'We make boating fun'
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RYA Training Centre MCA PCA

Testimonials

Take a look at what our customers say about us!

Overall excellent experience!
The course was very informative, well structured and i feel i learnt alot in a short space of time.
Paul was a fantastic instructor! Very knowledgeable and he had a great tailored teaching approach which made the course a pleasure to be on!
I’ll for sure be recommending you guys to anyone i know that needs an RYA course.
George H
RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Theory March 2024

We recently ran an RYA Sea survival course and World Sailing (in conjunction with Taste the Blue)  specifically for Deaf UK members.  The course was well attended and enjoyed by all who came.  James Davies ran the 2-days of courses and was congratulated for his interactive and inclusive delivery.  Here are some of the comments we received:

  • Facility equipment with subtitles!  Amazing job.  Well spoken / clear for lip reading.  Interesting facts
  • Surprisingly nice to see subtitled PowerPoint (live) – which made it so much easier to get the right termonology etc that would have been missed out with the BSL interpreter – so with the 2, double the information overload 🙂
  • Excellent (course) Subtitles – a real time help.
  • I enjoyed the case studies – it brought together theory and experience and made it real.
  • The automatic captions on PPP are brilliant.  This should be standard practice to have them on for all courses and meetings – it increases accessibility
  • Excellent presentation overall.  Noted improvement on the addition of subtitles to the bottom of the screen.
  • Pool session was good in Andark
  • Very good overall and recommend to my friends to attend course.
Deaf UK members
Bespoke Sea survival + World Sailing - Deaf UK

David booked an RYA coastal Skipper practical on Fenland Dancer to improve his knowledge and skills.  Here’s an extract from his feedback form:

Paul’s knowledge is first rate but more importantly is able to communicate both that knowledge and his enthusiasm.

I found the ‘end of course’ debre=ief an integral part of the course and learnt a great deal about myself and the way forward.

I would return in a heartbeat.  The most fun I have had on the water – the only person who could / should have done better was me!

David H
RYA Coastal Skipper Practical

We recently ran an RYA first aid course with Peter Young as the Instructor – here are some of the comments:

  • Great stories, scenarios, fun, jokes, very thorough instruction – concise – and patience with the constant questions from us
  • Probably the best first aid tutor / instructor.  Instruction really good, knowledgable.  Great scenario based exercises.
  • Enjoyable – Peter made it so.  Learnt a lot, refreshed some things, thought about some new techniques

 

from feedback forms
RYA First Aid 9.10.23

Heres some feedback from some clients about our Instructor Kai.

Kai – really fantastic way of teaching and questioning with a smile!

Excellent course.  i was expecting to learn a lot and I wasn’t disappointed.  Kai was patient and very informative and if I didn’t understand an instruction he explained it in a different way until I did.  kai has the happy and unique knack of instilling confidence.  He has a good manner.  Asking ‘pupils’ questions to check their understanding.
Kai went out of his way to make suggestions / small adaptations/adjustments to our boat to make life easier

Mary and Simon
Own Boat - PB2 August 2023

I was asked today to confirm numbers of  RYA powerboat Level 2 certificates issued in March 2019.

I gave her the information and this was her response:

You’re a star . . . Boat people are nice people. And you set us off on a great path of adventure on water.  Thank you

What a lovely testimonial

From Naomi J
Boating journey

A newish PBI ran a successful course for us this weekend.  This feedback will ensure we keep him on and hopefully increase his confidence.

Stuart is relaxed and delivers calmly and positively.  Clear instructions and presented with humour although constant reminders of boat and personal safety 😊

MC - 2.7.23
RYA Powerboat Level 2 - July 2023

I recently completed my Yachtmaster Offshore Power with Mendez Marine. As always Mendez delivered a first class training course and couldn’t have been more adaptable to ensure that everything was delivered around the weather constraints. Clearly they’ve established a great support network as when there was an issue with the training vessel (which is maintained to a very high standard) their engineer met us at a pontoon and sorted the issue there and then. Although a bit nervous for my exam, I had received a great preparation week giving me the best possible starting point.

I highly recommend Mendez Marine, they’re great to work with and have excellent instructors.

