Fastack South Solent Sailing School

Fastack South and the legendary David! My boyfriend and I just finished our Competent Crew course with David and I can't even find the right words to recommend this guy enough! One of the best 5 days and experiences i've had. True professional, very calm and detailed teacher but with a cracking personality and a great laugh. I will definitely be sailing with Fastack South again.

Recently passed my Day skipper with this company and we couldn't of asked for anymore!Their service was fantastic and our instructor Simon was brilliant and had a massive amount of knowledge.Can highly recommend to anyone and we will defiantly be back soon.

Did my competent crew course here in January and we all had an amazing time and learnt so much. Dave is immensely knowledgable and teaches at a great pace for all. The boat was fantastic and warm despite the cool temperatures! Even better was his proper hearty home cooked lunches which powered us on! Couldn't recommend the school enough - will be back to do my Skipper course ASAP!

Did my Day Skipper with Dave before he got his own boat in a very cold January. I can highly recommend him for his sailing an teaching skills, his patience and demeanour. Thoroughly enjoyed the week!I would feel comfortable sailing with him anywhere :)

I finished my Day Skipper training with Fastack South yesterday and reflecting on it now I wanted to leave a review because it was one of the best training course I have ever attended and given that I have was in the military cadets, been a management consultant, a keen sportsman and also a flying instructor for fifteen years, I have been on a heck of a lot of training courses. Dave's teaching style is very calm, clear and easy for even the most stubbornly stupid individual to easily take onboard the information that is being conveyed. I learned more in the 5 days with Dave than I had in the previous four weeks of sailing that I had done before. I can't recommend more highly.

What an amazing experience! From beginning (chatting on the phone to an instructor...Dave) to end (passing my first course :-) ) I felt at ease, like I could ask anything and well informed. The instructor, Simon really seemed to enjoy his job. Which not only makes you enjoy it more but tells me it's worth doing if he's still enjoying after all this time! I can't wait to come back for my next course with this company, it's amazing how difficult it is to actually find a good company nowadays that are still all about the customer....thank you so much.

I've known Dave for many years, both inside and outside the sailing fraternity. Dave is an outstanding instructor and a consummate professional, he is thorough and very patient with his students throughout, as well as offering after service advice and direction when requested. He is very personable and easy in his approach throughout with all his students. He has provided an incredibly enjoyable teaching experience to his students combined with a huge but manageable learning curve. Darren

We have done two courses and sailed our boat back from Holland with Dave. He his, professional, knowledgeable and good humoured with it. We would highly recommend him and the company.

I recently completed a competent crew course with Dave Shimells and I'm happy to say that both Dave and the course get 5 stars from me.As it was my first time, I was quite apprehensive about learning to sail before I stepped onto the boat. As soon as I met Dave those feelings turned to confidence because I knew I had chosen the right person to teach me a fun and safe way to sail. Not only is Dave a calm and patient teacher, he's also an accomplished skipper who always seems to find easy ways to explain the ins and outs of sailing so that even a novice like me can understand.All in all, sailing is much safer, easier and way more fun that I had ever hoped thanks to Dave Shimells and the fantastic sailing courses he has on offer. Now that I have passed my comp crew course, I think it's fair to say that I'm extremely happy with my training so far and I'm looking forward to my first sailing holiday!

I attended here a few weeks ago for my Coastal Skipper practical with three friends who wanted to learn Competent Crew skills. Dave Shims had already taught my Day Skipper course so I knew he was a great instructor. Throughout the week Dave taught me a lot of practical aspects and as my knowledge grew I also grew in confidence. By the end of the week I was confident in completing some challenging tasks. The boat 'Amelie' sails very well, is spacious, well equipped and has a great heating system if it gets cold. A real bonus was the lunch menu. No cold ham sandwiches here! Freshly prepared lasagne, stew, chilli, home-made soup and freshly baked bread. Perfect.