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The UK's Leading Sailing School

RYA Courses, Cruises and Shore Based Tuition

The British Offshore Sailing School

Sailing at its Best

Long Distance Experience Cruises

British Offshore Sailing School

RYA Cruising Courses

Sailing Masterclass courses

Sailing Courses

Shorebased Courses

Fastrak Sailing Courses

Long Distance Cruises

RYA Competent Crew Sailing Course

RYA Competent Crew is the basic introductory crew training course for both the complete beginner and those who have some experience

Day Skipper Course - Shore based and Practical

An intensive course for those who want to complete both the theory and practical parts of the course in one period

Fastrack to Yachtmaster Offshore

18 Weeks FASTRAK to Yachtmaster is the original comprehensive, eighteen-week, professional seamanship training programme designed and run by the British Offshore Sailing School.

RYA Day Skipper - Practical

Introductory skippering course for those with some practical experience and theoretical knowledge

DofE - Open Gold Sailing Expeditions

Book now for 2024

Youth Cruising Courses

New courses scheduled - more places are now available

ICC - International Certificate of Competence (Sail)

Do you need your ICC? Training and assessment courses are run most weeks throughout the year.

Channel Islands Cruise

7 Days Cross Channel Cruise - the perfect way to gain 2 x 60 mile passages and develop Coastal and offshore navigation skills..

West Country Cruise

A 12 day Coastal Passage making cruise of the UKs South coast. Approximately 600 miles. Ideal coastal passage making experience for aspiring Yachtmasters

Established in 1991 and based at Hamble Point Marina, in Hamble near Southampton the British Offshore Sailing School (BOSS) is one of Britain's leading sailing schools. BOSS has full Royal Yachting Association (RYA) recognition, is a Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) Approved Activity Provider and the sailing school is run by a team of instructors whose reputation is second to none.

The British Offshore Sailing School offer a comprehensive range of RYA practical and shore based sailing courses, starting with introductory sailing weekends for beginners, RYA Competent Crew , RYA Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and Offshore Yachtmaster right through to sailing courses and cruises for Ocean Yachtmasters and RYA Instructors. In addition, a wide selection of special one day and weekend sailing courses and sailing masterclasses are available to people at all levels.

We also specialise in ladies only RYA sailing courses - run by our experienced RYA qualified instructors.  For individuals or groups who want a taste of adventure or wish to gain more experience and clock up some sea miles, we offer long distance holiday sailing cruises. For those who wish to improve their skills, a comprehensive selection of RYA and specialist shore based courses and are also available at Hamble. During the summer months we also have a busy teenagers sailing programme with options to take RYA Competent Crew or RYA Day Skipper courses as well providing 10 day Gold DofE sailing expedition programmes.

Our philosophy with all that we offer is that sailing should be fun, enjoyable and above all safe!

Get in touch

Call us to chat through your sailing plans +44 (0) 2380457733 Office opening hours Monday Friday 09:00hrs - 17:00hrs

Send us an email

+44(0)2380457733

Hamble Point Marina, School Lane, Hamble, Southampton, Hampshire. SO31 4NB

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Fast Track Yachtmaster Professional Sail Training Course

The Hamble School of Yachting fast track Professional Sail Training (PST) course is designed to progress an inexperienced sailor to a fully qualified professional standard.

Hamble School of Yachting follows the globally recognised RYA certification programme that takes students to commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore level - the gold standard in sailing qualifications. The PST course is also a great option for anyone looking for a life-changing experience; either following retirement, during a gap year, sabbatical or taking leisure sailing to the next level.

PST Brochure

Why Hamble?

SETTING QUALITY FOUNDATIONS

Whether you’re looking to embark on a career in the sailing industry, taking a break from work or looking for a new challenge of long-distance sailing in retirement, it is important to set solid foundations for your journey ahead.

Hamble School of Yachting has a reputation in the industry for the high quality of sailors that come from its courses which provides a valuable head-start when seeking employment.

HIGH CALIBRE INSTRUCTORS Hamble School of Yachting employs only the best teaching staff. All instructors are hand-picked for their ability to communicate, their knowledge and sense of humour! Instructors receive ongoing professional development from the Hamble School of Yachting via a programme delivered by the Chief Instructor. Very few schools adopt this policy.

STRICT INTAKE LIMIT Hamble School of Yachting can offer a choice of different yachts on which to sail and a dedicated teaching block equipped with the latest computer and audio visual technology.

Numbers of students on the PST course are strictly limited to an absolute maximum of ten on each intake. This allows incredibly high quality supervision and monitoring of training and enables students to get much more out of that vital contact time with each instructor.

THE VERY BEST PROGRAMME The programme is purposefully organised in such a way that each week has a clear and dedicated set of goals.

Students are debriefed after each task, and at the end of each week, by the instructor and

Chief Instructor. This enables the school to identify student strengths and weaknesses at a very early stage and ensure a personal action plan is put into place to build up skills accordingly.

AN ALL-ROUND EDUCATION Hamble School of Yachting does not try to enrol its students on a ticket collecting exercise for a bewildering array of different courses. This course is focused and carefully designed to turn out high quality sailors with a good degree of all-round seamanship skills.

The school believes there is no substitute for hands on experience and students spend 72 days of the total 98 days tuition at sea learning the skills of their trade. The weeks spent on practical sailing are carefully divided between skipper development and mileage building to destinations in the English Channel, and “drills and skills” weeks closer to home.

THE HAMBLE TOUCHES Hamble School of Yachting is so committed to delivering the best possible experience that it invites prospective PST students to join the team for a weekend of sailing, free of charge. This gives the opportunity for students to meet school’s friendly faces, see how the school operates and chat to the brilliant instructors about their ambitions. It also allows the team to ensure the course is right for the student. For those with more experience it might be suitable to start at module two or three and this will be assessed over the weekend.

Course Dates

For more details about the course and the options open to you, please download a PDF copy of our PST brochure. If you have problems downloading the brochure or would prefer a hard copy please feel free to call us.

If you would like any help at all or would like to discuss the possibilities further, please call Chris Rushton or any of the friendly team here at Hamble School of Yachting with any questions you might have. We would welcome you to the school at anytime to give you a chance to look around and enable us to discuss your requirements further. We all look forward to meeting you.

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Welcome to Commodore Yachting

THE Solent’s premier yacht charters, sea school and RYA training centre. We lead, others follow!

Learn to sail with us! We are the experts in RYA Sailing courses for beginners and experts alike.

RYA Yachtmaster Fast-Track

Join us for the most comprehensive 18 week Yachtmaster Fast-Track programe in the Solent – Starting 3rd February 2025.

