RYA Sailing Courses in Gibraltar

Trafalgar Sailing Instructors

Jim Field

Jim Field

Principal RYA Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner

Jim teaches the Competent crew, Day Skipper and Yachtmaster RYA courses and charters. He has sailed as race crew together with Team New Zealand on the famous J class yacht Velsheda for 15 years, sailing at Antigua Race week, The Rolex Cup Sardinia, Voile de St Tropez and Cowes week. For 20 years he was a Saturation Diver working at depths of 200m. He is now Principal of Trafalgar Sailing, an RYA examiner and RYA Cruising Instructor. He is totally enthusiastic about sailing and an excellent RYA Instructor. See clients’ comments below:

It was a steep learning curve and already after the first day I felt like I’ve learnt a lot. Jim was always friendly, helpful and passionate about sailing. Also, had many interesting stories and was a great fun in our post-sailing meetups.

Rimvydas Natkins

I wanted to say hello and that we miss Jim 🙂 Training in Gibraltar was such a great experience! Both extremely informative and we also felt very much at home. Jim’s friendliness added a huge value to the training you guys offer. So now, as we’re sitting here in Poros, we’re finding that we miss his presence dearly.

Tomas Tombakas

Just a quick mail to say thanks for a great week of sailing. Had a good time and learnt a whole load about boat handling so feeling much more confident about maneuvering my 40ft boat into tight spaces now. If I ever decide to take my Coastal Skipper practical I’ll be in touch and will have no hesitation in recommending you to friends.

Keiron Shatwell

Just to let you know, today we went out for the first time on our own. Amazing! The difference between ‘know what’ and ‘know how’ is incredible. Probably the best sail I have had in a very long time without some one who knows what they are doing being on board..Many thanks to you both for working with Helen and I to get us where we are. I’m very, very pleased with what I’ve learnt. It was a gentle day going up and down on a ‘close reach’ Helen was very happy. Could have pumped it a bit more but step one is to continue Jim’s good work in building up her confidence.

David Killington
Charlie Brownlow

Charlie Brownlow

RYA Yachtmaster Instructor

Charles enjoys teaching Competent crew and Day Skipper RYA sailing courses and family charters. He was manager of a yacht charter fleet in the Greek islands before joining Trafalgar Sailing. Charles is a natural sailor and teacher. He is calm, patient and has a great sense of humour. He has been teaching RYA courses for Trafalgar Sailing for years and we hope he stays for many more. Please read the clients’ comments below:

Dear Cathy,

From the outset I have been thoroughly impressed with Trafalgar Sailing, both yourself, Charlie and Brodie Boy far exceeded my expectations of what the week could have been. Trafalgar Sailing’s location was ideal for myself, Alex and Steve who is now looking forward to his future sailing trips, there is no doubt in my mind that his enthusiasm for the sport was helped by the kind, calming, funny and helpful nature of our instructor Charlie.

Charlie’s clear knowledge and relaxed approach to the week was fundamental for us enjoying ourselves. He constantly challenged us at every opportunity providing the perfect atmosphere to complete both the Day Skipper and Competent Crew course. Alex and I left the course with the confidence and knowledge that we can now charter a yacht safely with our friends and family. Steve is now confident with turning the kettle on whilst at 30 degrees heel 😉

Once again thanks for a fantastic experience, I will be recommending Trafalgar Sailing to all who ask, I hope to see you soon and safe sailing.

Kind Regards,

Matt Dickenson

Matt Dickinson

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Charlie has excellent coaching skills and the ability to encourage the best from his students, without having to adopt an officious approach. He has a friendly, pleasant manner and maintained a calm persona, during even the most difficult of situations. I would wholeheartedly recommend Charlie to any potential students and would gladly sail with him on any future course I might consider.

Ron Davies

I would like to thank Charlie for his efforts throughout the week, he made everybody feel at ease.He is a asset to Trafalgar Sailing. My wife was quiet nervous about completing the course and he handled it in a very professional and confidant way. We both enjoyed the time sailing with you and would personally recommend anybody to use Trafalgar sailing. So a big thank you to yourself, your team and especially Charlie. I hope Trafalgar sailing goes from strength to strength.

Paul & Vicky Houghton

Many thanks again for all your help with our joining in and especially great help for mum, we all had fantastic time with Trafalgar, great experience with Charlie, he is a very good instructor and easy to get on with.

Tianyu Kennedy

Just a quick note to say thanks so much. I really enjoyed my course with Trafalgar. It was a windy old week, we made the most of it & I am absolutely delighted to have my Day Skipper badge! Jambo was perfect, Charles is an excellent instructor, the other crew good company – all in all, I can’t think how it could have been any better. We must now get our boat fixed, then back in the water for lots of practice, but feel I have the confidence to do so.

Kate Wreglesworth

The week went really well – so much so I want to repeat the experience in the near future. Charlie is a good instructor – I was particularly impressed by his man-management and leadership. I also need to mention that his seamanship was of a high order – he is a high value asset. Good luck.

Donald Montgomery

Family all liked Charlie, very knowledgeable and easy company.