 

Adam Cairns
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore - prep course and exam. March 2023
“A big thank you to Vanessa at Mendez Marine for arranging my own boat tuition with Captain Ramos. Having just acquired the boat, Ramos went above and beyond to go through all the operational aspects and focussed on areas where i lacked confidence.
The day lasted longer than expected having practised docking in three different marinas, turning in confined spaces and anchoring, AND we managed to squeeze in a lovely lunch in Cowes.
I can’t recommend this enough and now look forward to many sunny days on the solent..!”
JB
Own Boat Tuition - May 2023

We have just completed an RYA Helmsman for a family new to boating.  Unfortunately their boat broke down towards the end of their 2nd day.  This is what they had to say about our new Instructor Tom White:

 

Would just like to add, we were very impressed with Tom, we learned so much in just 2 days and he was a friendly, patient and kind instructor. He stepped back and let us find our own way for some things but was right there if we needed him which boosted our confidence greatly and we were so thankful to have him on board when it all went a bit wrong.  We will be more than happy to have him back ……… 
Thank you again.
B Family
Own Boat Helmsman

We recently ran an RYA First Aid course for Deaf Sailing UK, taught by James Davies.  Here are some of the comments from the students:

The visual resources and practical activities were excellent and made it much easier to learn.

I love PowerPoint – Helps a lot

It was really good to see the ‘visual’ course, and to enable us to do practical practise.  I have learnt a lot, especially DR “ABC” procedures.

Can’t fault anything. Everything went smoothly and easy to follow.  Plenty of practical and visual.  Jim made it easy for us.  Having done my first Aid 20 years ago without support – it was hard – this time round its much more fun and easy.

Very useful with (BSL) interpreter.

Very hands on, full o informative slides and interesting stories.

Deaf sailing UK
Deaf Sailing UK - RYA First Aid

Dear Vanessa,

l want to thank you and Mendez for the quality of the course and the perfect boat

A special Thanks to Julie, she was absolutely outstanding l had four beautiful days with her improving my knowledge and skills
Thanks
Davide
Davide
RYA Cruising Instructor Power

Take a look at the feedback from our last RYA Advanced Powerboat course:

Really enjoyed Rob’s style of tuition.  Super Relaxed but steps in at just the right moment.  Very professional.  thanks Rob

Lovely instructor – great style of teaching and Very professional and knowledgable.  Good facilities.  Good Boat.  good crew!

Vanessa was amazing!  helpful, kind and efficient.

Rob was an excellent instructor.  cool, Calm and knowledgeable.  Lovely manner

Commercial skippers
Advanced Powerboat - September 2022

Feedback from our 5-day RYA Day skipper theory Course.  5 – students 5 passes:

Wonderful! Rob is probably one of the most patient pragmatic instructors I have ever had.  He is calm, knows his subjects inside out and inspires confidence to achieve the goal for which one is aiming for.

MS
RYA Day skipper theory - October 2022

We recently facilitated a rib experience for 2 teenagers, whose mum came along for the ride.  They were kind enough to send the following feedback:I hope you are well.

Sorry this message is so late, but I wanted to say a massive thank you to Paul for such a great day out. The kids absolutely loved it.
And I wanted to say another thank you to Paul for putting his trust in the kids and letting them do all the driving.
This was just wonderful, and both kids loved the experience of driving the rib not just for 20 minutes at 6 knots, but properly experiencing it.
They both said it was one of the best days they had had.
It was so good of Paul to let me change the route at the last minute.
With my kids, you just never know how they are going to react to things.
Thanks again and you never know, with our without kids, you may see me again . ? ?
Take care and all the best.
Karen
Karen
Experience day August 2022

some great feedback from one of our courses this month:

Before arrival: All made simple thanks to Vanessa – I need a Nessa in our office

Your time with us: The booking process was very smooth and Vanessa very helpful.  Paul was a great instructor and very thorough and made the whole experience enjoyable.  I was please that Paul added som humour into the course which eased the pressure Somewhat.

T Frost
Split Day skipper
Just dropping you a quick line to say we had a fantastic week last week.  Monty was brilliant and we learned so much. It has changed Les’s mindset completely and any nerves or anxiety he had before have completely gone.  Would definitely recommend him in the future. Our son Ollie now wants to do his day skipper so he needs to save up, but will be booking through you and request Monty, and Les is working towards his Yachtmaster.
Thanks once again.
CT
Haslar Marina
CT - June 2022
Own Boat - Day Skipper and Helmsman

I wanted to email you to thank you for arranging the practical boat handling course last Tuesday.