£1,000 deposit secures a place – book here

Sailing, Theory & Powerboat Courses

Mile builders, cruises, channel hops & sail around britain, bareboat & skippered yacht charter, course calendar.

Take a look at our live course calendar and book your next sailing experience with us!

Our Courses

RYA Practical Courses

Whether you are looking for a complete beginners sailing course, or a more advanced sailor wanting to get your RYA Yachtmaster we’ve got you covered.

RYA Theory Courses

Take a look at the RYA classroom-based theory sailing courses we offer, from beginner to expert we have something to expand your sailing knowledge.

Online RYA Theory Courses

Bit pressed for time? We offer a range of online RYA courses which can be completed in your own time. You can also extend your online course here too.

Holidays & Mile Builders

Looking for pure sailing and some chill time? our Mile Builders, long passage trips (60nm) and Channel Island cruises may well be just what you are looking for.

Sail around Britain

The adventure of a lifetime! Sail around Great Britain with us over a relaxing 50 days, and take in the best the UK has to offer.

One Day Courses

Courses which are just one day in duration, we have a great selection of both theory and practical courses that will appeal to everyone.

Powerboat Courses

Take a look at the RYA & Specialist power boat courses we offer, from beginner to expert, we have the powerboat course you are looking for.

Yacht Racing

From practice weekends, the Round the Island race, to the Iconic RORC UK offshore calendar including the Fastnet & RWYC Lonely Rock races, we have it all.

Commercial Courses

For those who work at sea for a living, or for newcomers to the industry we offer a full raft of courses which will give you the qualifications you need!

Come and experience a true premier service with us aboard our immaculate fleet yachts, with the best instructors in the UK. We are THE leading sea school and RYA training centre in the Solent. We lead, others follow!

Tripadvisor Reviews

Customer reviews

A fantastic weekend of sailing, almost 130 NM in all, with a relaxed, but fully engaging skipper. Great set up and brilliant on the admin. Thanks Stef, Tom et al!

I did a weeks coastal skipper course getting ready for my yacht master and I have to say it was one of the best training weeks I’ve had - our training instructor was superb, exactly the sort of person that you want. He could inspire, provide discipline and impart knowledge as well as let you learn through your own mistakes. Tom and Steph run an excellent operation there and I highly recommend it. They’re flexible and very helpful when it comes to your journey into being a qualified sailor.

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RYA Courses

Let us help you discover sailing in the safe hands of our experienced rya qualified instructors..

Hunter’s Fleet Ltd is a recognised RYA Training Centre

As a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Training Centre we can offer a range of training courses from the National Sailing Scheme using our keelboats. 

We have a highly experienced team of Senior Instructors, enthusiastic about introducing people to sailing the yachts of the Norfolk Heritage Fleet. 

Our comprehensive RYA courses are designed for all levels from beginners to advanced and hold Levels 1, 2, 3 and Seamanship courses.

2024 RYA Course Dates

These are all 5-day RYA courses covering the combine levels 1 & 2, starting on a Monday.

Monday 13th – Friday 17th May

Monday 24th – Friday 28th June

Monday 29th July – Friday 2nd August

Monday 2nd – Friday 6th September

Monday 30th September – Friday 4th October

All passing students from our RYA combine levels 1 & 2 courses receive a 10% discount on their first hire with us.

Learn to sail the wondrous Norfolk Broads for £405 per person.

This beginner’s course is designed as a very practical introduction to sailing where you acquire basic skills and valuable background knowledge. You are taught the basics of boat rigging and handling to a level enabling you to sail under supervision.

Pre-requisites No previous sailing experience required. However, you need to have reasonable fitness and be able to swim 50 meters clothed.

Course Includes RYA Start Sailing book, Logbook and Certificate for successful students.

This course aims to give you the knowledge and experience you need to become a competent keelboat sailor in light winds. You will be introduced to sailing techniques, manoeuvres, rigging, mooring, safety and basic rules of the road. By the end of the course, you should be able to sail in light winds without an instructor onboard.

Pre-requisites Either RYA Keelboat/Dinghy Level1 or prior experience to Level 1 standard.

This Improver Course bridges the gap between the Level 2 Keelboat (Basic Skills) course and the more advanced keelboat Seamanship course. It is intended to make the transition easier for those sailors wishing to progress through the scheme, allowing them opportunity to develop their techniques and gain further experience.

Course Price – £212 per student

Pre-requisites RYA Keelboat Level 2 or equivalent knowledge and experience.

Course Includes Certificate for successful students.

A very practical, and quite intensive, sailing course which aims to train beginners, with no previous experience, or those with very little experience, to a standard where successful students will be able to sail competently and independently in fair conditions.

Pre-requisites No previous sailing experience required. Students should be reasonably fit and be able to swim 50 meters clothed.

A more advanced course including practical and theory sessions designed to build upon the techniques learnt on the basic skills and better sailing course. You’ll learn all about boat control, solving problems afloat and becoming a more confident and accomplished sailor.

Course Price – £272 per student

Pre-requisites RYA Keelboat Level 2 or 3 plus additional experience.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? We’re here to help

Enquire about our RYA Courses

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Mobile: 07931 940277 07917 573772 Tel: 02392 528019

• Start Yachting
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RYA Courses in London and the Solent

Welcome to nomad sailing.

Nomad Sailing is an RYA Recognised Training Centre offering practical sail training, sailing adventures and shorebased theory courses in London, Gosport and Online. We pride ourselves on putting the student/customer at the centre of what we do. Check out our Trip Advisor reviews to see what our students think. May has so far shown us a mix of weather but it is definitely getting warmer so time to get out on the water. We have been very busy so far this season but do have availability from June for you to complete your RYA practical course or perhaps join our trip to The Channel Islands in late July 2024. All of our sailing courses and trips are fully inclusive, we do provide 3 meals a day, we cater for all dietary requirements and we pay for all mooring fees, we guarantee no hidden extra costs. As a Nomad student you will not waste any time hunting down your breakfast, lunch and dinner, instead we use all our time learning and having fun. 

Shorebased Courses

Sailing Courses

Sailing Adventures

RYA Practical Sailing Courses  are available in the busy tidal waters of the Solent and will give you the hands on experience you need to sail in tidal waters. They cover the entire experience range from those new to sailing and wanting to give it try, through to experienced sailors looking for their Yachtmaster ticket. Our courses include Start Yachting, Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Preparation.

