I completed the 1 week Competent Crew course with Rusailing in Sping 2024 – and i would highly recommend anyone to do the same!

Firstly, Rob and Jules are wonderful people who genuinely go above and beyond to make it a great week for all the students. Everything about the week was well organised and thought through. The coast off the south of Portugal is a perfect place to learn to sail (much more interesting than the Med!) and Rusailing have a range of different locations to sail to over the course of the week making the experiences varied and interesting – with some nice towns and tips for evening dinners.

The boat (the Annecy) is in fabulous condition and all of the equipment is well maintained – a testament to the professionalism of Rusailing. Rob’s teaching was first class, a good mix of professional yet approachable and some good northern humour thrown in – we all learnt loads and capping the student size to 3 people means you get a lot more practice on the sheets.

Don’t do any more research – you’ve found the best Sailing school already – just get booking with Rusailing.

I just did a 1 week Competent Crew course with RU Sailing and have to say it was an incredible experience that exceeded expectations. Instructor was very calm, professional and well structured. The instruction was easy to follow and was delivered at a pace that everyone on board could cope with. He also went out of his way to look after us all on and off the boat and showed us some stunning places.

The boat is beautiful, well equipped and comfortable with plenty of room in the cabins and a well stocked fridge.

If you want to learn to sail then I would highly recommend booking with RU Sailing.

My wife and I just finished a week on Annecy, day sailing out of Lagos with Rob helping me to be a better sailor. This was really a first rate experience. Firstly the hardware. Annecy is a superbly equipped and maintained yacht. She delivered a safe and comfortable sailing experience at the full range of conditions we experienced. Over all we had great sailing conditions, with the heaviest weather up to perhaps 20+kts. Annecy was very well behaved and generated confidence to the crew in those conditions. Secondly, Rob is an excellent instructor. Patient, thoughtful and full of sailing knowhow and he also can communicate that information in a clear, understandable manner. I was not working on a specific course of instruction, but wanted to have Rob help me be better in areas where I have little experience. Rob and I discussed this prior to our week of sailing and Rob was great with helping me with what I wanted and additionally seeing where I had other gaps in experience and knowledge and helping to fill those gaps. If you are looking for superb instruction on a beautiful, well maintained and configured yacht, you have found the place. I’m looking forward to having another session with Rob and his team this fall.

Just back from a fabulous week sailing, tuition was brilliant, boat and facilities first class. Many thanks to Rob & Jules, already looking forward to my next trip to the Algarve with rusailing!

Me and two friends sailed with Rob for a week, completing the Competent Crew and Day skipper levels respectively. We had an amazing time–learning, practicing and gaining confidence by the hour! Rob is extremely patient, clear, and thorough in his teaching and has a great approach to explaining everything in a way that each individual can grasp (everyone is different, after all). Jules handled all the booking and information prior to our trip and made everything very clear so that we could arrive with confidence, knowing what to expect. I would definitely come back to complete more sailing courses when possible! It was super-empowering and I would highly recommend this to women who want to learn how to sail in a safe and friendly sailing school.

While attending R U Sailing at the end of July ’21 for Coastal Skipper Practical training I was reminded of days long gone. Those days when the customer was right and a quality product was delivered. Never have I been treated and trained so well.

Am I Sailing with more confidence? Yes, Thank you RU Sailing, so far and by far the best RYA school.

Did a milage trip from Lagos, Portugal to Vigo, Spain with Rusailing and Richard as skipper. This was my third time with Rusailing, and first time with another skipper than Rob. Richard is also very good, experienced and taught me a lot. It was good sailing, even when the weather didn’t co-operate. I recommend Rusailing, and I know I’ll be back again!

Mum, Dad and teenage son successfully completed our training with RUSailing over a week. Dad is now RYA Day Skipper and Mum and Son Competent Crew due to the excellent tuition provided by our friendly and professional instructor whose sense of humour and patience seemed limitless!!
Aside from the great training, the whole experience was a delight. We were well taken care of and provided with a clean, very fully kitted out boat and generous provisions that satisfied even our always hungry son. One of the highlights for him was the home made soup Jules provided on day 5.
The sailing was varied and we got a wonderful view of the gorgeous Algarve coast. A truly special learning experience for us all. I would recommend this sailing academy without hesitation…!!

This is the place to learn and have fun. Rob is so enthusiastic and a joy to sail with – so much knowledge and experience. Excellent tuition without being intimidated in any way. We were on “Firefly “ a racy x-35 kept in Immaculate condition, fully equipped and very comfortable.

The yacht was more than adequately provisioned with extra homemade treats from Jules. The sailing area offers something to everyone, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend whether you are a beginner or more experienced.

I was recommended RUSailing by a friend who learnt everything from these guys

Both my daughter & myself had had a scary experience on flotilla sailing & hadn’t been on a boat for a few years. We both wanted to learn & more importantly see if we could feel safe, and enjoy being on a boat again… mission accomplished!!!

Course was well paced, Jules was an absolute superstar beforehand (tons of info, and so much support in hotels to stay in/places to go as we stayed a few days before course started). The boat Annecy was great (and sails like a dream)… Learnt so much, can be hard to retain but think that’s just experience & practise…

I’ve actually joined the local sailing club in the UK, and am now doing a 5 week inshore racing intro – so, as I said above, mission accomplished. I haven’t stopped grinning

Honestly I can’t imagine doing any more sailing courses with anyone else except with these guys. Hats off to Rob & Jules – awesome training school, brilliantly priced, helpful, informative… if you want to do any sailing courses, look no further!!

