• "A very thorough and well put together course." MC of Nottinghamshire
• "Very pleased I chose this course and would highly recommend it. It is comprehensive and clearly written. Introduces a different aspect of sailing in each manageable module and builds up the complexity layer by layer. Then it does all seem to fall into place and is beautifully logical. I found the modules took longer than the given estimate but got through the course in 6 months doing a few hours a week."" PN of Shropshire
• "I've really enjoyed the course and am a little bit sorry that it's finished. Just need to get out and do some sailing now." PB of Hampshire
• "Thanks very much. I'm impressed how quickly you turn the marking around. I've very much enjoyed doing this course through you as distant learning. It's meant I could pick it up and put it down as work and home commitments allowed. I would otherwise have found it hard to commit to a whole week course or an evening course over this winter. Again thanks very much." MC of Gloucestershire
• "I was slightly dubious about doing Day Skipper Theory by distance learning as I thought I might miss something from being in a classroom, however time constraints meant I couldn’t commit to a set classroom course……..having now completed the course I would not hesitate at all in recommending distance learning, in fact I think I have benefited from working in this way as I was able to work at my own pace and spend extra time on sections I found more difficult. My chart-work has improved immensely thanks to the many, thorough student marked questions. Thanks to Centaur Sailing for the professional and efficient service provided – I was amazed at the speed of response….in particular the speed at which marked [mock] exams were returned." VP of Aberdeenshire
• "Top marks for the course construction and presentation, it was well laid out with each module building on the previous knowledge gained. Good use of real events to back up the importance of the course content. My enjoyment of the course was only marred by the fact it’s been so long since I’ve had to study!!" DF of Aberdeenshire
• "Thoroughly enjoyed the course at every stage. This is the first serious distance learning course that I have done and although its harder than a “class” type course, the material and the back up support was excellent throughout. I would happily do it again." and "... speed of response was fantastic." AM of Staffordshire
• "Thanks for a great course. I was very impressed. I would recommend this course to anyone thinking about doing the Day skipper theory. The speed of your replies was amazing, especially the mock and real exam marks." BG of Lancashire
• "I have no hesitation in giving top marks in response to all of the categories above [in our end of course feedback questionnaire]. The speed of response to modules was astounding and I always felt that the checking process was individual, thorough and constructive – even your “careless” comment on one was wholly justified! From what I understand from people I know who have completed the course at the local night school the Centaur Sailing course is of greater depth and quality. If the RYA ever have any reservations about correspondence courses then they need have no concerns as far as Centaur Sailing is concerned – an excellent course." JT of Cheshire
• "The option of doing a “no support” course was fantastic, and as far as I am aware, unique. A lot of effort has clearly been put into preparing really first class teaching material and it entirely feasible to do the course remotely, given the detailed explanations provided. I would have no hesitation in recommending this course to anybody who is interested. " TP of Cambridgeshire
• "Thanks for everything I really enjoyed the course." and "I thought the course was excellent and very well put together. I will certainly be returning to you when it comes time to do the next one. Thanks." NT of East Sussex
• "I have found this course to be really good and made more so by real-life anecdotes, which take it out of the classroom to some extent, and also the emphasis on safety. So, thanks very much." JH of Nottinghamshire
• "I have followed the Day Skipper course without support and have found it to be both very enjoyable and comprehensive. The style that the course is delivered in leaves me feeling as though I've actually sat a in a classroom and benefitted from the wealth of experience a good instructor would enhance the subject with. Thank you." SS of Kent
• "I really enjoyed this course and found the course content had plenty of depth." and "I will get on to a practical course up on the North Wales coast this spring (only an hour away) and then I will pick up with you over the Coastal ... Thank you for such a prompt return." LB of Merseyside
• "This was an excellent course that was interesting and enjoyable to complete, it fully covered the subject matter and was easy to follow. Just what I was looking for. Many thanks." and "Thanks for your very rapid response in marking the papers. I will thoroughly recommend this course to anyone interested." RA of Dorset
• "Thank you very much. I really enjoyed the course. It was very easy to understand and very logical to work through." and " ... thank goodness for student marked examples!!" SC of Nottinghamshire
• "Speed of response to emails couldn’t be better. All in all a very well put together course and great value for money." and "Thanks for your excellent service ... I will certainly recommend you to anyone looking to do theory exams." DR of Buckinghamshire