RYA Shorebased Theory Courses  are available in various locations in London and now at our new shorebased training venue at Endeavour Quay (Gosport Marina). We offer evening classes in London and intensive courses at Gosport. These RYA theory courses include the Day Skipper Theory, Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Theory and the VHF SRC Radio course. From 2020 we will also be offering RYA First Aid and RYA Diesel Engine at our Gosport Centre. Should you wish to enquire about shorebased training delivery at your own venue please contact us. See  TripAdvisor  for what people have been saying. Yacht Charter and Corporate Charter  .  Nomad Sailing also manage Solent Yacht Charter, a long established charter company in Haslar marina. We can provide you with a full range of options for sail and motor boat charter, both bareboat and skippered along with some interesting corporate charter options

Free Resit Guarantee*

Our guarantee is that we won't give up on you: in the unlikely event that you fail or can't complete one of our RYA courses, you can resit or rejoin another at NO EXTRA COST (includes practical courses up to Day Skipper and all theory courses less exam fees where applicable) (*see  Terms & Conditions ).

Testimonials

Welcome to Pembrokeshire Cruising.

Rya sailing practical & theory courses. adventure & cruising. yacht charter..

We are celebrating 30 years on the water delivering the RYA Sail Training syllabus, Adventure Cruising & Mile Building and Yacht Charter. We have some of the best sail training waters in Europe. Based in Neyland Yacht Haven we have 24/7 access to the Mlford Haven waterways out to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Wild Isle nature reserve islands.

We look forward to you joining us on the water this season.

Nikki & Roland

Celebrating 30 years of delivering excellence in RYA Sail Training. Adventure Cruising. Yacht Charter.

Pembrokeshire Cruising Neyland Marina Brunel Quay Neyland Pembrokeshire SA73 1PY Email : [email protected]

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Sail Around Britain - Supporting the Ella Dawson Foundation - May/June 2025

Premier news, sail 4 farleigh - sail around britain - summer 2025, rya courses, sail4macmillan 2025, sailing trips and holidays.

SAILING TRIPS IN THE UK AND NEAR CONTINENT

A centre of excellence for  sailing adventures and experiences.

Sailing courses

World-class training, sailing holidays, adventure is out there.

WELCOME TO PREMIER SAILING

We are premier sailing, latest news.

LEG 1, Sail Round Britain 2024 (Burnham to Newcastle)

LEG 7, Sail4Macmillan 23 - Homecoming!

LEG 6, Sail4Macmillan 23 (Cream tea and Pasties)

LEG 5, Sail4Macmillan 23 (The Islands Experience)

LEG 4, Sail4Macmillan 23 (West Coast of Scotland - Oban to Rhu)

LEG 3, Sail4Macmillan 23 (Inverness to Oban)

Our Courses

Sailing trips, we're here to help.

Sailing Weekends / Start Yachting

Course outline.

Sail Training Weekends are ideal for beginners to experience sailing a cruising yacht and complete the RYA ‘Start Yachting’ Course – the first step on the RYA Sail Training pathway. These weekends can also be used to complete RYA Competent Crew or Day Skipper practical courses and they are suitable to refresh or extend sailing skills or have coaching and an assessment for the International Certificate of Competence. Weekends start and finish at Chatham Marina on the River Medway in Kent – less than 1 hour from Central London. RYA training courses and most non-RYA training courses run with an instructor and up to a maximum of 5 students aboard Jeanneau 35 and Jeanneau 389 yachts.

For full details including a beginner's Sailing Weekend description see the pdf download on this page (below).

Currently the standard format for weekend training dates is residential with crews staying aboard for the Friday night and the yacht usually remaining away from base until the Sunday.  Meals are provided from breakfast on the Saturday to lunch on the Sunday.

Course Timing:

Residential Courses:  Start Friday 2000 / 0900 Saturday and finishes Sunday 1600.

Residential Packing List

NB To make best use of tide and weather conditions we may suggest variations to these timings.  You will be consulted prior to any decisions.

Course Availability Table

Select the course and dates you would like to enquire about from the course availability table, this will populate the message box below (you can also add your own message too).

Course Enquiry Form

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Great school, fantastic skippers, and easy to reach from London! Really can recommend the weekend courses if you are busy working.

- Leonard Wossnig

Friendly but highly professional sail training, both shore-based and practical. Fred and the team are now my "go-to" RYA trainers of choice. After all, if you learn to sail in the Medway and Thames Estuary, in British weather, in February and March, you can probably sail anywhere!

- Gareth Draper

Positive: Communication, Professionalism, Quality, Value 100% recommended, good people dedicated, learnt a lot from Paul my instructor and Fred the boss.

- Richard Collis

Absolutely amazing experience. I took part in 2 days Milebuilder. Well prepared. It’s a pleasure to learn from such experienced people like Steve who was a skipper. Highly recommend and hope to return soon.

- Piotr Kurzawa

I've just come back from my first weekend for competent Crew and wow what a great experience. I definitely think I’ve got the sailing bug now. I was nervous before I started the course due to never sailing before. Also, I thought I'd be meeting people completely different from myself, and I wouldn't gel I am covered in tattoos and talk like someone from the cast of Harry brown 😂but everyone was sooo cool and the skipper big Steve was a proper lad and a great teacher! Spoke to us through the whole process, and he also allowed us to make mistakes and build our confidence to get it right. 👌

- David Barrett

Copyright © 2024 Elite Sailing, sailing courses for all abilities, All rights reserved. Elite Sailing is a Trading Name of Allan Yachting Limited Website Design by mad creative

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The Water’s Calling

So, where do you want to go.

Your adventure begins at the gateway to the Solent – Portsmouth Harbour and our Haslar Marina base.

From there explore the busiest and most rewarding training and cruising grounds to be found anywhere through our Solent yachting courses.

Or go further – The West Country, The Channel Islands and France are all within easy reach.

Experience a new and exciting world of possibilities right at the heart of British maritime history, tradition and innovation. Book your sail or powerboat training today, and be a part of it.

Experience // Adventure // Achievement

Training Centre Of Excellence

Courses & training tailored to support every sailing goal.

We are proud to offer…

• Practical Boat Training
• Shore-based Boat Training
• Close Quarters Berthing
• Boat Handling Courses
• Mile Builders
• Taster Days
• Instructor Training
• RYA Courses

At Andrew Simpson Yachting we offer the full range of practical RYA yacht and powerboat practical and theory training. We can also create personalised packages, own boat tuition and the opportunity to extend your horizons with our milebuilder events.

Training Ground Beyond Compare

When you want training for yachting or powerboats, look no further than Andrew Simpson Yachting. From our base here in Haslar Marina, right inside the entrance to historic Portsmouth Harbour, Andrew Simpson Yachting can give you the fastest possible access to the entire Solent. With its variety of ports, harbours, inlets, rivers and bays, with marine traffic of all shapes and sizes operating 24/7, and with the constant challenges of tides and weather, there’s no question – The Solent has it all as a place to learn.