I found all of Paul’s tips really really helpful.  I was also very interested in the MOB practice, especially the Williamson turn which I have never ever attempted before and the ferry gliding which was a bit hairy (for me) as the stream increased during the day.  I’m also pleased to report that I able to get most of his navigation question correct too.  So something is sticking from my Day Skipper theory course.

Next steps will probably be to complete the Day Skipper Practical sometime early next year.

DWDS
Practical Boat handling on Fenland Dancer

I finished my course Friday night I just wanted to say what an exceptional trainer Monty is I have used many training companies over the years for my business he is an massive asset to your company and definitely a guy you need to hold on too

Kind regards,

Steve Phillips

Steve Phillips
Own Boat Day skipper

We recently ran an RYA Day Skipper theory course over 5 weekend days.  Here’s what they had to say:

Adam (Tavell) was very clear, he explained things well and was able to re-explain any areas we were confused or unsure about.

Was great – Awesome Instructor – clear, precise and, most of al very patient.

I thought the course set up was good and thought learning over multiple weekends was helpful.

Was handy it being over weekends – would have found 5 consecutive days a bit intense.

Students on course
RYA Day Skipper theory - multiple weekend days

I would like to congratulate you on providing a first class service.  The centre provides a great learning environment and the examiner (James Davies) is a credit to your team.  The vessel, ‘Swiss-T’ was in great shape and allowed me to step on-board, even though I was unfamiliar, and locate all the equipment with ease thus reducing the pressure of the exam.

Further to this, I have a couple of friends who are considering sitting the PB2 Course to whom I will recommend your company.

Tribs
Advanced PB - CoC

Thank you. A good course given by James (Davies). He shows the gulf between my level and his..:)  certainly created a lot of thinking. Hopefully I’ll have the time and opportunity to put it all to practice. I’ll keep an eye out for other courses as the school and location is very pleasant. Ian

Very good course friendly from booking right through. Tim

More relaxed and fun than anticipated.  Very practical and up to date instructor.  Great Venue.  Ray

New APBI's November 2021
RYA Advanced Powerboat Instructor 2021

Fantastic course. Really informative – feel confident to boat.  Neil was fantastic.  I started thinking I wouldn’t be able to drive a boat, now I can’t wait to get out again.  so much fun!! Thank You.  Amy

Equipment was ideal for learning, facilities catered for all our requirements, Neil was an excellent instructor taking time to explain and show, really put my wife at ease with his approach and teaching style.  Paul

 

Chambers Family
PB2 October 2021

I had a Day Skipper (practical + theory) and Helmsman courses as a bespoke package at Mendez Marine. By the end I felt confident enough to skipper a passage safely. The instructors were very supportive and encouraging, and they all had a clear way of transferring information. The school boat, Fenland Dancer, was a phenomenal training platform which helped me gain confidence in my boat handling skills. Overall, I have learnt a lot and would highly recommend Mendez Marine to anyone looking to follow the RYA Motor Cruising scheme. Thanks a lot.

Ece, Egemen and Yanki
Bespoke Family RYA Training
Hi Vanessa
I just wanted to send a note with a huge THANK YOU for providing such a brilliant PB2 course for us. Adam was ace and we learnt a huge amount and he made it great fun. He was brilliant with Isabella and really explained everything clearly. We all feel much more confident  and had a blast!
Many thanks
Jules, Tony and Isabella
Jules R
Family Powerboat Level 2

Please pass on my thanks to Paul for all his patience, advice and guidance yesterday. The experience has really boosted my confidence and has given me much food for thought. The practical exercises really honed my existing skills and gave me some new ways of thinking about how to approach boat handling.  I now look forward to transferring them across to my own boat.

