bored etc. Mago eventually got herself down to Northern Spain. A hard place to cruise with big swells, shallow drying entrances and harbours few and far between. Beautiful but not easy!