Great Destinations Within Easy Reach

And if you don’t want to be confined by The Solent, we can take you beyond visible horizons too. The nearest French port is half a day’s sailing away, and the northernmost of the Channel Islands not much further. We can get you to the Jurassic Coast and the gateway to the West Country in just hours

Theory, Knowledge And Insight To Set You On Your Way

As well as our range of practical courses and training, we offer an extensive selection of classroom and online courses covering everything you need to be safe and confident at sea – from navigation theory and techniques through radio, diesel engines, first aid, radar to sea survival.

Powerboating

Shore-based Courses

Own-Boat Tuition

Online Training

• For New Sailors
• For Experienced Sailors
• For A Career In Yachting
• For Gaining Confidence
• For Boat Owners
• For Certification
• For Progression

[email protected]

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RYA Online Courses

RYA online courses with Sailtrain

Learn to Navigate with Sailtrain Online

Our Online theory courses are designed to help you understand both the traditional and modern methods of navigation, pilotage, passage planning and meteorology. Excellent as stand alone courses, they also add significantly to any practical course.

Whether you sail or motor, our Online courses equip the novice and experienced with enough confidence, at least in theory, to skipper a yacht, power or motor boat.

RYA Online courses include: RYA Essential Navigation online course , RYA VHF Radio Course online , Online Day Skipper theory course , Coastal / Yachtmaster theory course online , Yachtmaster Ocean theory online , RYA CEVNI online test , PPR and the new Safe & Fun Safeguarding Course .

Brilliant step by step animations make every section of your RYA course easy to follow. You will work at your own speed and in your own time, in the comfort of your own home or office.

RYA One Day courses

Specialist one day courses with sailtrain.

Our programme of one-day RYA support courses enables you to expand your knowledge and skills in specialist areas.

Diesel Engine, RADAR and First Aid are among those offered.

They are great as stand alone courses, but also complement courses in our various practical training schemes.

Some courses, such as First Aid and the Marine Radio Short Range Certificate, are a pre-requisite for higher qualifications such as the RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence.

RYA One Day specialist courses include: Diesel Engine , RADAR and First Aid .

Learn to sail with Sailtrain

If living on board, cruising the coast or sailing offshore appeals to you, why not give sail cruising a go?

Cruising yachts have accommodation and cooking facilities, offering a degree of comfort whilst spending time afloat. How far you venture is up to you.

Whether you are a first-timer wanting to be a useful crew member, or a more experienced skipper wanting to expand your skills, there is an RYA course for you.

VHF (src) Online course – £69

OnLine Distance Learning course – Incl “VHF book worth £16.99”

This is a RYA VHF course online for anyone who owns a fixed or hand-held marine VHF radio.

RYA Day Skipper Online course – £275

The RYA Online Day Skipper course is a comprehensive introduction to chartwork, navigation, meteorology and the basics of seamanship. Invaluable for learning how to start making decisions on board.

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How To Get Qualified With Sailing Courses – RYA, ASA, IYT

Getting out on the water for the first time can be a daunting task, and navigating through the range of sailing courses and qualifications can be overwhelming. In this blog, we are going to explain the different yachting schemes available around the world (ASA, RYA etc), the qualifications they can offer, and discover the best path for you.

This applies to anyone wanting to sail or motor any yacht under 500 tonnes, most yachts are only around 10 tonnes!

Do I Need Sailing Qualifications/Licences?

If you keep your boat in the UK, only sail in the UK, and your boat is under 24m long, then no, technically you don’t.  However, if you want to charter a boat, sail anywhere else in the world, or want to keep your insurance renewals low then a qualification or two is essential!

Finally, it’s not just about the licence, do you really want to take out your pride and joy, that probably cost 10’s if not 100’s of thousands, and try your luck? There is a lot of training and knowledge involved in becoming a skipper and working towards a qualification is the best approach to gaining the skills and knowledge.

How To Get Qualified

We have decided it is a good idea to get some qualifications, now how do we achieve them?  Before picking a school or instructor, you first have to look at which association they belong to. There are many to choose from as most wealthy countries have their own associations with their own qualification schemes. Once an association has been picked we can start looking at the appropriate qualifications, and finally, the schools that teach those qualifications.

RYA vs IYT vs ASA

Every qualification has to have an authorising body or association.  You would be forgiven for thinking that just picking the most local yachting or sailing association is the way to go, but sailing is an international sport and hobby. Yachts can take us all around the world and we wouldn’t want to limit our future selves by obtaining the wrong certificate. The three biggest associations are Royal Yachting Association (RYA), International Yacht Training (IYT) and American Sailing Association (ASA) so let’s start by looking at those.

Royal Yachting Association

The RYA is the oldest and most internationally recognised governing body of dinghy, yacht, and motor cruising in the world. They were the first association to standardise training in the yachting industry and they have been going strong for nearly 150 years.

The RYA is equally focused on recreational boating as it is on professional boating which makes their qualifications particularly versatile.

Once you gain the RYA Day Skipper certificate you can easily convert it into either an ICC (international certificate of competence) which is free to do for RYA members or even get it commercially endorsed as a professional qualification without having to repeat any exams.  The same can be said for the subsequent RYA Yachtmaster qualifications. This versatility and global reputation make the RYA qualifications a difficult route to beat.

International Yacht Training

IYT is a relative newcomer and was founded in 1998. Despite being a relatively new organisation, it has made quite an impact and shaken up the yachting industry for the better. International Yacht Training forced the RYA to take a more international approach to their training and the International Certificate of Competence (ICC) was actually created by International Yacht Training. However, the RYA rapidly got on board with this and now offers the ICC to holders of its own qualifications without any further or retesting required. Put simply, you can easily convert RYA qualifications to IYT qualifications, but cannot convert IYT to RYA.

You would expect there to be a strong rivalry between these two organisations but instead, they appear to work well together and have both worked to make the ICC the internationally recognised qualification it is today.

The IYT also have a good offering of professional qualifications, allowing their holders to work in the industry and arguably offer the best set of qualifications for those wishing to go on to working on superyachts. IYT are without a doubt a well-regarded association worldwide, but despite this, these newcomers are much less well known than the RYA and have far fewer training centres around the world, making their qualifications harder to obtain.

The ASA is the most prominent sailing association in America.  They are solely targeting recreational sailors and have a well thought out approach to this market.  Whilst they are less well known internationally, and they don’t offer the same options to progress into professional sailing, they do offer a good alternative to the ICC called the International Proficiency Certificate (IPC).  Officially, the IPC is the only recognised yachting ticket in the USA when it comes to chartering boats, however, in reality, the ICC will usually be accepted.