DW - July 2021
Motor Cruiser Handling Session
Good morning Vanessa
Just a short email to thank you for arranging yesterday’s refresher training for me.  It has boosted my confidence no end in that I seem to have been able to transfer my skills from river work to tidal waters.
Can you please pass this email onto Dan.  I need to offer him a huge thank you for putting up with me for another four hours and for answering all my questions.  It can’t have been very exciting for him, sitting watching me going in and out of pontoons and alongside over and over again.  However he can take satisfaction in that from my perspective, he really put the pressure on and put me through my paces.  He really got me thinking about the elements and how best to approach the different scenarios, enabling me to keep maximum control over the boat.  And very tricky some of them were too!  Thanks Dan.
Look forward to seeing you on 5 July…..
David W - June 2021
Rib Refresher Training - June 2021

I just wanted to touch base to provide some feedback from Saturday.

George was absolutely lovely. He was friendly, approachable and patient with a professional attitude. He is clearly a competent skipper, but also an excellent instructor and ambassador for Mendez Marine. It was an incredibly positive experience which has left me feeling confident and relaxed in the vessel. I would have no hesitation in recommending George, either as a skipper or instructor.

Thanks again for sorting at short notice.

 

Danny E
Own Boat Tuition - Danny
What did you think of your instructor? Brilliant, made even the topics I struggle with (shapes and lights) interesting and had top tips for remembering
Did our instructor make the course fun? Definitely, we had one particularly long day but if anything that was the best one.
Any general comments about the course and our service? Really impressed with the entire team, from Venessa’s warm welcome to the organisation of lunches.
Chris W
All boys bespoke RYA Day Skipper May 2021
Vanessa, just wanted to pass on my feedback from yesterday – Brilliant!
George did a fantastic job, very professional, excellent communicator and instructor, confident and knowledgeable and a great people person.
He covered exactly what I needed to know and added the right amount of information and highlighted key points as we went – just what I wanted.
Incredibly patient as well – so even an older dog like me can learn some new tricks form the young lad.
Pass on my thanks and hope to see him again and if I have the occasion to get the boat moved or need the services of an instructor then I’ll be asking for him.
Paul N
Own Boat Solent Familiarisation - Paul N
What did you think of your instructor? Monty was very knowledgeable and patient. He provided terrific instruction on all the aspects I needed to know and made us all feel at ease. He was great !
Did our instructor make the course fun? Absolutely – he was humorous and always had an anecdote to reinforce a point he needed to make
Any general comments about the course and our service? I found the entire course to be seamless, from registration, instruction to completion and would have no hesitation in recommending Mendez Marine to anyone.
Jon S
Day skipper - 1 - 4 May 2021
What did you think of your instructor? Ed (Scott) was friendly and helpful. He was well prepared and focused on training we required most. We learnt a lot. We would like to say thanks to Ed for amazing day.
Did our instructor make the course fun? Yes, he did. We had great time.
Any general comments about the course and our service? Service was outstanding- training was arranged quickly and we had great instructor.
Laura S and Michal O
Own boat - Sailing boat under power
What did you think of your instructor? Really nice guy, very calm and professional, easily integrated into the group but led us very well throughout.
Did our instructor make the course fun? Yes
Any general comments about the course and our service? This was my first experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to attending more courses in the near future.
What did you think of your instructor? Hugh was a great instructor, he had time and patience for the whole crew. he was well mannered and we also hope he enjoyed hs time with us
Did our instructor make the course fun? Yes, the course was fun and informative. Hugh made great instruction with varied levels of knowledge and capabilities of each crew member it felt well rounded and enjoyable.
Lee M + Chris B
RYA Own Boat Day skipper - May 2021
What did you think of your instructor? excellent. Monty clearly knows his stuff and was clear and concise in his teaching. he was also unflappable and kept calm when I invariably made mistakes!
Did our instructor make the course fun? yes. he had lots of insights and top tips which were really useful, and built an easy rapport with all of us in the group. we really enjoyed chatting with him and learning from him
Any general comments about the course and our service? really enjoyed it and it has given me a good grounding to get out on the sea, despite the lively weather conditions over the weekend- which was useful for developing my boat handling skills at close quarters. the instructor was also flexible in mixing the course up so that the weather didn’t have a negative impact on the learning experience
Sarah WF
Day Skipper - May 2021

Monty has been a terrific instructor.  This was our first day on a new boat, first day with twin engines and he boosted our confidence enormously.   Great blend of demonstration and guidance with really helpful advice.  Made it extremely useful and a truly enjoyable day.

