17October 2010

I've never sailed before. In fact I have a bit of a phobia about water on account of a near drowning in early childhood. But due to an unusual sequence of events, I found myself on board "Intrepid" with Ralph and Paloma and discovered to my absolute joy and amazement that not only am I not a wuss, but I'm way less of a liability than I expected to be! Friday, Saturday, Sunday... each day has just gotten easier and more fun. Ralph is the most patient and knowledgeable of teachers and between him and Paloma I have been caught up in their love for all things nautical. This is just the start of a long and happy association as they are happy to keep including me on sailing expeditions, despite my Competent Crew Course being almost at an end. I urge everyone to do this course. It's the best value for money, most fun you can have AND it's legal! Lucrecia Rodrigues 

Yay for passing my Day Skipper Practical exam

Thank you so much Ralph for being so patient. 

You will be happy to know that Fritz survived my exam!

Here's to many more miles and happy days of sailing

Thank you

30 May 2011   Hi Ralph, 

 At the beginning of the year I was in a bit of a quandary as I had booked and paid for a yacht which I intended chartering in Croatia with my family in June 2011. I have on a number of occasions hired yachts in the Mediterranean and it was previously not necessary to have a Skippers Certification.  After I had paid the charter costs I was advised by the charter company that I require an official Day Skipper’s  Certificate as well as a VHF Marine licence.

I was really caught unaware and had to do a skippers course within the little time I had available. Naturally I contacted various sailing schools in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and some of them responded to my applications and others did not even bother. Fortunately Ralph and Paloma came to my rescue, not only were they very quick to reply but the costs of the course were very reasonable. Ralph really went out of his way, with the utmost of patience, to do the theory and practical over a very full and busy week. His yacht, the Intrepid, was a lovely training vessel. He arranged the practical tests for me with very competent crew who were also doing their comp. crew course. My theory exam was written over a week end and he and Paloma both had to sacrifice three and a half hours of their time invigilating for me.

One of the high lights of the course was to sail into the V& A Waterfront, moor there, have a meal and sail out again.

Thanks very much to the two of you. Without your help and guidance I would not have been able to enjoy my forthcoming sailing holiday.

Your Sailing school will most definitely be highly recommended by me to any prospective sailing enthusiast.

Kind Regards and thanks once again.

John Wessels

Plettenberg Bay

082 801 9474”

My Mum, Amanda Makin, and I took the competent crew course last week, as part of our holiday. We both came away thinking how absolutely lucky we were to find such a good teacher and such a fun, enjoyable experience! I had never sailed before, and had been pretty nervous about it leading up to going to cape town..but..all of that has changed and i am no longer afraid of sailing in the least..in fact, i love it! And thanks to Ralph, i have gained a new passion, which i intend to carry on most definitely. Thank-you so much for such a wonderful time and if i ever use the "r-word" again..i know there must be something wrong with me!

Emeline

April 2011

12 April 2011

Ralph and Paloma, I don’t think I can thank you enough for all the patient lessons, the many laughs and wonderful days of sailing I have experienced since November 2010. I am so, 

, SO happy that I took that leap of faith, knowing that I was born for the ocean! And hopefully I will never get to feed the fish ;o)

Ralph is an extremely patient teacher and I am amazed at how much information I have managed to store in my brain through wonderful teaching. I feel almost ready for that ever-looming Day Skipper exam!

Keeping in mind: “YOU CAN’T SAIL IN THE NO-GO ZONE!!!”

I will always be grateful for the help I have had in finally realising my passion in life!

thank you thank you thank you

... now let’s go sailing please!

April 4th.2011

Hi Ralph and Paloma, 

Hope things are well with you? 

Just to let you know that I posted our testimonial below....'ll be in touch again later in the week. 

Keep well and regards. 

Amanda. 

If you’ve been thinking that doing a sailing course is something that you might enjoy but are hesitating or finding it difficult to justify the time – stop hesitating and make the time, you won’t regret it! My husband and I took a week of leave to do the Comp Crew course earlier this year and can promise that it’s one of the best ways to recharge your batteries we’ve found plus you get to share in the passion for sailing that Ralph makes so evident.  We will be starting the Day Skipper course shortly – the sailing bug has well and truly bitten. We’ve pulled together a list of reasons we loved doing this course – and doing this course through the Cape Town Sailing Academy in particular. In no particular order...

-          You’ll learn a new skill and almost a whole new language (understand the mysteries of the ‘R-Word’)

-          You’ll meet a variety of great people

-          You’ll never find a better way of going to the V&A Waterfront for coffee

-          You’ll sleep like a baby after a great day of fun exercise and fresh air

-          You’ll see animal and birdlife – we got to see dolphins, seals, penguins and cormorants amongst others

-          Your packed lunch will taste fantastic no matter what it is when you’re eating it aboard while anchored somewhere like Grainger Bay

-          You get to see the workings of a busy sea port in action – we were lucky enough to see the Queen Mary 2 coming in to port and saw her from angles we’d never have imagined!

And last but not least – you get to sail!

This is my biggest Thank You, and it goes to you, to Paloma, and to
the rest of my sailing family in Cape Town because you've done
something wonderful by allowing me to share the day, the boat, the
experience, the wind and the Atlantic Ocean with you.....

