I attended the RYA First Aid course yesterday. The facilities are very good with plenty of parking. Our trainer (Alan) was very experienced with plenty of real life examples to enhance the material.... See more
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STCW & RYA Marine Training Centre based in Hamble, Southampton, Greenwich and Helensburgh. The company delivers a wide range of Sea Survival, First Aid, GMDSS, engineering, navigation, maritime security and powerboat courses for super-yacht, workboat and leisure boating crew and masters. Sailing and powerboat students will find we offer the widest range of shorebased, marine radio, yacht maintenance, engineering, first aid at sea and navigation courses of any RYA Training Centre. The centres are equipped with first class resources and training aids for GMDSS, marine engineering and survival training.
Contact info
Chieftain Training, 26 Compass House, Ensign Way, Hamble, SO31 4RA, Southampton, United Kingdom
- 02382 000525
- info@chieftain.training
- chieftain.training
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Keelboat (and SRC) review
Having zero experience, but a long held interest in Keelboat sailing, I came across Chieftain/SWAC whilst searching for companies that could equp me with 'grounded' sailing competence upon which to build.
Pursuing levels 1,2&3; the team were were extremely warm, professional and supportive.
The equipment on which we trained was well maintained; adding to a sense of comfort and surety.
They taught the lessons in a way which enabled me to grasp the key skill sets and had an approachable manner which allowed a feel of demonstrative participation.
I learned not just sailing aspects in the tiller main and gib sheets, but also putting up and taking down sails, reefing whilst afloat, man overboard procedures, anchoring and so much more.
Huge Thanks to Kai, the Instructor, Alex John, Scott, Doug, and the wider team.
(Also a small shout out of thanks to Pete for his tutoring on my SRC qualification also undertaken with Chieftain.
I would highly recommend this company for these, and the other great courses they offer.

Reply from Chieftain Training
Great expierience on instructor training
Great expierience on instructor training

Reply from Chieftain Training
Excellent!
Great tutor, good facilities. Also the admin support was very helpful.

Reply from Chieftain Training
Fantastic RYA First Aid Training…
Fantastic RYA First Aid Training provided by Alan, friendly and approachable, I will be back for more courses!

Reply from Chieftain Training
Top Knotch!
Adam was my instructor for Yachtmaster Offshore Sail to Power conversion. Writing as an RYA Cruising Instructor (sail) myself who has taken numerous RYA courses in the last 20 yrs; I am happy to report that Adam was the best instructor I have had the pleasure to work with in any discipline.
Patient and professional, with an uncanny knack of conveying even the most complicated of concepts in a simple, accessible manner. Adam and Doug (Chieftain’s principal) go the extra mile; it is clear that they are both truly invested in the development and success of their students. A credit to the industry.

Reply from Chieftain Training
Alex was amazing!
Alex was amazing! Very patient, informative, and clear with all instructions!

Reply from Chieftain Training
STCW PST course
Really knowledgeable, engaging instructor. Course felt well-paced. Good facilities. Only slight downside is the travel between classroom and pool sessions, but the two locations are closer together than for some other available courses.

Reply from Chieftain Training
RYA first aid course was expertly…
RYA first aid course was expertly delivered by Joe, everything was discussed and well presented, definitely be back

Reply from Chieftain Training
Great instructor
Great instructor, delivered with confidence stemming from professional experience

Reply from Chieftain Training
5 out of 5 !
Challenging, enjoyable and technically interesting. And all questions were answered with experience and knowledge.

Reply from Chieftain Training
Nigel has done an excellent job in ocean theory
Nigel has done an excellent job in balancing real life experience with keeping a focus on working through all the material.
I really enjoyed it.

Reply from Chieftain Training
Recently completed an RYA Sea Survival…
Recently completed an RYA Sea Survival Course; thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was made fun, interesting, and interactive. The instructor was great; will be using Chieftain for my future training needs.

Reply from Chieftain Training
12V Electrics - V Good - V Hands On
Carl led my 12 Electrics course. He is a highly knowledgable and enthusiastic instructor able to work with people of different skills, experience and learning styles.
He adapted the material to ensure that each participant had the ability to work on and understand any 'projects' they were considering - whether Solar, primary circuits, automatic bilge pumps with indicators and overrides or just circuit design and fault finding.
Course covered use of tools (strippers, crimpers, ferrules), Techniques (soldering to extend wires and protect them properly) and use of test/measuring equipment.
All of the materials were provided - the test rigs for fault finding were excellent.
Thoroughly Recommended.

Reply from Chieftain Training
Great two days for absolute beginner
Great two days on the water, as an absolute beginner I was quickly driving the boat, had lots of hands on driving time, learned loads of things I will need in the future and feel confident that I can get on the water safely in the future

Reply from Chieftain Training
Great follow on from the RYA day…
Great follow on from the RYA day course, more in depth and hands on, really useful course well set out.
The LRC radio course was excellent
The LRC radio course was excellent. Practical, fun and good preparation for the exam.
Brilliant tender operator course hosted…
Brilliant tender operator course hosted by Adam with Chieftain training!Highly recommend
Well run
Well run. The instructor kept it interesting while explaining everything
Top level training provider
My second course at Chieftain and both have been professionally conducted, great content & delivery in a format that was easy to absorb. Alan was able to remain personable & demonstrated a high level of knowledge in both subject areas 🏆
A good course to do
A good course to do. Ideal if you're going for your CoC
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