Just completed and passed, the RYA “Coastal Skipper” practical course with RUsailing, and had to write a review to let anyone who is planning to do anything related to sailing, from an introduction through to yacht master ocean, this has to be the most professionally run sailing school you will find anywhere.
The knowledge & experience of Rob as an instructor is exceptional, this promotes a feeling of totally safety in any situation, in any wind or sea state.
Coupled with the style in which Rob teaches, it only adds to the experience, always at least two steps ahead of anything you or the boat is about to do, he is able to install confidence and ensure your learning is fun.
You can be assured any and all the equipment you will use is maintained to the highest standards with no expense is spared.
The organisation & administration is also at the highest standards, from the booking communications, through to ensuring you have a delicious cooked meal with any special dietary requirements, ready to heat up, if at anchor, only adds to the experience. Thanks guys brilliant week

First, I want to say that I’ve never taken the time to write a review on TripAdvisor so hopefully that helps to reinforce how wonderful this experience was.

My wife and I took the chance to learn a bit about sailing. We’ve never done any sailing but were keen to give it a go. We organized a 5 day competent crew course through Jules, who was extremely kind and helpful throughout the whole process. Paul “Muddy” Waters was our skipper/instructor. We can’t say enough about Paul. A genuinely wonderful character with a wealth of knowledge, a yearning to share it, and an ability to do it in a fun but serious manner. The boat was in excellent condition and we don’t have a single negative comment. The school of dolphins swimming with us on the last day was icing on the cake.

Thanks for such a wonderful experience and we’ll see you next year for the Day Skipper course.

As a couple we did a competent crew course on the Sailboat Annecy as a private chartered excursion off 5 days in March 2016. We were treated very nicely and got a perfect course adapted to our future goals.

Rusailing listens very carefully to their customers and just make it happen. With our experience we can only recommend RUsailing, the communication prior to the event was quick and responsive what I could not say from other companies around offering the same packages.

I thought returning to rusailing in Lagos to iron out some rusty sailing skills would be good. The week was in fact superb from start to finish. Lagos is a great sailing area and the yachts beautifully maintained. After 10 years experience in Lagos Rob is now a sailing instructor (and RYA Examiner) in a class of his own. He quietly instils confidence while both communicating the theory and ensuring you master some tricky sailing techniques. He even remained calm after a particular client accidentally triggered the inflation of an onboard lifejacket! The organisation and victualing backup from Jules is great, highly efficient and very personable. The focus of Rusailing is uncompromisingly on the customer, which makes it special.

Regarding the feedback: I only have positive comments to make.  The whole experience during the week matched my expectations, it was everything I hoped it would be.  Your preparation and planning was, as usual, superb.  Thanks again for the salad and cake you made for the trip.  It is a pleasure to train with your school; the instructor’s expertise, knowledge and leadership is great.  You both run a top notch operation!

We spent several days on a trip from Lagos to Lisbon and back to watch the Volvo race start. Jules prepared everything impeccably for the trip, all arrangements were made for us to travel without a hitch. Rob is truly a master of his craft, handling the boat and coaching us with absolute ease – the X-35 is a beaut, especially coming into Cascais in 30kt winds! I fully recommend them for all RYA training and mileage building needs. Next is our coastal course in July….

Just completed my fourth 5 day training course with RUSailing. Another wonderful week. I’d like to concur with YachtAllan’s review and add that I am always amazed by Rob’s patience, each year I come the poor guy has to repeat so many of the lessons I should have remembered from the previous trip! Sorry Rob, I guess I’m just getting old! Every time we’ve been to The Algarve and sailed with RU Sailing, we’ve been lucky enough to sail with dolphins, a truly magical experience and this alone would be worth the trip! Add in the brilliantly provisioned boat (thanks Jules, just the right amount of everything!), the well kitted out boats, the location, the local restaurants, the marina facilities, the weather!! Perfect!

Just completed Day Skipper in what can only be called challenging conditions. The weather varied from windy to gales and sunshine so we had a complete range of conditions. Our instructor Gary was patient, knowledgeable and encouraging. The boat Annency was superb, well equipped and excellent as a sailing boat. Rob & Jules were thoughtful hosts and ensured we were well informed and catered for. The instruction was challenging educational and at the end of week we all felt ready to skipper our own boat. Through out all this the craic was mighty. I would fully recommend RUSailing as an educational establishment or a place for simply sailing fun and relaxation. If you like the water and messing about in boats you couldn’t do better. My course was in April 2015.

I have sailed with these guys many times since finding them in 2009 and never fail to have a great time every time.
Having just returned from a brilliant trip with them to deliver a sailing boat to Lisbon and to have sailed with them on various races over the past few years as well as taking RYA set courses I can certainly agree that RU Sailing is much more than a normal sailing school

The studying process was exactly as I expect it should be. Consistent and logical way of explanation,  a lot of pratically useful details, patience, affability and at the same time informal way of communication. I would like to return to improve my skills soon.

As for your question if I got from the week what I expected, well… actually I think you gave me a ‘problem’: Now all I want to do is Sailing! Thank you very much, it was fantastic. And Gary is really an amazing teacher.

Wanted to let you know (and show off,) that the boat pictured is ours and have been sailing on it for the last 2 months thanks to your excellent tuition. I still have a lot to learn and experience of course….