If you only want to sail in the USA, the ASA will probably do. However, for the most versatile qualifications, internationally recognised, for recreation and professional use, as well as the easiest to find training centres for, is, without doubt, the RYA.  I chose the RYA when I learnt to sail and it has never once held me back from all my adventures. On the other hand, I have met many sailors who gained other qualifications elsewhere (ASA, IYT, SA Sailing, Australian Sailing, etc…) who have had to retest at some point to get their RYA tickets.

The RYA wins hands down.

RYA Cruising Scheme – Day Skipper to Yachtmaster

Okay, so RYA it is, but which RYA course should you start with?

The RYA offers many courses from complete beginner courses to celestial navigation courses.  Where you start really depends on your prior experience and what you want to achieve. This diagram outlines the progression and entry points into the RYA Cruising Scheme:

Up until Day Skipper, you can really jump in at any point depending on your ambition.  However, once you reach Day Skipper Practical, each course assumes you have a certain amount of prior experience and knowledge, usually exactly equivalent to the course that came before it. Watch out when trying to jump or skip courses from Day Skipper Theory and onwards as you will often get caught out by your fragmented knowledge and either downgraded or simply fail the course.

There are lots of courses to suit your needs and lots of different entry points depending on our experience. If it seems a bit overwhelming we can make this simpler if we ask the question: Why do you want to take a course?

If you just want to try out being on the water for the first time, go for Start Yachting, or Start Motor Cruising.

If you want to learn to be a useful crew, start at Essential Navigation and Seamanship.

If you want to learn to be a skipper, start with Day Skipper Theory.

If you are already an experienced yachtsman and want qualifications to back it up, start with the Fast Track to Yachtmaster.

Choosing An RYA Sailing School

Finally, we know what course we want to take, now we just need to find somewhere to take it! The RYA has over 2,500 recognised training centres around the world. That’s a lot to choose from! Luckily, we are here to help make the right choice for you.

RYA Theory – Online Vs Classroom

There has been a recent shift from classroom learning to online learning. We did a lot of research into this and found the benefits of online learning to be so great that we have fully switched over to this medium and embraced e-learning. We believe we can provide a much better quality theory course with the aid of technology and are proud to be producing some of the best-prepared students for their practical training. By removing the need for travel and the cost of premises and accommodation, we have found we can offer a tailored experience for each of our students at a far more reasonable cost.

We actually wrote a whole blog on Online Vs Classroom courses so if you want to find out more, I urge you to check it out: Can You Really Learn to Sail Online ? Or, if you are already sold on the idea of an online course, head on over to our website and give our Free Trial a go .

RYA Practical Centres

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a practical centre, first and foremost, where do you want to sail? Some people just want somewhere local, some want adventure, and some want sun. Think carefully about where you want to sail and make a holiday out of your practical course in the right location.

Once you have a location in mind, time to start searching. There will no doubt still be multiple options but remember, cheaper is not better! There isn’t a large profit margin on RYA courses, so if a training centre is cheap, they are probably cutting corners. The first corners to cut are instructor wages and vessel maintenance so getting a cheap course may just result in your hard-earned money getting wasted on inexperienced instructors and poorly maintained vessels. This is not worth the savings as it will severely impact your enjoyment and how much you can get out of the course.

Armed with that advice, we recommend using the RYA’s Find a Training Centre tool to help you find the best training centre for you: https://www.rya.org.uk/wheres-my-nearest

So, what have we learned?

• You need qualifications to charter a boat.
• Qualifications will lower your insurance premium.
• Qualifications will help you learn, stay safe, and enjoy your time on the water.
• Go with RYA qualifications for maximum versatility and recognition.
• If you want to be a Skipper, you need the RYA Day Skipper certificate.
• Take your theory courses online with Ardent Training.
• Choose where you want to learn to sail (in the sun or somewhere close to home?)
• Go quality over price to get more out of your training.

If you want any more advice, you can always contact one of our team at Ardent Training.  Just drop us an email at [email protected] or give us a call on 01688 325025.

If you can’t wait to get started, check out our Free Trial of our RYA Day Skipper online theory course.

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Sailing La Vagabonde: Digital Nomads at Sea & New Boating App

Dreaming of dropping everything to sail the world? Sailing La Vagabonde Riley Whitelum & Elayna Carausu have done just that, becoming parents, digital yacht nomads and internet sensations in the process… 

They sailed greta thunburg across the atlantic and now, together with the young cruisers association, have developed a much anticipated boating community app, milly karsten reports ..

Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu have been sailing around the world for 9 years. With over 1.9 million subscribers to their YouTube channel, Sailing La Vagabonde, and helping to develop and launch the SeaPeople app, this Australian couple are certainly bringing a new and exciting dimension to seafaring.

‘It’s just dopamine hit after dopamine hit’, Elayna and Riley told me over a Starlink call between my London office and their boat off the coast of Amami Ōshima, Japan. 

Having met in Greece back in 2014, this Australian couple just weeks into knowing each other, took a leap of faith and set sail for the rest of the world. Elayna, tells me, “It was just meant to be one month of island hopping Greece and Turkey, and when my return flight to Australia was (…) Riley asked me, ‘do you want to come live on this boat with me and sail the world?’. Elayna was just 20, and Riley 29.

Having followed their journey on instagram and YouTube for years, I was keen to hear about their dreamlike and beautifully documented adventures first hand. However, these seasoned sailors, now parents, digital nomads, and internet sensations, also bring to light a new and continually evolving way of life, where sailors and adventurers can live and work on the go, at sea. They’re one step ahead of the working from home revolution – they’re over the horizon, and showing us what we’re missing out on. But it’s not all been picturesque archipelagos and plain sailing…

How has it been becoming digital nomads with Sailing La Vagabonde and creating content together at sea?

Elayna: It took a year for us to be able to earn a living from the YouTube channel (…) to earn what I could earn at a bar basically, it took a year for that, and it was hard work… and obviously didn’t cover the costs of setting up a production boat for bluewater cruising. 

Riley: If we go back and tell the story… We ran out of money and Elayna was making movies, but very infrequently, (…) a bit of a comical thing in between Elayna and I was that I was very practical, and I was saying well in the end what is it all for? Maybe we should be concentrating on basically anything else… 

Riley then admitted that in the beginning, with little income being made from these videos, he was sceptical, but Elayna saw potential, and asked him to give it time.

E: After a year we completely ran out of money, we had to fly back to Australia to get work. Riley worked offshore again on the oil rigs, for maybe what 3 or 4 months?… And we saved up again then flew back to the boat. 