• "I wanted to say how much I have enjoyed the course and how it developed and sharpened my skills in navigation and chartwork, but also having to demonstrate my understanding [for marking remotely] made me really think and learn. I will be now looking to do the day skipper practical course in the new year but also learn more through the Coastal Skipper theory course." and "I found the course an excellent learning experience with high quality learning materials set out in easy to follow modules which will also be a useful reference in the future. The feedback is swift ... and I found helpful in maintaining a disciplined approach to achieving the learning outcomes. I would the course recommend to others." DT of Durham
• "Excellent course, very informative and a joy to have done, and above all it has given me the knowledge and confidence to go to sea safely." AH of Berkshire
• "I thought after the mock that I had blown it with the chart work, but it was a real shot across the bows for me and so I sat down every night from then on and went through all the chart questions until I really understood them. I'm sure my papers were far from perfect but that revision really did make me feel I was beginning to understand things fully. Your materials are excellent, if anything almost too much information (not really) which really needs to be gone through a couple of times to appreciate all of the knowledge contained within them. This I've been doing over the last couple of weeks as one final lunge for the line and I'm glad to say it seems to have paid off." EB of Gwent
• "Thank you for the good news. I am glad that I chose Centaur Saling to begin my sailing adventure with. I am certain that what I learned and re-learned on the course will be essential at sea. This is also a good time to thank you personally for being so kind and considerate, especially over the past week." DC of Poland
• "Thank you. This has been a great experience and I know that the day skipper course has provided me with a foundation of knowledge that will serve me for years to come. The format worked very well and the step by step worked examples were perfect to run over several times if need be. I now can’t wait to get on with the next level." and "I will certainly be coming back to you guys for the next stages of my shore based work, and will be very glad to recommend you to other sailors." JV of Hampshire
• "Centaur made learning the Day Skipper material from home on the ‘no support’ course very easy. The course notes were extremely comprehensive and very easy to follow. I was able to follow the material without any assistance from anyone else which is a testament to the completeness and detail of the course. The marking turn-around was impressively quick and comments on mock exams were very helpful. Communication was very timely and friendly. Thanks Centaur!" CB of London
• "Your course is way better than I expected and is the one I will be recommending to people in my sailing club - although as I mention in the feedback, the full support option would have been worth the extra cash and I shall say so. Studying alone can be a lonely place! A few of the members have done other distance learing packages with mixed feelings and generally not a great deal of satisfaction. Looks like I chose well!" CW of West Yorkshire
• "I was very impressed with this course; it allowed me to work in my own time around my degree so I was never over-faced. The information was well written – I felt that I understood the concepts behind the theory which is very important; the practise questions set me up well for the final test. Feedback was very quick and useful; with the automated emails reminding me how long I had to go till the end of the course keeping me on track." LN of County Durham
• "Great course materials, with good worked examples and plenty of practice exercises. Prompt and supportive response on all submissions. Excellent overall." and "One question I did have was whether it would be possible to purchase a couple of additional plotters. I found the one I used in the course very reliable and easy to use, after I got the hang of it, and would like to have one for the boat and one for spare." DM of London
• "Excellent course overall – have really enjoyed the whole process. Even the exam!! Thank you for the consistently prompt replies – amazing." MS of London
• "Thank you. I had read the student comments on your website before deciding to go with Centaur Sailing and they were the reason I did choose your school. And my experience fully supports those comments. I was really impressed with the learning materials, which were clearly explained well set out and very, very informative. As a ‘no-support’ student I had no problems in following the course at all, even if it took me longer than I had at first thought. I think that the learning materials are excellent value in their own right and I will treat them as a resource in the future. I was also very impressed with the speed at which mocks and the real assessments were returned, and the helpful written comments on the mocks. We also had a useful phone call so thank you very much for that which instantly clarified a couple of matters. From both of these experiences, I am confident that the full-support course must be excellent and I am considering it for the Coastal Skipper." GH in Indonesia
• "All materials provided were excellent, Rod has the patience of a saint. Will happily use Centaur Sailing for further RYA courses." RH of West Sussex
• "The course was really well packaged, I learnt a lot and will continue to learn as the skills are put into practise ... The speed of response from submitting the assessment papers (mock and real) was exceptional." and "Many thanks for the support in this, the course has been invaluable to me in moving from sailing on a lake in the NW to sailing around the Bristol Channel as I have been doing this summer, when I did the Practical Day Skipper a couple of months ago the material I'd learned with your course really made a big difference in my ability to get the most out of the practical and also in my broader understanding of sailing, putting the theory in practise was a joy." TS of Cumbria
