About Me

Background:

I have been teaching sailing for all my working life (32 years). Initially I was a dinghy instructor then moved in to yachts once realised I did not want to spend all my time sitting in a puddle! Originally it was only possible to find work from Easter to October but one of the biggest changes in the industry has been the extension of the sailing season to being a professional year round occupation in the UK and the amount of work available during the winter in warmer climates.

In that time I have worked for many different organisations, from commercial schools, within the school and youth service system, to freelance teaching. I set up and ran my own school for 7 years, based from Chatham Dockyard on the River Medway.

I qualified as a Yachtmaster at the age of 18, and I am now a Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner with the Yachtmaster Ocean endorsement, until recently was working as the chief instructor at the British Offshore Sailing School.

I run a large number of practical courses at all levels, from beginners up to the Cruising Instructor qualification. I also teach the RYA theory courses up to Yachtmaster Ocean and the VHF radio Short Range Certificate.

One of the best parts of my work is being able to sail on different boats to a variety of places and to help my student get the best out of their time afloat.

In addition to formal courses I frequently teach students on their own vessels. As the course structure can only take you so far, and I have found that when a client purchases their own vessel, a few days training on their own boat is invaluable.

In addition to sailing, I have also taught snow skiing, sea kayaking and mountaineering and now spend most of my spare time scuba diving.

For the past few years I have been working full time in residential property management in Ascot and Windlesham. This is an area that I have been involved in for several years previously, on a part time basis (I had to do some thing to earn a real living!), mainly renting out holiday accommodation in Mallorca. So if you are looking to rent or buy property in the Ascot area, visit our website at carr.co.uk.

Obviously I have less time to sail now, but most weekends or holidays I am out on the water or teaching in a classroom. I normally run evening classes at the Farnham and Camberley Adult Education Centres in the winter.

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