R: But during that time our audience, which was quite small at the time, were freaking out, and they were like ‘is this going to be the end of the movies?’ … Some of those people said look, ‘sign up for this website called Patreon and we’ll all chip in a couple bucks and we can get you going again’. 

E: We got back to the boat with some savings that Riley had got off-shore, and in that time I’d set up a website with Patreon and I’d recorded an album of cover songs and got people to pre-order… it was desperate times and we got back to the boat and worked real hard for…

R: 10 more years!

What advice would you give to someone wanting to do this?

E: The only thing I would say is, don’t do it in the hopes to make money, do it out of passion.

R: It’s too hard…

E: We’ve seen people start out thinking it’s a good business plan, and hope on a boat and completely fail (…) that can’t come first, you need to sail and have fun and, have the videos be an afterthought and it’ll evolve. 

R: Or you know, the videos can be your passion, but sailing and boats has to be as well, you can’t have that as a secondary (…) you need to be tough basically, you need to be able to live a really hard life, not because you think you’ll make some money out of it (…) very few people are going to get compensated adequately if you consider it a job… If its a way of life that you enjoy, then yeah, it’s a banger way to live!

Are your parents and friends fully on-board?

E: We started at a time when travel blogging was just kind of new, (…) For our friends and family it was really surprising and weird, and when we’d go home for those first few years people didn’t really know how to talk about it with us (…) mostly they wouldn’t even ask, it was like we were doing something so out there it was hard to even talk about it. 

R: Social media still had that stigma… We operate in a bit of a grey zone, because we’re not merely Instagrammers, I like to think we’re not… We are on social media, but we’re not documentary film makers either, although we try to get as close to that as we can these days. So people didn’t know where to put us immediately…

E: We’re definitely not tik-tokers, (…) we’d rather just work really hard on YouTube, make good quality movies that people can sit down and watch and learn something, rather than the fast paced [Scrolling].

What has it been like raising your family on board?

R: The great thing is that Lenny in particular really and truly loves the boat, (…) we’ll spend more time away than he’d like, and that’s exactly how we’d want it, we want them to be excited to go back to the boat.

E: We bought them both back when they were only 6 weeks old, tiny little babies (…)  There’s so many easy little hacks, for example a chair that clips into the saloon table that clips them in when Riley and I have to go and take a reef (…) I think learning to sail trained us for children, because someone always has to be alert (…) someone has always got the kid hat on, like someone’s always aware of where the kids are and if they’ve got their life jackets on.

E: Sailing and young children are very comparable!

R: Equally disastrous!

Sailing La Vagabonde & Greta Thunberg Across the North Atlantic 

In November 2019, climate activist Greta Thunberg made a double crossing of the Atlantic to attend two climate conferences, her return eastward journey was made on La Vagabonde with Riley and Elayna – a harrowing winter crossing, and one which Elayna was not convinced of doing. Yet, when asking the sailing duo what their best experience had been, they’re answer was this:

R: The most rewarding is the most difficult, so whatever your hardest passage was, arriving after that is the most rewarding, so that’s going to be the Greta Thunburg trip across the North Atlantic. 

E: We had a week to prepare for this trip, we had a really great female English sailor, Nicky Henderson (…) so we had Nicky, Riley, Me, Greta, and Greta’s Dad.

R: And Lenny…

E: Who was only one… and when we left there was snow, there was ice on our boat the day we left and it was snowing, in the Chesapeake Bay, it was freezing.

R: Milly it was a ******* disaster!

E: It took us 19 days to get across the other side, and in that time there was freezing cold weather, there was hot water from the Gulf Stream…

R: There was lightning that was striking the water right near… Nicky was at the helm, she is such a rockstar… we just cannot believe how incredible… what a leader she is! 

R: I mean I could talk about that for hours… we had to go up the rig in 20 knots… the furling line for the headsail snapped and I had to go out the front in legitimately… we don’t even know what it was, but it was well over 40, because it had sustained 40 for I don’t know how long, and then the wind picked up and that’s when the line snapped (…) I had to go forwards, like crawling on my belly to try and furl in manually the headsail, while Nicky was trying to go dead downwind… 

E: You felt ‘the sublime’ on that crossing didn’t you 

I asked what this was…

R: More philosophy… So, in order to have an encounter with ‘the sublime’ the necessary ingredients are power outside of your control, particularly if it’s nature, and you need to feel threat of your life, so your life needs to be basically out of your control (…) and it was the first time that I really felt that way. 

E: It’s a feeling of Awe… 

The SeaPeople App

Alongside their sailing adventures, bringing up a family onboard, and creating content for over 1.9 YouTube subscribers, Elayna and Riley have been busy with a new project – working with the Young Cruisers Association to create and launch a specialised app to connect sailors around the world. 

If you’ve watched their videos, you’ll know these two don’t shy away from talking about the rainy days, and trials of living/working/parenting on a boat. They talked to me about their experiences of seafarer’s isolation, particularly through the pandemic, and their difficulties with mental health over the years. 

It’s certainly a lesser spoken aspect of living afloat… We hear of grand dreamlike adventures and are shown remarkable photos of beautifully calm or high seas, but easily miss checking on a key component of life – connection and community. And so, it seems the SeaPeople app is an exciting step in the right direction.

“SeaPeople is an app designed to bring all the elements of the human side of boating into one place. Sharing your photos, the stats of your trips, your tracking history, and communicating with other boaters has been spread across multiple platforms for too long. SeaPeople brings it all into one place.”

E: We really needed something to connect all sailors… to organise sundowners on the beach, to see who’s around you, who’s onboard, if they’ve got pets or children, where they’re going and at what speed… like you can see the world on a beautiful world map and zoom in on anyone’s boat and ask them a question, ask them if they’ve got a spare part… It’s really for connecting all seafarers. 

R: Everyone on a boat, they’re living this crazy adventure, and everyone’s got a story to tell, that’s why everyone had a blog and these disparate websites that were popping up all over the world for each individual boat… this is a way for friends and family to jump on to see where you are, what you’ve been doing, and then to see other similar people that might be nearby’

SeaPeople: The Hail Feature

For Riley and Elayna, the most exciting part of the SeaPeople app is the ‘Hail’ feature. Unlike VHF, where if someone doesn’t hear you, or the message doesn’t get through, there is no way to find that message again, this feature of the app allows you to broadcast a message which stays out there – creating a space for community, conversation, and advice. 

E: With Starlink, now is the time for an app like this.

R: These ancient devices that we’re still using, like AIS and VHF, it’s just so necessary for this to exist now, for everyone’s safety and just conveniences. 

