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 ..read more

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....ht ..read more

For this episode I’m joined by 2 very special guests for this fascinating episode of Take The Helm Hilly Millerand 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.firstclasssail ..read more

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=Cj0KCQjwq86wBhDiARI ..read more

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 absolu ..read more

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.firstclasssai ..read more

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 ..read more

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 a ..read more

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 o ..read more

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 ..read more