A Passion for Sailing and Adventure

Shearwater Sailing School

Shearwater Sailing School is a family run sailing school specialising in providing a friendly, expert, and quality sailing experience. At £495 for a fully inclusive 5 day RYA course Shearwater Sailing School also offers great value for money. All tuition for practical and shore based courses are taken by the Chief Instructor.

Location

Based at the picturesque Woolverstone Marina on the beautiful River Orwell near Ipswich, all facilities are immediately available. There are excellent road and rail connections with the A12 and railway making Central London only 60 miles away and the A14 offering swift access from the Midlands and North. There is free parking on site.

Woolverstone Marina offers all tide access to the East Coast Rivers and Southern North Sea. The East Coast, with many marinas and anchorages, offers a safe and comfortable destination whatever the weather. This could be rowing a dinghy ashore from a mooring for a traditional pint at the famous Butt and Oyster Pub at Pin Mill or visiting one of the many bars or restaurants at The Waterfront of Ipswich in the centre of this vibrant town. A passage plan is usually set and sailed to one of the unspoilt and un crowded Essex rivers of the Blackwater and Crouch. Many courses navigate their way up Walton Back Waters and anchor for lunch in this setting for much of the book, We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, by Arthur Ransome. Invariably a few seals will join you for lunch and have a nose at the crew.

For the more challenging courses the Thames Estuary offers tricky navigation exercises and with Belgium and Holland only a day’s sail away, ideas and destinations for Yachtmaster qualification passages are a request and favourable wind away.

  Why Choose Shearwater Sailing School

Shearwater Sailing School is deliberately set up as a small sailing school with limited courses each season. The Chief Instructor takes all RYA practical and theory courses and is as enthusiastic at the end of the season as he is at the beginning and during all theory courses. Prices are kept to a minimum as we don’t use expensive office space and staff, nor do we maintain empty classroom space during the season.
All food onboard is fresh and there is plenty of it. The yacht is thoroughly cleaned before and after every course and pillows with clean pillow cases are provided for all berths.
All efforts go into maintaining and equipping the yacht school Halberg Rassy to the highest order and to providing the highest, varied and fun instruction tailored to what works for the individual student.
All students who sail with Shearwater Sailing School gain a real quality experience and thoroughly enjoy their week onboard learning new skills and working as a team sailing to new places. Most come back for more courses or mile builders. Many recommend their family and friends.