Download the SeaPeople App

We’re excited to announce the SeaPeople app will be available to download from 10th October this year. Visit www.seapeopleapp.com

How to Watch Sailing La Vagabonde Videos

Follow Riley and Elayna’s latest Sailing La Vagabonde adventures – www.youtube.com/sailinglavagabonde

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The very best waterproof rucksacks – 5 top models tested

• September 16, 2024

The Girl Outdoors founder, Sian Lewis, reveals her top list of rucksacks which offer plenty of room on the inside and the outside are designed to keep your essentials safe and dry.

Finding luggage solutions for your next trip that do it all can be quite a challenge. No two adventures will ever be the same, so shouldn’t the same principle be applied to the best waterproof rucksacks? We think so.

At a glance – editors 3 top choices for best waterproof rucksacks

Whether you’re exploring the Almafi coast, snorkelling in Grenada or cruising along the Mississippi River, you never know when you might be caught in a downpour and in need of a watertight bag to keep your belongings protected.

That’s why we’ve pulled together a list of five of the best waterproof rucksacks that boast features spanning from waterproof zippers to 10 lash loops so that whatever your bag requirements might be, we’ve got it covered.

Everything you need to know about the best waterproof rucksacks

1 /Sea to Summit Big River Dry Backpack 50 Litre

Specifications:

Material: nylon Capacity: 50 litres Colour: black, red Lash loops: 10 Weight: 760g

Reasons to buy:  waterproof, great padded straps, tons of room Reasons to avoid: heavier than simple dry bags

The design is minimalist compared to other waterproof backpacks used for sailors. While the main aim is for use on dry land, but unlike traditional rucksacks the Big River is fully waterproofed with a nylon shell. This makes it the perfect shipmate because your stuff will stay dry even if you’re on the deck with it in the heaviest rain. On the outside the pack has 10 lash loops in two daisy chains, making it easy to attach to a board, boat or bike. The plentiful loops are also useful for tying wet kit to the outside of your backpack when you’re on the go.

Unlike many waterproof backpacks, it has comfortable padded straps, which is a good feature if you need to wear it for a while. There’s also a hip strap, but it’s a pity it’s not padded for extra support. While we can’t predict the weather, just roll this bag three times to seal it and the Sea to Summit Big River Dry Backpack should cover you for most terrain.

The white interior makes it easy to see what kit you’ve packed. The downside is that the bag does get dirty and stained easily. A field repair buckle is included, and the Big River is available in black and dark red/orange – we prefer the latter as it makes you a tad more visible on the water, although the black version is neutral enough that you could use it for commuting to work.

This pack weighs 760 grams so it’s quite heavy compared to simple dry bag designs. It does mean you’re getting a proper backpack for your money (and if you need even more room, there’s also a 75-litre version available). This design is expensive but worth it if you need a dry bag-meets-backpack your next trip.

Buy it now 

2/ Red Adventure Waterproof Backpack 30 Litre

Material: recycled nylon Capacity: 30 litres Colour: blue, green, black Lash Loops: 1 Weight: 1.57g

Reasons to buy: good straps, great internal organiser, tough waterproof fabric Reasons to avoid: heavy, limited lash loops

A fully waterproof backpack that is also comfortable enough to travel long distances – where do we sign up? The Red Equipment have cracked it with this adventure pack and it’s why many marine enthusiasts can be seen sporting it. You’ll find everything you need from a decent sailing backpack – well-padded shoulder straps and a chest strap are comfortable to wear, and mesh panels wick away sweat. Plus, there are plenty of external pockets including stretchy water bottle pockets and a zipped external compartment ideal for stashing wet kit in.

Red then add in extras to make this pack ideal for water sports and aquatic adventures including waterproof zippers, a tough, abrasion-resistant base so you can stand the pack upright and a roll-down top to keep everything water resistant. Inside the pack is roomy and there’s a clever removable organiser which you can take out completely and hang up or keep in the pack – it’ll store a small laptop, toiletries and plenty of other bits and bobs. There’s also a small, zipped pocket inside the main bag that’s ideal for stashing away your phone.

It’s a pity there’s just one lash loop on a bag with so many other bells and whistles. The outside is thick and tough yet easy to keep clean and feels like it could withstand all types of conditions. The nylon is made from recycled materials including plastic bottles, so this is a more eco-conscious pick than most. The compromise is that this is quite a heavy pack compared to a simply dry bag. We tested the smart but muted blue version, which features reflective details that make you more visible when hiking and cycling after dark.

3 / Mustang Survival Highwater Backpack 22 Litre

Material: nylon Capacity: 22 litres Colour: black Lash Loops: 0 Weight: 567g

Reasons to buy: good size, handy mesh pockets, shoulder straps, lightweight Reasons to avoid: straps have limited padding, pricy for such a simple design

If you’re searching for a dry bag you can also pop on your back, then look no further than the Mustang Survival Highwater Backpack thanks to simple shoulder straps. You’ll find this backpack works as a waterproof container you can wear if needed. We think it’s a good choice for paddleboarding excursions, walking to a wild swim spot or popping a weekend’s worth of clothes in for a boat trip.

The roll top entry makes it quick to stash your items. You can then seal the bag. When we tested this back, the watertight seams stopped any splashes from getting through. This pack has more external features than most dry bags, including three stretchy mesh pockets.

The interior is black, which does make it hard to see what you’ve squirrelled away. The shoulder straps are foam padded and there’s a sternum clip – they’re comfortable for a few miles but not structured enough for a proper trek (despite Mustang’s claim of ‘all-day comfort’). Where this design does stand out compared to other backpack designs is for its lightweight – at under 600g, it won’t weigh you down. There are no dedicated lash loops but you can use the straps to cinch this pack to a board or a bike.

4 / Sea to Summit Big River Dry Backpack 75 Litre

Specification:

Material: nylon Capacity: 75 litres Colour: dark red, black Lash loops: 10 Weight: 820g

Reasons to buy: great colour, water repellent, plenty of lash loops Reasons to avoid: heavy

If you are all about the maximum packing space for your next voyage, this roomy backpack takes a whopping 75 litres of kit. Yes, this is enough for carrying all your adventurous needs kit such as a tent and sleeping bag or for packing for a week-long adventure. The Sea to Summit Big River is as waterproof and durable as it looks. When testing, we got the impression that it would withstand rough treatment on wild waters without turning a hair – which is good news to thrill seekers looking for a backpack.

We love that the design is minimalist compared to proper hiking backpacks designed for dry land, but unlike traditional rucksacks the Big River is fully waterproofed with a nylon shell, so your stuff will stay dry in the heaviest rain. On the outside the pack sports a whopping 10 lash loops in two daisy chains, making it easy to attach to a board, boat or bike. The plentiful loops are also useful for tying wet kit to the outside of your backpack when you’re on the go.