• "Many thanks for your help. It is a very well put together course and was very enjoyable. I won’t hesitate to recommend you to others!" AG of Gloucestershire
• "Great course and particularly the literature which is well set out and easy to understand." and "I'm sure you will get others from round here getting in touch once I've spread the word." CC of Glasgow
• "I have really enjoyed the course even though I managed to pick the weekend with fantastic weather to sit indoors and do the exams!! It really helped when we went sailing and did the practical element of the course. Your turn around time on the marking was fantastic – we never had to wait long for the results which was always good." FA of London
• "I really enjoyed the course and I feel like I have learned a lot. I would definitely recommend Centaur Sailing to friends." PA of London
• "I think your materials are great, support was prompt and helpful, and the structure of the course is well thought through. Please quote me!" AS of Surrey
• "The course modules were very clearly set out and all the exercises were very helpful in consolidating what had been learned. The course was very comprehensive and I would happily recommend it to anyone thinking of using distance learning for RYA based courses. Thank you also for the very helpful pointers returned with the Instructor Marked questions – they really made me stop and think and make sure that I had understood the material." ML of Surrey
• "I did enjoy the [no-support] course. The course you have designed is top quality, very thorough, and very easy to work with. I was especially impressed with the speed at which you marked my papers. I look forward to receiving my certificate." MG of London
• "At no stage did I feel that studying by correspondence was a handicap. The course was clear, well structured and made no assumptions about what I might already know or not know. Being able to telephone and ask for help with points I didn’t understand was a real bonus. This course was first class." DH in Belgium
• "I thoroughly enjoyed the course and the things I particularly liked were: • The worked examples are probably the most valuable part of the course • The student marked work again was very helpful • Everything was very slick, things being turned round very quickly • The odd bit of humour injected now and again to remind us to enjoy it all." DH of Gloucestershire
• "I found this a thoroughly informative and comprehensive course which assumes no prior knowledge of seamanship or navigation on the part of the student. Comprehensive though it might be, the text on each page is brief (occasionally just a single sentence !!!) well laid out and without the tedium of reams of text of a text book. Regular illustrations, simple diagrams and easy step by step instructions help to break down and simplify the most complex of tasks. Although I was left in no doubt at all that help was merely an email or simple phone call away, I didn’t need to avail myself of any of it as the course content was sufficiently explanatory (supplemented by excellent feedback from my tutor) not to require it. Work was returned within hours including the results of the final papers so your nails won’t suffer too badly! Would I recommend Centaur Sailing? Absolutely. Would I choose to study with them again? Certainly." JW of Merseyside
• "I really enjoyed the course and found it very helpful. In particular, I very much appreciated the quick turnaround in marking papers as well as your availability over the telephone to answer questions." DB in Dubai
• "This was a truly enjoyable and informative experience! I found it extremely beneficial to be able to work at your own pace, and the course notes provided on each module were of an excellent standard. The rate of return of the instructor marked papers was second to none and the feedback invaluable for further learning. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone. Thanks Rod!" AH of South Yorkshire
• "I found the course excellent and will recommend it to others. After a break I will resume study (probably winter 2010) for the Coastal Skipper. A big thank you for your help." CH of Lancashire
• "I enjoyed the course very much, and learned a lot. I have been sailing (lakes) for a couple of years, but left the 'technical aspects' to my husband. Then I decided I really should understand a bit better about sailing in general, the proper terminology,what is meant by bearings and headings etc, weather – it is more for my own personal development than anything else; and to be able to join in conversations with other sailors and know what they're talking about!" and "Thank you for all your help during the course, and I wish Centaur Sailing continuing success. I would certainly recommend the course." EL in Prague
• "I have been a teacher for 20 years and ... this was a great course. The material was useful and entertaining in style; all the techniques and concepts were covered, well explained and illustrated with useful examples. I was on the no support course and the material provided was of a sufficiently high quality for me to never feel that I this was a problem – until I failed my mock and panicked a bit. However the feedback was clear and the right answers and methods well explained. This reassured me that I had learnt everything but needed to be more careful – a week later I passed. I managed the whole course without the need to contact Centaur Sailing for advice or guidance as everything they provided was sufficiently good for me to manage without. Really enjoyed the course. I was completely new to navigation found the instruction really clear and helpful. Thank you." GR of Cumbria
