Sail Nelson named as the RYA New Zealand School of Year 2014

by Joanne Glassford on 24 Jun 2014 Sail Nelson has been named as the Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) New Zealand Sailing School of the Year 2014, at the RYA forum held in the Coastguard Boating Education office last Friday.

Richard Falk, British based Training Manager of the RYA, together with Neil Murray, General Manager of Coastguard Boating Education, presented the award to John and Woodi Moore of Sail Nelson.

Neil Murray said Sail Nelson has continued its excellent record of performance and the award was well deserved; the judging criteria included the number of certificates issued, the feedback from students and adherence to safety and other RYA policies.
'Sail Nelson has done extremely well. They may be a small operation but in terms of numbers they are the second most successful school in New Zealand. Once again they have continued to build student numbers, they have trained and employed new RYA instructors and we continue to receive excellent feedback from their students. They are a pleasure to work with, run a tight ship and we wish to thank them for all their hard work.'

Richard Falk said that 'John & Woodi of Sail Nelson are the perfect team - one on sailing and vessel management, the other onshore keeping the bookings coming in. Their business success is down to their teamwork.'

Principal of Sail Nelson, John Moore, has sailed all his life. At just 19 John was New Zealand’s youngest ever certified Deep Sea Skipper. He spent 12 years as a senior tutor of navigation and seamanship at the New Zealand School of Fisheries at NMIT based in Nelson. He is a practising Maritime New Zealand examiner and an accredited Royal Yachting Association instructor. John founded Sail Nelson in 2004 and offers a range of RYA accredited courses to suit individuals’ sailing skills and experience including: RYA Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and the professionally recognised Yachtmaster Offshore.

Sail Nelson attracts students from all over the world to Nelson where Tasman Bay provides the perfect conditions to learn yachting skills in the waters around the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park.

John is a strong advocate of the RYA saying: 'The RYA syllabus teaches sea safety while students are on the water and gives practical skills for the enjoyment of both tourists and New Zealanders. I love my classroom in the Abel Tasman National Park and across the Nelson region. Traditionally navigation and sea safety has been taught as a theoretical classroom subject and my experience is that it comes alive when applied on a practical course on the ocean. People who come aboard gain new skills and the experience enhances their lives and their self beliefs. It’s great to see people have a positive and enjoyable experience.'

RYA sailing courses, which are the most recognised sailing certifications in the world, are taught in more than 45 countries. Visit Sail Nelsons website www.sailnelson.co.nz or find out more about RYA courses on the Coastguard Boating Education website www.boatingeducation.org.nz