Paul
Own Boat tuition

Adam was very knowledgeable, informative and patient.  Very good content.  ‘Improved’ confidence. MF

Adam was calm and encouraging.  Everything well explained.  Classroom facilities very good.  SH

Adam was excellent. Very patient encouraging and knowledgable. MH

SH, MH + MF
own Boat RYA PB2 April 2021

Vanessa was very helpful with the booking as had to be changed a number of occasions.

Another brilliant day with Julie.  Great at Building confidence and had me doing things I never dreamed I could do! JC

Had a great day with Julie.  She has the knack of teaching, but making the whole day fun, fun,fun! DC

Chadwick
Own Boat Tuition - Chadwick

Great Support from Vanessa regarding my Theory Refresher and adjudicated exam. RB

Food was excellent ! PM

Excellent Instruction. Clear and understandable.  Boat comfortable and responsive to drive.  Packed lunches tase and filling and trip to Cowes, night passage and fish and chips the highlight! SV

RB,SV, PM
RYA Day Skipper

I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you again for a great week of training.  You could not have been more helpful and flexible in trying to accommodate my leave dates whilst building in the possibility of bad weather so that I could complete my yachtmaster practical.

I found having the one on one tuition, my theory revision, boat handling and skipper practise before consolidating everything on my yachtmaster practical course gave me the best opportunity in gaining a pass.

Paul was very patient, he put me at ease allowing me to build on my skills and confidence with the boat and made the week enjoyable even though at times it was challenging.

Please pass on my thanks to Julie, her tuition and advice of what was expected of me to pass the course was invaluable.  Both Paul and Julie explained things clearly and helped me iron out the issues I needed to practice. Thanks also to the crew on the day of my exam who were a great support.

The whole experience has been professional, friendly and fun, needless to say I am very pleased to have passed . I would highly recommend Mendez Marina and look forward to getting in touch again in gaining my next qualifications.

Once again many thanks for all your help.

Kindest regards

Jake Elsworth

Hi Vanessa,

I hope all is well. Just a quick note to say what a great day we had yesterday on the rough weather handling course. It was great to be able to experience that sort of weather and get some practical experience of rough weather boating. I’m not sure I’ll be rushing back to go out in a force 6 again but it was fantastic to do, and a massive boost to my confidence. Can you thank Adam for his excellent tuition, confidence and patience.

All the best and looking forward to seeing you soon.

Ben L
Rough Weather Boat Handling

First of all I just wanted to say thank you again to the team at Mendez Marine. The course was great, the kit and organisation behind was well orchestrated making it a smooth operation. Further more as I mentioned to Paul and Julie it was really nice to spend 4 days with Instructor/Trainers who shared the same passion for training.

Sam N
Cruising Instructor Course - March 2021

Zoom worked well, but not as good as classroom.  Hugh was Fab tutor, very patient, explained well in a way able to understand.  Would recommend.

You guys are all great, excellent course, no complaints, very pleased . . .but my head hurts.  Rebecca

Classroom is better but the online was really good.  Operated really well.  Hugh was brilliant, always helpful and supportive. Andy

Rebecca and Andy
RYA Coastal Yachtmaster Theory - classroom
I just wanted to pass on our thanks to Paul and Martin for such a enjoyable day on the water.
Both David and I appreciated the way the introduction into motor boating was delivered and going to Cowes was a huge bonus.
So please send on our thanks to all your team who made our day such a memorable one, not to mention how lucky we were with the weather.
We are now looking forward to taking on the next level to enable us to charter in the future.
Peter W
Skippered charter - December 2020

I hope you are well and thanks for your email.

May I take this opportunity to thank you both once again for what turned out to be a fantastic week. It was definitely varied, exciting and fun – lots of thinking on our feet, adapting, compromising and on my part, lots of renewed learning. All of you were a real pleasure to work with and it heightened the sense of achievement to pass. Even the sandwiches were delicious and Tom and I were laughing that the three of us (including Monty) were a very simple catering trio ….. ‘all exactly the same please ! … even the tea !!’

