About Ramsgate Sailing School
Sailing from the only Royal Harbour in the UK, within easy reach of London, we can set sail to a myriad of destination ports on the South and East coast as well in France and Holland.
set sail
with us...
With thousands of sea miles under our belt, we have all the experience you need to help you start your sailing journey or boost you to the next level.
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From our base in Ramsgate we offer a variety of sailing courses including RYA Competent Crew, Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper
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Team building and hospitality events (including participation in yacht racing) can be tailored to suit individual need and budgets.
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We are regularly asked to arrange the delivery of new and used yachts around the UK and to/from overseas. If you need your yacht moved from A to B, contact us and we will advise and provide a quote if requested.
Our yacht...
Elizabeth is a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40, immaculately maintained and with all the most modern navigational and safety equipment on board to ensure a secure and enjoyable learning environment.
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Elizabeth’s accommodation includes three double cabins as well as the saloon, two heads (toilet) compartments with showers, a comfortable cockpit, spacious galley and standing headroom. There is hot and cold pressured water and even central heating for the autumn and winter nights.
Meet Our Team
At Ramsgate Sailing School, we have a team of experienced and dedicated instructors who are passionate about sailing. They are committed to providing the best possible learning experience for our students. Our instructors are knowledgeable, friendly, and patient, and they work closely with each student to help them achieve their goals.
James
Instructor
James is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor. Having started sailing dinghies with his father as a young boy, he progressed to cruising and then racing a variety of yachts both “around the cans” inshore as well as competing in longer offshore races such as the Fastnet.
James has literally thousands upon thousands of sea miles of experience ranging from the English coast to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
James has a relaxed and patient style of instruction and coaching, ensuring that the essentials are fully understood before moving on to the next stage. He enjoys passing on his passion and enthusiasm for sailing and works hard to plan and deliver courses suitable and appropriate for every individual.
Dennis
Owner and Chief Instructor
Experienced sailor, mechanic and do-it-all, Dennis helps James to maintain the yacht in tip-top condition. He also accompanies James on board when an additional pair of hands is required, often on the longer and more arduous yacht delivery trips. Dennis volunteers on board the Ramsgate RNLI lifeboat, RNLB Diamond Jubilee.
cHARLIE
Instructor
Charlie is acting Head of Security and plays a key role in the recycling of any provisions left over after a course is completed.
LOCATION
YOU WON'T NEED TO USE THE STARS TO FIND US...
...just our postcode! Ramsgate is an ideal location for learning to sail, providing a scenic backdrop between North and South Forelands as well as the varied challenges of strong tides, changeable weather conditions, the navigational difficulties of the infamous Goodwin Sands and busy merchant traffic.
A wide variety of destinations can be accessed easily. Favourites include Dover and Eastbourne on the South coast, the Medway, Burnham – on – Crouch and the Orwell on the East coast, Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque in France and Vlissingen in Holland.
An important port of refuge for vessels on passage from the English Channel to the Thames or the North Sea, the harbour was built in 1749 because of its importance to the fleets of sailing ships anchored in the “Downs”, a relatively sheltered area between the shore and the Goodwin Sands.
In 1820, King George IV left Ramsgate for Hanover, reputedly after a memorable trip with the Royal Squadron and decreed that henceforth Ramsgate should add Royal to its name. Ramsgate was a major embarkation port during the Napoleonic wars and also played a major part in the evacuation of Dunkerque in 1940.
Ramsgate is easily accessible by rail and is only approximately 80 miles from central London via the M2.
