We are a professional Sea School with a lot of experience behind us. We specialise in providing an extremely high standard of training whilst you enjoy yourself. We offer a large variety of courses which range from commercial merchant seaman training to pure leisure courses including sailing and powerboat.
Our practical sailing courses are normally conducted on our own 2011 Bavaria 36 (Sail) or 2012 Jeanneau 379. Our Powerboat courses are conducted in a 5.85 metre Ribcraft with a 115hp Suzuki 4 stroke outboard. PWC Courses are conducted on your own ski or our Yamaha Waverunner.
The Principal of Torbay Sea School is Neil Penman who has lived and worked in Torbay all his life. He started crewing motor cruisers and small yachts in the River Dart over 30 years ago. Consequently we have extensive knowledge of these cruising grounds and aim to share the beauty of the area with you.
Neil continued sailing as a hobby whilst serving in the Royal Navy and this and his previous experience with all types of boating allowed hime to start instructing full-time within the service. His final appointments in the navy were Chief Sail Instructor at the Royal Navy's Seamanship Training School near Plymouth and finally RYA Chief Instructor at The Royal Naval Officer Training College at Dartmouth.
On leaving the Royal Navy, Neil has run commercial marine operations including boat hire, speed boat trips and operating passenger ferries before founding Torbay Sea School. He is now a Yachtmaster Ocean, Yachtmaster Examiner in both Sail and Power and a Powerboat and PWC Trainer.
Neil has a wealth of experience in the maritime world including being a qualified "big boat" skipper. He rates one of his favourite periods as a 3 month trip as skipper of a Challenge 67 through the Southern Ocean, around Australia and New Zealand.
Neil has built up a skilled team within the school and we now employ 3 full-time instructors who have been hand picked as some of the best in the business.
We are privileged to have trained many commercial skippers and crew and continue to work closely with Torbay Harbour Authority, Brixham & Falmouth Pilots, several Super-yachts and local ferry operators who favour us for their training.