• "I found the course very well constructed, clear and easy to follow. The key messages came across clearly and there were plenty of examples to work through. In my opinion Centaur Sailing certainly lived up to their aim of providing high quality tuition at reasonable cost and I would definitely recommend the course to anyone with an interest in developing their sailing skills." MP of Essex
• "Most enjoyable course and extremely well set up for distance learning, working offshore it meant I was able to fill in the many quiet hours with something meaningful and constructive. Excellent feedback and support meant silly mistakes were quickly rectified preventing bad habits from creeping in. I would definitely recommend Centaur Sailing to others thinking of taking up sailing or wanting to improve their knowledge. Thanks and look forward to doing the Coastal Skipper next." KS of Berkshire
• "I have thoroughly enjoyed the course. It is very thorough and the course material is excellent quality. The worked examples were really helpful as were the proformas. Information and instructions were very clearly presented and the speed of turnaround for marking papers was incredibly quick. The course was ideal for me in that I travel a lot and was able to take the course material with me on my travels. Having the course material on CD is really useful and I can now use it as a reference of information in the future should I need to brush up on any particular areas. When I took my practical course it was clear that this theory course covered the syllabus in great depth and I was able to concentrate on the more practical aspects of boat handling feeling really comfortable with the theory side of things. I would thoroughly recommend the course to anyone who is contemplating their day skipper qualifications; it is excellent value for money. Many thanks." PK of Wiltshire
• "Even though I wasn’t on the full support course, the feedback I did get was extremely helpful ... I would also like to thank Centaur Sailing for that feedback and for the very quick response I received to any communication I forwarded." BJ of Powys
• "Notes were easy to follow, making the no support option a viable proposition. The worked examples provided excellent clarification of the topics. Really liked the tidal proformae. Made the whole concept very clear and provided a logical structure for workings." JC of Buckinghamshire
• "I found the course fully met the objectives, allowed me to achieve the certificate and has given me a sound background knowledge from which to progress. Since completing the course I have read other RYA publications to prepare me for Day Skipper practical and the ease of understanding these books confirms the information and skills gained on the course were both accurate and well presented. The general tone of the modules, the colourful use of diagrams, charts and graphics only added to the ease in which the subject could be assimilated ... The additional resources of Tidal Diagrams, Tidal Stream Proforma, and Passage Plans Proforma were an invaluable aid to understanding the course and introducing a simple way of avoiding mistakes. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and the way it was presented and would recommend it to anyone who is content to work on their own but at their own pace." ES of Cambridgeshire
• "Learning material of very high standard. Carefully structured and 'paced' just right. The whole programme felt rigorous/demanding for an absolute novice like myself but had I full confidence in the scope and depth of the content. The speed of feedback was truly outstanding ....even on Sundays. I Would recommend to anyone for its quality and value for money." CR of Lancashire
• "Extremely comprehensive course conducted by efficient, helpful and professional staff. Thankyou." LM of Caithness
• "Rod was always at the end of the line when I had a query. Even at weekends (which proved very helpful as I had little time during the week because of work responsibilities). His friendly manner and good teaching skills made things a lot easier to understand if ever I got stuck or was a little confused as to why and where I was going wrong. Thank you!" and "Rod returned all of my work to me within 24 hours without fail. This was particularly helpful as I could move on to the next module quickly or know if I needed to concentrate on sharpening my skills on a previous module." and "I would like to thank Centaur Sailing for a very enjoyable course and some first class tuition. I feel very confident that I have learnt the navigation skills and knowledge to start my sailing career and would definitely recommend this excellent school to anyone interested in learning to sail. The costs of this course were extremely competitive and the level of support offered by Centaur Sailing exceeded my expectations. I would not hesitate to come back to do my coastal skipper or yachtmaster course when the time comes! Happy sailing!!!" NF of Avon
• "I would just like to say how pleased I was with the course content and with the guidance and ease of working I experienced with Rod Emmer of Centaur Sailing. It was a pleasure. I undertook the day skipper shore based course on a no support basis and I would certainly recommend this course to others, either with or without the support. Also I am considering the study of further shore based curriculum myself and I would feel more than happy to undertake this in the same way through Centaur Sailing." DL of St Helier
• "The course has been excellent and the notes are brilliant. It has become clear there is much more to them than various courses taken by some of my friends." CH of Midlothian
• "Excellent service – the course material was easy to follow and comprehensive. I would not have any hesitation in recommending this course to others." TS of West Yorkshire
