Sailing courses

with experienced and fully qualified instructors

All our sailing courses are taught on vessels which are fully equipped with the latest safety and navigation equipment. Our experienced and fully qualified instructors will ensure that your sailing is safe, challenging and rewarding.

We offer several different activities as part of our services:

Wellbeing Sailing

Wellbeing sailing offers powerful benefits for veterans, supporting mental and physical recovery.

The calm of the sea promotes relaxation, mindfulness, and relief from stress or PTSD. Working together builds teamwork, trust, and belonging, while sailing provides gentle exercise that boosts strength and confidence. Learning new skills and achieving goals restores purpose and self-esteem, making sailing a therapeutic space to heal and reconnect.

Our sailing experiences take place from Monday to Friday, with everything provided - including meals, foul weather gear, and accommodation. Our boats are free for participants to sleep on board during your stay, plus you are welcome to use the marina’s facilities.

Veterans are welcome to join us for multiple weeks subject to availability and we operate throughout the year, pausing only in December to carry out essential winter maintenance on our vessels.

RYA Sailing Qualifications

RYA sailing qualifications are internationally recognised certifications that develop practical seamanship, navigation, and safety skills.

Suitable for beginners to advanced sailors, they build confidence and competence on the water. Veterans can gain new qualifications, enhance employability in the marine industry, or simply enjoy structured, rewarding progression through professional training and personal achievement.

RYA Day Skipper

An internationally recognised RYA Day Skipper certificate provides veterans with the skills required to confidently skipper a yacht for short passages. Veterans will develop basic practical skippering skills and will cover:

  • Preparation for sea

  • Deck work

  • Navigation

  • Pilotage

  • Maintenance and repair work

  • Engine checks

  • Emergency situations

  • Yacht handling under sail

  • Night cruising

RYA Competent Crew

No sailing experience is necessary to embark upon a Competent Crew qualification. This course is for beginners who would like to be more hands on when out sailing with friends or family. It is about developing confident, active crew members. Course content will include:

  • Terminology

  • Rigging and sails

  • Sail handling

  • Ropework

  • Fire precautions and fire fighting

  • Personal safety equipment

  • Man overboard

  • Emergency equipment

  • Meteorology

Yachtmaster Offshore

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualification is a prestigious certification proving advanced skill in skippering sailing or motor yachts up to 24 metres, on passages up to 150 miles offshore.

Designed for experienced sailors, it requires at least 2,500 nautical miles, 50 sea days, and five passages over 60 miles. The practical exam assesses navigation, seamanship, pilotage, boat handling, and leadership under sail or power. Candidates must also demonstrate strong knowledge of meteorology, collision regulations, and safety. Highly respected worldwide, the Yachtmaster Offshore certificate represents professionalism, competence, and is often a key step toward commercial or professional maritime careers.

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Skipper Scholarship Scheme

The Skipper Scholarship Scheme is an 18 week sailing programme guiding participants all the way through to Yachtmaster Offshore.

Created after the pandemic to address employment challenges, it offers veterans a clear training pathway into the maritime sector. The scheme builds on military skills - teamwork, leadership, and resilience - helping veterans regain confidence and purpose. Comprising three sea phases (Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper, Yachtmaster Offshore), it provides practical qualifications and career opportunities.

Training delivered through the Scheme builds on valuable skills many veterans have developed during their service, thus re-instilling a sense of self-worth and capability, and enabling individuals to reconnect with elements of the Armed Forces they may miss, such as teamwork, physical challenge and camaraderie.

Women only Veterans Sailing Weeks

Turn to Starboard supports under-served and marginalised members of the military community.

Project Vitamin Sea is designed specifically for women veterans affected by trauma, particularly Military Sexual Trauma (MST). In partnership with Salute Her UK, it offers women-only sailing retreats focused on healing, recovery, and post-traumatic growth.

Participants enjoy a gentle introduction to sailing alongside holistic wellbeing activities such as wild swimming, paddleboarding, and art-based sessions. By combining the therapeutic power of ‘blue space’ with social connection, physical activity, and shared experience, Vitamin Sea helps women veterans rebuild confidence, wellbeing, and a sense of belonging in a safe, supportive environment.

This important project has been funded by both The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and Veterans Foundation.

Family Sailing

Our aim is to help families reconnect in a fresh, supportive environment. For many, sailing is a new experience that encourages teamwork and shared adventure.

Guided by an experienced Yachtmaster, families can sail as much or as little as they wish, sleeping aboard and exploring different Cornish locations each day.

These two-day voyages offer fun, relaxation, and time together on the water. Shared sailing experiences strengthen family bonds, rebuild confidence, and create lasting memories.

More than recreation, family sailing provides a therapeutic and unifying experience, helping veterans and their loved ones heal through nature, teamwork, and shared discovery.

Tall Ship Sailing

For those seeking adventure, sailing aboard the Spirit of Falmouth offers an unforgettable escape from everyday life.

Spirit is a 91-foot wooden tall ship, gifted to the charity by The Prince’s Trust in 2014. Built in Liverpool in 1985, she sails with six core crew and up to twelve participants, and her wide deck allows accessibility for all abilities.

On board, there’s comfortable accommodation with bunks, cabins, toilets, and a galley. Sailing Spirit demands teamwork and leadership, with everyone involved in crewing, steering, navigation, and traditional seamanship—offering a true taste of life at sea and the camaraderie of tall ship sailing.

Powerboat Qualifications

The RYA Powerboat Level 2 qualification teaches the key skills and knowledge needed to operate small powerboats safely in coastal or inland waters.

Suitable for beginners, the two-day course combines theory and practical training, covering launching, handling, mooring, navigation, tides, and safety procedures. Emphasis is placed on safe operation, including use of kill cords, lifejackets, and emergency actions.

Successful participants earn the internationally recognised RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate, which can lead to an International Certificate of Competence (ICC). This qualification is ideal for leisure boaters, safety boat crews, or those starting a professional maritime career.

Sailing Expeditions

T2S runs at least one expedition every year whether it be a Tall Ship Expedition somewhere around the UK or a yacht expedition over to France.

These trips are an opportunity for veterans to experience longer voyages and visit other locations. They are all about adventure and about teamwork and building sailing experience and knowledge.

Racing

Coming soon… watch this space!

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