Solent Boat Training Client Reviews

I was really pleased I did the course with your training centre. The pre-course information was really clear so I knew what to expect, the centre itself was a pleasant learning environment, and the kit you provided was great. Bryan was an excellent trainer and instructor. The classroom inputs were engaging. Bryan explained the practical skills clearly, built our confidence gradually and gave us plenty of time to practice. It was also great fun! I was also very pleased that I was able to study for and be examined on the VHF course which you facilitated at short notice. Regards, Richard

Having now completed my day skipper course with Mike on the Gallifrey this week I’d just like to thank you so much for providing this plus the mile builders the comp crew and VHF radio I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience which started in January I’d highly recommend SBT to any of my work colleagues (pilots at easyJet) so fingers crossed more business comes your way Thanks again Martin

I have just completed Powerboat 2 course over the last 2 Days (30/04/2022& 01/05/2022) at Solent Boat Training . Our Instructor was Peter Day and I must say what an excellent instructor both on the water and in the classroom making the whole experience very informative and fun not forgetting the seriousness of safety when out on the water. Thanks Pete for a great 2 days. I will certainly recommend Solent Boat training and Peter Day as an instructor. Best Regards Peter Humphreys Doncaster

Hi Matt, just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoyed my couple of days on the milebuilder with Tony McBride. I’ve had experience of a few instructors at various schools, however Tony is in an league of his own. Absolutely excellent! Thanks again Ed

I thought I'd drop you a quick line to commend one of your instructors, Bryan Pummel. Bryan took my RYA Level 3 Powerboat course the other weekend and his enthusiasm and dedication to his students is outstanding. The folders he had personally produced to aid his teaching technique made the learning a lot simpler and he emailed all his students some very interesting videos and helpful website links. The knowledge he passed on whilst out at sea has certainly made me more confident in my passage planning and boat handling. I know in this day and age that people tend only to write to complain rather than praise others, so I just thought I'd break the trend. Kind regards Andy

Just wanted to say thank you to you and your team for my course last week aboard Gemini and which allowed me to achieve my Day Skipper qualification. I had a fantastic week and the weather certainly helped. The week was certainly helped by our great instructor, Mike. Mike made the whole experience enjoyable and fun, but it was also very informative and his tutoring style certainly put us at ease and helped me greatly. He had some great stories and which were used to help describe situations we may find ourselves in and his sailing experience certainly made us feel we were in safe hands. Thanks again.

A very well run and enjoyable 2 day course by our excellent instructor Bryan. I would highly recommend this for anyone looking to increase both their knowledge and confidence of handling a rib.

Just spent a week with SBT doing the classroom Day Skipper Theory course. Tom our instructor couldn’t have been more patient and understanding when it came to presenting the information and getting it into the heads of a mixed bag of people in the class old (me) and young, quick and slow learners (me again!). Good facilities and clear concise information delivered in a way that made it all make sense. Thank you Tom and SBT Really pleased I did this course in a real life environment and not struggled along with a ‘on line course’ at home scratching my head. I now feel much more confident and am looking forward to the next step - the SBT 5 day Day Skipper practical course already booked up!

Just a quick email to say thanks to SBT for a great couple of days of mile building. Ecos is a fantastic boat and Leo was absolute credit to SBT. He is just super knowledgeable, and his teaching style means this gets passed on in a clear and accessible way. I really learnt a lot. Back soon for day skipper practical. Thanks again, Hugh

What can I say, the course was perfect my instructor Tom, was top draw explaining in detail every manoeuvre in easy steps, why we do it that way and what the result should be. The classroom work was extremely easy to follow, particularly the navigation of which I had zero previous experience, having sailed and jet skied before I had an advantage over my classmates, but the way the training was explained previous knowledge was not required. The facilities were perfect on our RIB was in top condition having been re tubed and with every piece of safety equipment on board. I intend taking my training further and will certainly be going to SBT again

This is the first bit of time I have had since the course to write this e-mail, and I am writing to say a very big thankyou. Firstly to Matthew and Solent Boat Training for providing the course, and taking the time to talk to me before booking to help with my decisions about suitability and preparation, secondly to Tom for the experience and instruction you delivered on the boat during the five days of the course, and finally to the three other course delegates, Kit, Andy and Guy, who were great company and who I wish all the best in their future endeavors. The course was everything I had hoped for and more and I am grateful to all involved at Solent Boat Training for such a fantastic experience. Tom, I was really impressed with your delivery and professionalism. It must be a hard balance to find when you are effectively living with 4 delegates for the duration of the course, and we are all hoping for a successful outcome. I think you found that balance perfectly, and I am incredibly grateful for all the chats, feedback and debriefs, and opportunities to navigate, plan, helm, skipper and practice skills as many times as we were able to fit in. As we discussed during the course, I have a family charter booked this summer from Plymouth, and we are now looking forward to the possibilities for that week more than ever. Thanks again

Solent Boat Training is well located on the Itchen River close to Southampton Water with a great variety of marinas, tidal streams and water depths nearby that make it a very good location to learn a wide variety of essential boat handling skills. Bryan was an excellent tutor who moved onto new information and skills at just the right pace for the capabilities of his three students. Learning was fun and we came away with a lot of boat handling confidence and ways of remembering key navigational and signage skills. Altogether an excellent course in every respect

Just completed the 2 day course, the content is aimied at everyone and delivered in an enjoyable way. I would recomend Solent Boat training 100%, good instructor, good facilites and well delivered, they also book the sun if you really nice.

Rus was a great tutor. He was clear, encouraging, knowledgeable and patient. Rus used lots of tools to help us remember into the future and always checked our full understanding. We will no doubt return to SBT to extend our knowledge and skills further. Thank you Rus and hope to see you soon. Kind regards, Bob Coleman

Could not recommend Solent Boat Training enough, and specifically our instructor Bryan! Had such a fun weekend completing powerboat level 2. Bryan was super patient and went above and beyond to ensure we were happy and confident with all aspects of the course. Thanks again for a brilliantly run course!

Thanks to Gabby for taking three of us through the two day course. I enjoy courses and this was a refresher course for me - nevertheless I learnt new things and applied some WD40 on those rusty skills of mine handling a 6 m RIB. (Kestrel). Gabby is an excellent and experienced instructor with fluent knowledge of.sailing and power boating both in the classroom and on the water. SBT are a professional outfit with well equipped teaching aids and operate in decent premises in Shamrock Quay, not forgetting the well maintained boats. Staff are very helpful, relaxed and obviously passionate about boating and training people. Philip

Hi Matthew, Just wanted to say thanks for the Day Skipper practical course last week. Really enjoyed the 5 days. I have sailed a lot before Australia to UK spending a year cruising but was 20 years ago. Doing the course was not just a great refresher but helped me build confidence and new skills. I would especially like to thanks Simon our instructor not only was he very thorough going through yhe syllabus but also spent extra time on areas I wasn't so confident about (turning in confined area and mooring in particular). Most of my yacht experience was on cats so wasn't very confident maneuvering a monocular. Once again thanks and would be interested in progressing my qualifications further. What do you think would be good next step. Thanks Jonathan