That said, unlike many waterproof backpacks, this bag sports comfy padded straps, so you can still hike long distances while wearing it. There’s also a hip strap, but it’s not padded so you won’t get that extra support.  This pack weighs 820 grams so it’s quite heavy compared to simpler dry bag designs, but you’re getting a proper backpack for your money. We think this backpack is worth the spend if you need a dry bag-meets-backpack for all kinds of adventure. While colour isn’t the most important factor when you’re buying a dry bag, it doesn’t hurt, and we thought the dark red hue of this pack looked rather smart.

5 / Musto Evo Dry Backpack 40 Litre

Specifications: 

Material: Polyamide Capacity: 40 litres Colour: grey Lash Loops: 0 Weight: 800g

Reasons to buy: splashproof, light interior, laptop comportment, mesh pocket Reasons to avoid: looks grubby quickly, straps feel flimsy

We like a dry bag you can pop on your shoulders when needed, and this Musto design is a good bag-meets-backpack design. The main body of the bag is splashproof and the top features a rolltop closure, so you can quickly make things watertight.

One of our favourite features was the roomy mesh front pocket, ideal for holding key items for easy access such as a water bottle, your keys or spare clothing. This pocket is deep enough to keep belongings secure when you’re on the move and stretchy enough that you can pop things away on the go so you don’t have to stop mid-bike or hike.

Inside there’s a padded compartment for a laptop – we’d have liked this to be bigger, to take more kit such as your phone, and removable. The Dry Backpack has a pale grey interior and exterior – the latter is great for seeing what you’ve packed but the former does look grubby easily. The solid bottom panel makes this pack stable and rip-resistant if you need to pop it down.

How Sian Lewis tested the waterproof rucksacks

When testing these rucksacks, we paid attention to features like their capacity to understand which options would be best for sailing the seven seas, paddleboarding, and even taking day on days out with loved ones. Here is what we examined:

All the rucksack bags are 75 litres / 16 US gallons or less capacity.

We chose bags that were as lightweight as possible to ensure they would be easy to carry.

Waterproofness

Most items are rarely 100% submersible due to their design. We made sure to list if the options we featured were splashproof or if they could withstand more exposure to water.

Ease of use

While all singing and dancing items can be great, taking it back to basics is what you need with a rucksack. Having a bag that does not need instructions to use is ideal.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Below Deck Sailing Yacht fans ‘shocked’ and outraged’ as star returns after sexual assault allegations

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht fans have been left fuming after the season five trailer dropped earlier today, following the sexual assault allegations against Gary King.

The bosun first appeared on the Bravo spin-off series in the second season, which aired in 2021, and has remained part of the cast ever since , alongside Captain Glenn Shephard and chief stewardess Daisy Kelliher.

Last year, viewers were shocked after a crew member alleged that the 36-year-old tried to force himself on her behind the scenes – something he fiercely denied.

The accusations emerged after the fifth series had been filmed, with many questioning whether it would ever air due to the controversy.

The dramatic teaser was released today ahead of the release date on October 7, showing King and Kelliher at the forefront of the drama on board.

However, while it is not clear how much of a part he will play in the upcoming season, viewers were reeling over the decision and called Bravo out airing the episodes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C__S1l5y19q/?hl=en

Flocking to the comments below the official Below Deck page, Bravo4therestofus posted: ‘Ummmm my understanding was that Gary was NOT coming back sooooooooo ?!!,!?! [sic].’

Glamisgrrrl agreed: ‘Right?! So gross they’re just letting him come back.’

‘How is Gary back??? And why? Ick,’ Arielle_Smith said.

Over on Reddit, NBCaz commented: ‘Can’t say I’m excited to see that Gary is still gonna be a part of this [sic].’

As Pinsleric added: ‘Not only is Gary not scrubbed, he’s featured in the trailer. I’m genuinely shocked.’

Last year, Samantha Suarez claimed that she met King while preparing for season four in Sardinia and had accompanied him back to his hotel in July 2022, after he had filmed interviews for the show.

The former crew member – who worked on the hair and makeup team, and would also assist the talent manager with tasks – alleged that he was drunk and behaving erratically while she attempted to keep him contained in his room.

She claimed to Rolling Stone that he suggested for her to join him in bed, and that he greeted her in his underwear when she later returned, before coming up behind her and grabbing her, pressing her against his body and refusing to let go.

Suarez said that she immediately informed bosses of the incident and had meetings with executive producers and the show’s talent manager, insisting that she didn’t feel comfortable working around King.

Others also claimed that he was seen grabbing a female staff member’s bum and continued to touch her inappropriately when she asked him to stop.

When one team member reported his behavior, they claimed that no one acknowledged it initially, before a producer eventually stepped in to ask him to stop.

Both Suarez and the crew member, who was vocal about what they witnessed, were reportedly not asked to return to the show, having worked on the franchise for some time – while King returned for the following season.

The allegations emerged in August and the reality star later denied them. He posted a message on Instagram in November, vowing: ‘It’s sad that people will do anything in their power to bring you down.

‘It’s not about how you fall but how you get up. Luckily for me the fall was into a sea of daisies.’

The post is currently still visible and includes some of the hashtags: ‘#iwascancelledbecauseofalie #anythingforaplatform #dontbelieveeverythingyousee #ivegotmyheadheldhigh #worldisanuglyplace #iwouldneverdothat #onwardsandupwards.’

At the time of the Rolling Stone article, a Bravo spokesperson told  Metro.co.uk  in a statement: ‘Bravo is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows.

‘We require our third-party production companies to have appropriate workplace policies and trainings in place and a clear process on how to report concerns.

‘The concerns Ms Suarez raised in July 2022 were investigated at that time and action was taken based on the findings.’

A spokesperson for 51 Minds Entertainment, the company that produces Below Deck, added to the outlet: ‘51 Minds is committed to providing an environment in which every member of the casts and crews on our productions feel respected and, most importantly, safe.

‘51 Minds provides mandatory harassment and sensitivity training for every series it produces at the outset of each new season and lays out a clear process on how and to whom to report any questionable activity.

‘With any complaint filed, a timely investigation is launched and, based on the findings, appropriate actions are implemented to ensure the safety of our cast and crew, up to and including termination.

‘With regard to the incident reported by Ms Suarez involving Mr King, the case was investigated and reviewed as soon as it was submitted, and production acted accordingly based on the results.’

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Bravo declined to comment when approached by Metro.co.uk.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

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