And so onto Monty ….. Could you please pass my sincere thanks and appreciation to Monty. He was such a pleasure to spend time with and to learn from – he made things look (sometimes frustratingly ! :)) simple, explained things really well and focussed us on what did turn out to be the exactly the right points – it is Monty I have to thank above everyone for my pass.

Although we jumped between centres, the learning and experience really did feel seemless and had this been the normal plan for this course and exam I would not have felt it was out of the ordinary. In a way, it added to the enjoyment by being able to experience two boats, two marinas and two different harbours.

Can I also make it clear that Steve too was excellent – he was at great pains to promote Mendez Marine (due to the circumstances) and did not in any way get close to trying to poach business – he was completely professional.

In conclusion, thanks again to you all. I’m obviously really happy to have passed and am looking forward to the future. Thanks also for organising the Welsh Governmet paperwork so effectively.

We made it !!!!

Many Regards

Jonathan K

Jonathan K
YM Prep October 2020
Thanks again to both you and Paul for last week, it was excellent. Learnt a great deal and really enjoyed it.
Best wishes,
Simon.
Simon H
RYA Day skipper Practical - September 2020

Just a note to say thank you for the tidal training. We received a lovely note from Karen & Neil saying what a good morning it was and that Monty was a brilliant instructor. So thank you again!

Rachael - Boatfolk (September 2020)
Deacons marina - Berthholder training

Vanessa, firstly I’m sorry it’s taken me a few weeks to get round to writing this e-mail.  I just however wanted to say that Julie (Proudfoot) was an amazing instructor…even better than I remembered!  Her ability to get on a boat, understand how best to handle it and then most importantly understand exactly how to convey that to someone else, is just second to none!

I will likely be back in touch towards the beginning of next season for a few more days of own boat tuition for myself and my partner.
In the meantime thanks again from one very happy instructee!!
Regards.  Liz.
Liz N
Own Boat Refresher training

Hi Vanessa, I just wanted to pass on a huge thank you from Andy, Yvonne and myself.We had a thoroughly enjoyable two days and Adam was a fantastic instructor.We all found the course extremely rewarding and would have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone looking to learn boating.I am very keen to get as many of the team “afloat” so will be in touch again soon no doubt.Very best wishes,  Mike

I also learned more than I had perhaps expected to learn.  My past experience is mostly sail (I’ve got Day Skipper sail, theory and practical) and whilst I do have past experience with power boat driving in the form of use of company boats and driving sailing club safety boats, my power boat experience is not recent.

As well as learning some new things in specific relation to power boats that I had not been taught before, the course also highlighted just how rusty I’ve become and how much of my former Day Skipper knowledge has ebbed away through skills fade and lack of use.  It was quite eye opening in that respect and I was a little disappointed with myself once or twice when I didn’t know answers to questions that, as a Day Skipper, I really should have known.

What was nice was that a lot of the feel started to come back fairly rapidly,  when I spent more time on the helm.

Adam was a great instructor and he did a superb job.  He’s a really nice guy, made the course fun, explains things clearly and he is enjoyable to be around. I’d recommend him wholeheartedly and would be very happy to learn under him again on other courses. Andy

Mike W and Andy C (PANTAENIUS UK Limited)
Own boat PB2 September 2020

Thought I should thank you for arranging my own boat tuition with Adam Travell.Much appreciated being able to split the training over Monday and Tuesday of last week.We had excellent conditions and two really useful days on the water.

 

I enjoyed Adam’s company and his patient style of instruction.As a result, I learned some new things and re-learned some things that I hadn’t been able to do for some time.I’ve realised my intention of generally improving my boat handling skills and building confidence at the helm.

I’m very pleased that I came to Mendez for my training, please keep me posted about your training events, particularly through the Winter.

Kind regards

Stewart

Stewart W
Teach an old dog new tricks

Morning Vanessa,

… If Carlsberg did training centres, instructors and examiners I’m pretty sure Mendez, Adam and James would be the Benchmark standard. All very professional, thorough at the same time great company and fun; thank you.

Barnes

Barnes C
Advanced PB + CoC - September 2020
A quick line to thank you VERY much for organising the PBI course.
James (Davies) is an absolutely superb trainer – who provided instruction insights and methodologies that will have value way beyond PB L2 course management.
I’m looking forward to my next course with Mendez Marine.
Dan Rees
PBI course August 2020

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