Welcome to Training at AYC

AYC is a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) recognised training centre. Each year we run our popular summer holiday programme of RYA Dinghy Sailing courses, as well as lots of other RYA and Club activities throughout the season.

There is an RYA Principal to oversee the administration and management and a Chief Instructor who is responsible for the delivery of all the Club’s training activities.

We appoint an experienced RYA Senior Instructor as Course Leader for the summer courses. Our team of RYA instructors are mostly Club members who have learnt and qualified through courses at AYC, giving our training centre a very family-friendly focus. Many qualified members also volunteer in support of our charity sailing schemes.

To learn more about the benefits for our young people to get on the water, read more on the RYA website.

OUR CHIEF INSTRUCTOR – Andrew Bardsley

"Ever since I can remember, I heard so many stories of how my Mum used to have these amazing adventures and trips sailing and was an incredible fan of Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows and Amazons’.  When I was 9 years old I persuaded my family to take up the sport

We learned to sail at our local club in Beccles. My siblings and I are very competitive, and we rapidly yearned for more competition. It was at this stage that we joined Aldeburgh Yacht Club.  My older brother competed in a Laser Open here on the sea, we returned as a family to enter the Junior Regatta and at this point joined as members. We were hugely active amongst the junior fleets taking part in anything that was organised and competed in anything we could enter.

I have worked at the club as a Boatman since 2005 and in 2006 I qualified and worked as an Instructor at the Club. I then went on to complete a degree at Southampton Solent University in Water sports Studies and Business Management as well as becoming an RYA Powerboat Instructor. I took a season out from the Club after university to spend a year working on Super Yachts around the world and then returned once more back to the AYC. Since then, I have completed my Senior Instructors certificate and became the AYC Course Leader, to then the following year become the AYC Resident Instructor.

The first time I went sailing at the age of 9 I was completely in my element and knew from this point on that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I have always been attracted to either being near, on or in the water in various sports and just love the peace and tranquillity of it all. There is no better feeling in the world than being out there completely on your own putting your skills and knowledge to the test with no one telling you what to do or how to do it. It is a complete sense of freedom and escapism that feels so natural that has no limits and no boundaries and can take you anywhere in the world with little or no impact on the environment around. This is a true passion and love every aspect of it!

Now I feel privileged to share my passion with my students and see them progress in confidence - that is why I love my job." - Andrew Bardsley