• "All material provided was excellent! ... [Marking & feedback] Very prompt on all accounts ... I think the Centaur Sailing system is excellent and well thought-out. It clearly took a lot of time and effort to create and I think it provides an excellent way to study at your own pace. Well done!" AC in France
• "An excellent and comprehensive course that goes much further than many other courses to provide in depth knowledge and understanding of the principles required. The safety section in particular was extremely helpful when deciding upon the equipment for my own boat." PL of Surrey
• "Many thanks for the certificate, which arrived today, and for seeing me through the course. I enjoyed it very much and felt i learned a lot from it. I chose Centaur Sailing very carefully after looking at sample material and information from a variety of correspondence schools, as well as considering intensive and evening course. I am very happy to say that my experience with you validated my choice, which was based on what I saw was thorough coverage of the syllabus and a proper learning approach, as opposed to simply providing information. I appreciated that each module gave a step by step introduction to the topic and culminated by integrating our learning in a 'putting it all together' section. At every step of the way there were plenty of exercise drills with prompt and useful feedback to ensure the topic was well learnt. I'll be completing the feedback form when I have some time in a couple of days, but wanted to show my appreciation in the meantime." ML of Manchester
• "Overall this was a comprehensive course, with excellent course notes, very useful worked examples, and a very professional and efficient service. I have recommended this course to several people, and will continue to do so. I look forward to taking one of the more advanced courses through Centaur Sailing in the future. In hindsight, I think the supported course would be the best option, as … I found the most valuable part of the course was the feedback on the mock exams." PS of Gwent
• "Thank you for your support in this course, which i believe is very well organised and instructive. Particularly impressive I found your response time and timely feedback." CF of London
• "I thought the course was really well structured and clear. Although I was on a ‘no support’ course I had no problems following the material from start to finish." and "I'm really pleased I passed and just wanted to thank you for the really speedy feedback on everything I've sent to you including the marking of this final exam. Great course!" SA of South Yorkshire
• "A thoroughly excellent course that lived up to the tag ‘high quality tuition at a reasonable cost’. A big thank you to Rod for putting this course together and administering it so well. The course is very thorough and was intended to stretch you but all of the materials and guidance allow you to work out the answers for yourself and make good progress. Thanks." and "I feel like you have given me a great foundation in the principles and I have already booked on to do a Day Skipper practical. I'm so pleased I chose Centaur Sailing for this course." SR of Hampshire
• "Overall it was a very well run course. I was impressed with the speed of response. The standard forms developed for calculating the hour of tide and depths were very helpful. The notes you gave were helpful and comprehensive." MA of Avon
• "I was really impressed by the level of service offered and especially the speed of responses to emails. Thanks for a really well thought-out course. I will certainly be in touch in the future when I am ready to do my Yachtmaster!" GG of Lancashire
• "Overall an excellent and thorough course which was most helpful, and which I would recommend to others." RT of Shropshire
• "An excellent correspondence course and very well administered. Thank you." NS of Cheshire
• "A very good course, particularly if studying it on the computer as it is particularly well adapted for it and very clear on the computer. I also felt the course was very complete and covered every aspect in lots of detail- particularly useful as a reference for later." PA of Hertfordshire
• "Centaur Sailing are very helpful and very efficient by telephone and email. The course is very thorough and the feedback detailed. It was very satisfying passing Day Skipper theory with Centaur Sailing." OA of Hertfordshire
• "Enrolment went very smoothly ... All was quite straightforward from the CD and accompanying letter ... I was very impressed with the swift responses to all e-mails and the marking of the papers ... It was a very thorough course, with clear explanations and documentation. Responses were quick, friendly and informative. I would recommend the course to others." CF of Northamptonshire
• "The enrolment process, via email, was simplicity itself and proceeded without a hitch ... I was immediately impressed by the quality of the teaching material and was able to get going straight away [no support course] ... The style of the presentation suited my needs perfectly ... Everything went like clockwork. I was particularly impressed with the speed of the turn-around and with the care taken in marking the mocks ... For people who have to fit their study around other demands for their time, this course is ideal and I would recommend it to anyone who can study off their own bat. I know I got more from this course than I would have done from a classroom-based one (basically because I spent much more time on it and I think the stuff has stuck). Altogether a slick operation ("slick" in the nicest possible way!). Many thanks for a very enjoyable course." AS of East Sussex
• "I have enjoyed your course tremendously, if fact, it is one of the best courses I've ever done in any area. As an instructor I can appreciate the effort that must have gone into the course to make it the professional document that it is. Ideally suited for an adult learner. The course has good explanations and illustrations, plenty of practice and timely and helpful feedback." KV in Qatar