Gavin Kennedy

Just a few words to thank you for a very enjoyable and educational week . Charlie is an excellent instructor, one of the best I have ever come across, with his patience and knowledge he is a credit to your company and I will not hesitate to recommend you to anyone. Thanks again

Davy Maclachlan
Nick Pretty

Nick Pretty

RYA Yachtmaster Instructor

Nick Pretty has worked many years in the RYA training and the yacht charter industry worldwide. He teaches all the RYA courses from Competent crew to the Yachtmaster Fast track. His expert knowledge, communication and teaching skills make the RYA course rewarding. See clients’ comments below:

Just completed my RYA Competent Crew course on Brodie Boy with Trafalgar Sailing. Cathy was brilliant throughout the booking process, really helpful. Everything on the course was awesome, great boat, great bunch of guys doing the course as well (thanks to Tim, Simon, Dave and Jim). Our Skipper Nick Pretty pushed us all along at just the right pace, very friendly and extremely knowledgeable guy, thanks Nick for keeping us all safe! Can’t recommend Trafalgar sailing enough.

Alan McKay

Nick was good. Very knowledgeable and made sure we were adequately tested and put in challenging situations. All in all a really enjoyable course and I feel very confident chartering a sailboat on my own after completing the Theory and Practical courses.  If I was interested in continuing to do a Yachtmaster I wouldn’t hesitate to use Trafalgar Sailing however I don’t think I will as I don’t intend to work as a skipper – just charter boats for leisure. I will recommend Trafalgar to friends interested in doing the Day Skipper.

Briton Smith

The sailing course was absolutely fantastic and we all had a fabulous time!

Trino Cruz Cervera

BRILLIANT week Nick – Fantastic Instructor…

Trevor Rulton
Amy Pretty

Amy Pretty

RYA Yachtmaster Instructor

Amy is an enthusiastic and capable Yachtmaster Instructor. Already at a young age she has run her own business, worked on charter yachts in Croatia, crossed the Atlantic and having taught as an RYA Cruising Instructor she is now a qualified Yachtmaster Instructor. Her positive and motivational nature makes her a fabulous RYA Instructor. Read comments below...

We had a brilliant week.  Amy was a great Instructor.  I thoroughly enjoyed the course and had a laugh.  She is a asset to your company.

Roy Walker

Great course by the way and a great instructor.  I learned plenty and feel confident I could sail now.  Course was very helpful and Amy was an excellent tutor . I would be happy to be tutored further by her, friendly, cheerful but firm when required (occasionally it was).

Michael Potts

Amy was very friendly, patient and knowledgeable. She made the whole experience amazing.  The course was fantastic. Everything we wanted to cover and experience was included. The food was great. The accommodation was  fabulous (was our first time sleeping on a yacht).

Paul Lisewski

Amy was superb, much more thorough on her coverage of the safety stuff  and the engine for example.

Michael Wild
Tom Hill

Tom Hill

RYA Yachtmaster Instructor

Tom teaches Competent crew and Day Skipper RYA sailing courses. He was an RYA windsurfer Instructor and met Jim while doing his RYA Yachtmaster in Gibraltar. They made friends and sailed a Spirit yacht to Croatia where he worked for a yacht charter company. Jim saw he had all the characteristics of a great RYA Instructor and asked him to join our RYA sailing school. He now teaches RYA Sailing Courses in Gibraltar. He is passionate about sailing and our clients’ love him, as you can see below:

Tom’s a great instructor. Great personality and demeanour. His teaching style is clear, flexible and relaxed and he pitches himself well against the level and experience of the crew he was teaching . He shows great maturity, patience and knowledge beyond his age. He’s a great guy to be around and made the whole sailing experience hugely enjoyable. I would highly recommend Tom as an instructor and Trafalgar Sailing to anyone wanting to learn or improve their sailing.

Steve Brown

The course was perfect. I feel I have a very strong foundation of practical knowledge and methods to grow from. Tom is great guy who had a good structure to his teaching starting from the ground up with rope work, docking and house keeping before actually sailing. He had loads of little practical tips and explained the methodology behind why certain things are done. These gems keep coming up all week on the various aspects of sailing.Most importantly he was patient with a good sense of humour.

Lunch was a big hearty baguette sandwich which was perfect as it could be eaten on the go. The evening meals were great too. Great pillows too. Even in hotels I struggle to sleep well with 2 decent pillows. I slept better on the boat than in many hotels.

Cathy, I had a great time sailing and I’m certainly interested in doing my day skipper with you, probably in a couple of months.

Neil Murphy

Tom is a friendly, motivated and outgoing chap who works hard to make the week as informative and enjoyable as possible. He’s never afraid to answer challenging questions and always makes you feel comfortable in doing so. His experience shines through in his teaching and his knowledge and skills made for some incredible sailing, although he’ll never forget to ask questions to make sure you’re learning along the way! Rarely without a smile on his face or a bad joke to tell, it was a real pleasure to have Tom as an instructor with Trafalgar Sailing.

Matt Bill

Tom was a great teacher – he went through everything really clearly and was always willing to re-explain or give practical examples. Equally, he got the mix between teaching and making the week fun exactly right

Holly Cova