RYA Sailing Courses in Gibraltar –

The Trafalgar Sailing Team

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:

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
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
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 Cruising 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
Cathy

Cathy

Shore-based Crew

Cathy has been running the RYA school in Gibraltar for over 21 years. She knows the most important factors for a successful sailing course; Excellent RYA Instructors, well maintained and comfortable yachts, good home-made food and wine onboard and the personal care a family business can give. She studied Travel & Tourism and worked in America organising educational tours for American students in Europe. She returned to Spain to work on corporate events and started Trafalgar Sailing at 21.

Just wanted to thank you and Jim for a fantastic week of sailing. The boat was great and your food was brilliant.   Can’t tell you how good Tom was, great instructor and all round nice guy. Shall make sure I mention you to my friends and look forward to seeing you all again.

Mike Thornton

Just wanted to send my thanks and appreciation to you, Jim and Tom for a superb weeks sailing on Jambo last week. Tom was an excellent instructor who gave us some really useful tips and pointers, he is a credit to you and your team, his manner and way of conveying sailing was very much appreciated, nothing was too much trouble and he certainly made the entire week very enjoyable for all on board.
We also shouldn’t forget to say that the boat was very stocked well and the meals provided were superb once we had got over the novelty of eating in Tapas bars along the coast.
We will certainly be planning a return trip next year and look forward to seeing you then. Once again thanks for all your help.

Andy Braund

Eric recommended you to me, I have always wanted to come to Gibraltar and it is definitely warmer than the U.K. The course was brilliant and despite the weather, I learned a lot, Charlie was amazing, so cool and confident, I am a very nervous sailor and he inspired me with confidence.
I don’t know much about marketing, you could definitely say that “whatever the weather you get the maximum sailing experience on a fantastic boat”. You could also push the home cooked food and excellent facilities in most marinas
The food was good, can you send me the recipe for the last veggie meal you did please it was fabulous.
I hope to see you again maybe next year

Celia Jones

I had a great week sailing, here’s my response to your survey:
The information provided on the site and the opportunity to speak with you about the course convinced me.  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.
The food was fine. I usually have cereal for breakfast so the boat was perfectly stocked for me. 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.
The course itself was perfect as it was, 5 days of practical sailing. The waters around the tip Gib are challenging and with the constant westerly. No need to change anything. 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

I found you on the internet.
I booked with you as you were better priced.
The course was very informative.
Our instructor was great very informative very knowledgeable even down to spending time showing us around engine far superior to course I did in UK.
The food was exceptional and we were give fresh bread and cakes, fruit etc without asking each day, she thought she was feeding the 5000, she was lovely.
The bedding was clean fresh as were the heads and the rest of the boat.
I think the course is fine as it is and after watching a couple of other schools working and mooring beside us I am so happy we sailed with you.

Ken Maybury
John Mathews

John Mathews

RYA Yachtmaster Instructor

John teaches Competent crew, Day Skipper and Yachtmaster RYA courses. He sailed extensively before settling down in Spain and teaching RYA courses in Gibraltar. He has been a Yachtmaster Instructor for many years dedicated to training students towards the Yachtmaster offshore exam.
He has a relaxed and patient approach to teaching with great success. See clients’ comments below:

John was brilliant. I was out of my comfort zone being a novice but john made me feel safe and comfortable. He has a great skill in being able to teach they way he does making it fun at the same time. He is a brilliant asset to Trafalgar Sailing. We would be keen to do more courses with yourselves knowing John would be our instructor again!

Lynsey Turnbull

John is such a sharp and experienced skipper/trainer it was a pleasure to be on board with him, and I know that when I am sailing with Jane and Chris in the future we will make a better crew. John quickly and correctly revealed the gaps in my knowledge.

David Leslie

Excellent. Good approach to the level of the crew & balanced information / hands on to enjoying a holiday. Please send our thanks to John. Everyone really enjoyed his company & all the crew felt safe as he inspired confidence. RYA course was well structured & with a good phased approach over the week,

Steve Barnes