Everything turned out so well that I am now proudly telling everybody
that --under intense supervision-- I was a 30-minute-skipper on a 42
ft boat and that all 7 crew members survived...!!

Again, Thanks a Lot, Ralph.... and please tell Paloma that I would
love to receive a couple of photos from the memorable experience...

Cordially,
Diane

I'm a New Yorker in Cape Town for a few months and through a friend, heard of the Cape Town Sailing Academy and the lovely couple of Ralph and Paloma. My time only allowed for the Intro Course - but wow what a 2 days.

From the first moment, you are out on the open seas, seeing penguins and seals swim around you. You see Table Mountain and the city in the distance and you are truly humbled by nature.

Ralph is a clear and passionate instructor and I was learning terms, knots, sailing menuvers, wind dynamics, etc from the very beginning. While it was only 2 days, I cannot tell you the overwhelmingly positive impression it left on me. I will absolutely sail again and if you are looking for just a taste of sailing or looking to go all the way, I highly recommend Ralph and this school.

Sohail Coelho

New York, NY, USA

Sept 27th, 2010

I completed my Competent Crew Course with Cape Town Sailing Academy in August 2010.

It was a really great learning experience.
You are on the water from the first moment to the last. You learn way more than the basics and the course outline. Ralph is a inspiring and passionate instructor that loves every part of the ocean and it rubs off on everybody around him.

I had so much fun and still enjoy going out with them. I highly recommend that you do a course with them!

Naomi

20 August 2010

I thoroughly enjoyed my competent crew course and learnt a lot from Ralph which I hope to build on in the future.

I honestly feel that Intrepid is the ideal boat to learn on, as it is solid enough for a whale to land on and feels safe in all sorts of wind conditions.

I did my Day Skippers course with Ralph in January 2010 with a freind , my brother and sister in law . The reason for doing the course was that we were hiring a bare boat in the June holiday's to sail in the Ionian Islands. I found the course to be a lot more work than I was expecting . However when we took control of our own boat in June it become aparent very quickly why Ralph had stressed the attention to detail so strongly . During the course we felt iwe were being taught more than we needed . However not only did we all pass the various exams with ease but the extra detail and information Ralph taught us helped us a great deal when skippering our own boat . Thanks Ralph for the extra insights you gave us that I do not believe we would have got from other sailing schools . Regards Bruce

“I have successfully completed the Competent Crew course with the Cape Town Sailing Academy which gave me a comprehensive introduction into the art of sailing.
 
From the very beginning, I had “hands on” experience sailing Intrepid in Table Bay during the week and finally a  trip via the V & A Waterfront for something different and a terrific confidence builder!
 
Training is extremely informative, exhilarating, stress-free and comfortable.
 
Safety was paramount throughout the duration of the course.
 
For superb tuition and an enjoyable experience, I can definitely recommend the Cape Town Sailing Academy.
 
Gareth Carr”

RE: EXAM RESULTS.

O FRIGGIN YIPPEE!!!!!! I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL RALPH MOTHES THAT YOU TAUGHT ME TO SAIL ALL THESE YEARS, AND THAT  YOU GOT ME TO LOVE THE OCEAN AS MUCH AS YOU DO!!! THANK YOU , THANK YOU , THANK YOU!!!!!

20 August 2010

I recently completed a competent crew course with the Cape Town Sailing Academy. Both the practical and theoretical aspects of the training were comprehensive and went beyond what a crew member needs to know. The time spent on the course was enjoyable making learning fun and easy. To anyone wanting to learn sailing skills I wholeheartedly recommend The Cape Town Sailing Academy.
Ross McCalllum

(Ross is currently doing his Day Skipper with us.)

26 August 2010

I discovered sailing quite by accident.  One of my clients spoke  about a sailing course she had done whilst on holiday, probably to take her mind off waxing!

My thought was "Sounds like great fun!"

So with some trepidation but always up to trying something new, I signed up for, The Introduction to Sailing course.  Well, I could not have chosen a better instructor. I have been sailing with Ralph since summer 2009 and have completed the Competent crew course and am currently doing the Day skipper. I have had "hands on" training from the very beginning which has been and continues to be an amazing experience and I can see why Ralph is so passionate about sailing.

I feel safe, confident and in control of whatever tasks I am given on board the yacht.  I have gained valuable sailing experience and would highly recommend The Cape Town Sailing Academy.

Sailing Rocks!

2 AUGUST 2011

Hello Ralph & Paloma,

Just thought I would share my very good news...

I am doing a delivery to Tortola, leaving in about 2 weeks time. And the Skipper has been kind enough to offer me the 1st Mate position. I am SOOOOOOO excited right now.

I have taken some unpaid leave as well as all my other leave & should be gone about 6 weeks if all goes well.

I will be rather broke when I get home, but that's ok as I don't know when another 1st Mate opportunity will come up. So off I go. 

This means I most likely won't get to my radio exam before then, but will certainly do it as soon as I get home. I

Thank you so much, once again, for all the patient hours of teaching me. I now get to live my dream.

Chat soon

C.