• "I would just like to say that the [no-support] course material was excellent. I am a teacher and appreciate more than most the difficulty of getting across complex ideas. The course was fantastic and extremely good value for money." KC of Surrey
• "Thanks, it has certainly been a challenge but completely worthwhile, I have learned so much. I foolishly promised to sort the tide sets and rates for the round the island race which we are doing for the first time, wouldn't have even considered doing that a year ago let alone volunteering to help plan the passage. Many thanks for your help and support and I would certainly recommend Centaur Sailing to friends." KH of Hampshire
• "Enjoyed the course and found it to be well structured and thorough. It was handy to be able to complete the course at home without the fuss of travelling to and from a college, thus making the best use of my time. Excellent value." JM of Berkshire
• "Thank you very much for your email. I am over the moon at having passed. Your comments on the mock papers that I took was very useful and helped me considerably to improve. [no-support course] I have really enjoyed the course." and "The course material was excellent and very thorough. The provided proformas are also invaluable and helped enormously with understanding the techniques and, particularly, with putting them into practice. The flexibility of study options with support or no support courses was very useful." JL of Buckinghamshire
• "A great course and I am very pleased with the quality and support I received. Very many thanks for all your help." MW of Oxfordshire
• "Wow your course was indeed comprehensive. I have been sailing for over 20 years, (of course thats been as a child too) and I have been bought up around boats, even Sailed From Fiji to New Zealand, You definitely made it interesting for all levels, all of the modules were well written and enjoyable, thank you." AG in London
• "I wasn’t sure I’d be able to manage the no-support course having only a small amount of prior sailing experience but having the option to upgrade to the fully supported course was really useful. However, due to the high quality of the training material provided I was able to complete the course successfully without any further input. I was really surprised to receive such quick responses during the weekend and even the bank holiday, couldn’t have asked for more." RB of West Yorkshire
• "Thank you for your advice from the mock assessment it made a big difference to my approach. An excellent course." and "Overall I found the course both enjoyable and very useful. The materials were excellent, well suited to a self study approach. I had no difficulty in understanding the concepts." KB of Hampshire
• "Very good course – most enjoyable and worthwhile. Gold star service – definitely the place for my next course." DL of Middlesex
• "I have enjoyed every minute of the course." and "The course was very thorough and extremely well presented. Having chosen to expand my horizons from flying to sailing and at the same time starting a new business, I needed a course that could fit around my commitments. I researched the options carefully and chose Centaur Sailing. I am so pleased to have made the right choice and can highly recommend this course and this school. After I have completed the practical next week and built some sea time, I will certainly be back to book the Coastal Skipper course with Rod in the next 2 months." DL of Hampshire
• "Fantastic course – I was apprehensive before embarking on it but, whilst challenged throughout, always found it helped me through. I often had to leave it for weeks on end but it was very easy to pick up again where I had left off. All in all very impressive and would recommend it to anyone." CB of Northamptonshire
• "I am not sure if I told you how impressed I am by the quality of your materials... extremely good. The lay out is easy to work through and your explanations simple and easily understandable... well done." JH of Buckinghamshire
• "This is the first distance learning course that I have ever completed and the result gained at the end speaks for the quality of the material [certificate earned]. I never required explanation of anything as all was self explanatory. The only problems were that my outdated Word software and computer knowledge, led to formatting and submission problems at my end. Centaur Sailing's patience in dealing with this has been very much appreciated. Brilliant course. Would recommend to others." BM of Norfolk
• "The correction and guidance regarding the mock exam was brilliant [no-support course], thanks." and "The course and response was fantastic thank you. I’ll be continuing in exactly the same way with the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore theory with Centaur Sailing. A big thank you once again." CS of East Yorkshire
• "I found the course materials excellent and the tools (chart plotter, templates etc) were extremely clear and helpful. I was on an unsupported course and was able to proceed easily and confidently through the programme by following the notes and guidelines. I think that support from an instructor would be invaluable for anyone slightly less confident (or arrogant?) of their time available and ability to work their way through alone. Many thanks – very impressed by the quality." MW of Devon
• "I found that Centaur Sailing were very helpful but also direct and honest in advising me how to proceed, with hindsight they were correct. The course brought out areas of weakness and gaps in my knowledge and the test was thorough. Very pleased." IC of Middlesex
• "The course content was excellent and comprehensive. Everything was clearly explained and was very readable. As someone who came to the course having informally studied and practiced the subject for a few years, I found that I got a huge amount out of it. It certainly formalised my knowledge and has undoubtedly made me a more competent sailor. All communication with Centaur has been efficient and easy and I can’t recommend this course highly enough." and "I only wish I had taken your course before I took my Day Skipper practical last year. I feel much more confident about many things that I now realise that I had never quite mastered from all my self study." RC of Tyne & Wear
• "Thank you so much for everything. We would have no hesitation in recommending you to others." and "A very thorough course run extremely professionally." ST of Somerset
• "Can I say that the course materials are excellent and your tidal proformas helped me greatly on a difficult passage on my Day Skipper practical earlier this year." RC of Tyne & Wear
• "I've enjoyed doing your course, it was particularly easy to follow. Once I've done the Day Skipper practical I will be looking around to try to find a local boat or two that want crew, and when I've done a few more sea days I'll contact you again to do the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shore-based course." and " I’d just like to say how impressed I was with the turn-around time for marked assignments. My mock general assessment paper was returned to me marked in under an hour, and the chartwork paper didn’t take much longer. Amazing! All I can say is “Keep it up!” because I’ll be back for more in 2008." SPS in Spain
• "Did not rush the course owing to pressure of work and time out of country, however, much enjoyed, excellent course material. First class support post mock exam [no-support course] which clearly indicated weak areas, many thanks." JS of Hampshire
• "Excellent throughout. Principles clearly explained. Very many thanks for helping me through this most interesting course. " LL of Berkshire
• "I only really got down to doing much more than the basics with the course in the last 5/6 weeks and initially felt that given the time pressures I would ‘learn by doing’ through the mock examination. It was only then that I realised the steepness of the learning curve ... I took the 5 day Day Skipper practical and of the three prospective Day Skippers on the course was clearly the best prepared in terms of theoretical underpinning. The flexibility of doing the course at my own speed has clearly been of great benefit to me ... I now feel on a bit of a roll and wonder about continuing straight on to the Coastal Skipper – what do you think?" MR of Northumberland
• "This is a thorough course giving an excellent basic grounding. The course modules are very well organised, comprehensive and concepts clearly explained, both in textual and graphic form, making learning easy. The extensive suite of student and instructor marked questions helped me to test the extent to which I had understood the concepts and to practice my skills, particularly in chartwork. In this respect, I particularly commend the coverage of materials using both paper and electronic charts – as the latter are increasingly used in the “real world”, skills in using chartplotter software are very valuable (and it seems not so well covered by comparable 5 day and night school courses, according to feedback I’ve had from other students). In addition to course modules themselves, I also found the accompanying materials very valuable – for example the proforma for tide calculations and SOLAS passage planning and trial versions of software such as tidecalc. The outstanding feature of this course is the quality of support offered. You were unfailingly friendly and supportive and offered immediate help and clear explanations when I was struggling to understand concepts. Materials were marked very quickly and clear explanations and advice given on areas for further work. In all, a very enjoyable and fun way to learn!" CD of Devon
• "Thank you for the help. As far as I am concerned there is nothing you can really do to improve the ‘no-support’ course, it was perfect for my needs." and "The assessment process was remarkably quick and easy to complete. Communication was clear and it was simple for me to know how long I had, what format to present the work in etc. The feedback on my ‘mock’ was particularly useful." DB of West Midlands
• "I found the Centaur Sailing course very helpful, extremely informative and learnt much more than I had expected." DW of Norfolk
• "The clarity and structure of this course made it straightforward to follow and an enjoyable learning experience. I would strongly recommend this course to any would-be Day Skipper. I look forward to completing the practical element at the earliest opportunity." JB of Norfolk
• "I enjoyed the course immensely and was very impressed by the quality of the information given and the feedback given on the final assessments. Very good value for money." PF in Thailand
• "Many thanks for the course. I found the notes clear and to the point and believe they will form a useful reference for years to come." AE of Gloucestershire
• "I was slightly sceptical of taking a course like this, but the materials are fantastic, I could learn at my own pace and I really enjoyed it. The support is fantastic; modules are marked and returned incredibly quickly. I cannot recommend it enough! I hope to be back to do my Coastal soon!" RM of Surrey
• "Thank you for very efficient service and for your congratulations. I have enjoyed the course even though I have struggled to find the time because of work pressures." PS of Norfolk
• "I found the course to be of good value, both in terms of the cost and the quality of the materials. The materials had the feel of almost being a transcript of face-face sessions, in that they were teaching materials that led to effective learning, rather than being simply a CD-ROM textbook that transmitted information. All the modules were interesting and well structured, and led to a successful outcome - fantastic. I would unreservedly recommend Centaur Sailing courses to others who are looking for a good quality distance-learning Day Skipper course. Many thanks Rod." DR of Hampshire
• "An excellent course. Very clear course notes. Thanks for a very interesting and well structured course, and the very quick and efficient turn-around of papers. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. I can highly recommend the course to others." AC of Kincardineshire
• "I must say that I found the course presentation and content to be absolutely excellent and most informative." DC of Suffolk
• "Thank you for all the advice and coaching, I ... was beginning to get really worried as i needed this by Xmas 2006 [Day Skipper practical course]. Your website suggests that the next step is Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore [shorebased] ... can I do this from the Canary Islands? Once again many thanks, I am really grateful to you." PR of West Yorkshire
• "Here are my exams ... I hope that I achieve a pass [pass grades were achieved] but if not I'm still so pleased to have FINALLY completed the course (part of me thought that I never would). I have learnt a lot and I have really enjoyed the process. Thankyou for your patience with me. I know I'm far from a model student. Your advice and guidance have been much appreciated." LF of London
• "Thanks for your help and patience, I received the certificate in good order. I will attend the practical course during the first week of August at Southern Sailing. Next step is Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased - I'll be in touch soon." IA in Bahrain
• "Thanks very much, I have really enjoyed the course and I would like to thank you for your help and for the quick responses to my e-mails. I am leaving in 2 hours time for a weeks sailing from Gibraltar and am really looking forward to putting all the theory in to action." LB in France
• "Wow! That was quick work. Thanks for the quick turn-around. I very much liked the course. I must say that I thought there was a lot of material, but the way in which the course is laid out means that the chartwork now all seems pretty much second-nature to me. Many thanks for your help." PG of London
• "Thank you for a very good course. The worked examples are very well set out and very easy to follow. I certainly learnt a tremendous amount doing the Day Skipper course and have decided to further my knowledge by doing the Yachtmaster. I will post the enrolment cheque tomorrow. I cannot wait to get started." AS of Hampshire
• "Thank you very much for all your help. The course materials were excellent, and I really appreciated the prompt and helpful feedback on the exercises." RL of London
• "Thats wonderful - thanks very much indeed for this, and many thanks for all you help and support along the way - and for bearing with us for so long! I guess we must have the record for the length of time its taken us from start to finish. Its been great fun, and as you say, whats most exciting for us is the possibilities that it opens for the future. We'll be in touch to let you know how we get on. Many thanks again, and wishing you all the best." CL of Essex
• "I've enjoyed the course and appreciate you always giving feedback promptly." FS in Egypt
• "My sincere thanks to you for this course. It has been a real pleasure to work through, and I would like to thank you for what has been in every sense a 'massively' professionally compiled and managed course. Centaur's course has without doubt exceeded my expectations. Thanks again." AP of Oxfordshire
• "Well just a note to say thank you very much for the course. Has been an enjoyable interlude from life here in Cairo. I sailed with my parents for 12 years all over the place from when I was very young and eventually sailing on a big boat has tempted me once again. I definitely have been inspired from the course to carry on with this." SA in Egypt
• "Am enjoying it very much and finding the explanations thorough and clear! And it's nice to be able to go at my own pace. It's just making me desperate to go out and put it all into practice." and "Just back from doing my Day Skipper Practical in Portugal. It was great fun, although very hard work at times as well ... Still, I passed and it was great to put all the theory into practice. Thanks to your course I felt very confident of my theoretical knowledge!" DK of Glasgow
• "Thanks for your encouragement, prompt replies and speedy return of modules, even on the weekend!" RM of Edinburgh
• "I am very pleased that I followed the Day Skipper Theory Course with Centaur Sailing. The material is very thorough and easy to follow. The approach of ensuring a given topic is properly understood before moving on to the next is excellent. For anyone wishing to get the most from the practical course the theory course is a must!" PD of Switzerland
• "Thanks v. much for an enjoyable course - you're a very patient and understanding instructor. I hope to be doing a lot of sailing this season, and look forward to returning to Centaur Sailing in a year or two for the next stage." BG of London
• "Thanks for all your help. I hope that my passing gave you as much pleasure. Thanks for your wisdom and guidance." WB of Prague
• "I'm really enjoying the course, there is so much to learn, can't wait to put it into practise." NL of Essex
• "Thankyou for your help and support through my Day Skipper Course. I found the course easy to use and very interesting. The layout of the modules was clear and it was easy to follow the step-by-step instructions. I would highly recommend the course to others!" LH of Surrey

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