A leading UK Sailing School and RYA Training Centre for Sail and Motor Cruising based in north Kent Yacht Charter in the Mediterranean and here at Chatham.
A leading British Sailing School and RYA Training Centre based at Chatham Maritime Marina, Kent - only 45 minutes from Central London. We provide a complete yachting (sail or motor) service - from a first sailing weekend, through RYA training courses for competent crew or helmsman, day skipper, coastal skipper and yachtmaster to offshore adventure and yacht charter. Classroom courses in navigation
29/08/2026
A wild and fun day on the water in 30+ knots of wind 💨 ⛵️
Today all three training boats were out, and with a full crew on each boat it has been an intense day on the water!! Learning in heavy weather the crews have all done amazingly well, with heavily reefed sails they’ve been put through their paces. 🌊
It’s been an absolute blast, so much fun as the students have built their confidence and really gelled as teams.
29/08/2026
A great week onboard Lightning with one of the crew achieving Coastal Skipper, one Day Skipper and three Comp Crew. 🥳
Well done to all, but especially to Paul who has been through the RYA programme with Elite to absolutely smash his coastal skipper and is planning to go on to Yachtmaster 🙌 ⛵️
The best sunset of the season?
It’s definitely up there! 🧡 🌅
Lightning with her crew of Coastal Skipper students and comp crew was anchored in the Swale, and Spitfire with her crew of Day Skipper students and comp crew was anchored in the Medway. And both were lucky enough to enjoy the most glorious of sunsets. The type of sunset you only truly experience at sea. 🌊
The whole horizon glowed up in golden and purple tones, as both crews gathered on deck to take it in and lock the image into memory forever.
*Sound on* 🔊
What is this???! 😳😶🌫️
It’s noisy and wet. And it’s falling from the sky!
RAIN!!!! 😱
Crew on Spitfire were awoken to an unfamiliar pitter patter this morning… rain! 🌧️
After months with no rain, it has finally begun to fall. Clearing the air, and creating excitement onboard (who’d of thought we’d ever get this excited in the UK about rain! 😂)
With it not due to last long, the crew opted for a big breakfast, some chartwork and planning before heading out for a day of sailing in the Thames Estuary where normal will resume.
Have a great day all! ⛵️
22/08/2026
Behind the scenes at Elite the maintenance never stops! 💪
To keep our fleet running and in the best possible condition Sam, Hodge and Danny (the fleet Engineer) work relentlessly behind the scenes. Any boat owner will know that the lost never end, and with our fleet that is no different. 😅
We are lucky enough to also be supported by some incredible partners, like Wilkinsons Sails of Faversham, who are expert Riggers and Sail Makers. Big shout out to them 🫶🏻
In this pic our Chief Instructor hodgeontheweb is re fitting the jib on Spitfire, after Wilkinsons fitted a new forestay and re set the foil.
Sunshine sailing, glorious wind and the Devonshire coast 🧡
Our adventure crew onboard yacht Tonic have had an epic week on the ‘Western Idyll’ leg of the around Britain expedition. ⛵️
They’ve had dolphins, sunsets, sunshine and wind, as well as fun ashore in beautiful ports including Brixham, Salcombe and Dartmouth.
Tomorrow is crew changeover, where several crew are leaving. We shall wave them off as we welcome the new joiners, ready for the infamous ‘Celtic Ascent’ leg! 🙌
Want to join the adventure? Last few berths are available for 26’, visit www.elitesailing.co.uk to join the fun. 😎
When the water turns to glass, night sailing can get tricky 🪞 🌙 👀
On a recent night passage, Spitfire was returning to base when the wind dropped away leaving a mirror-like sea state.
Sounds peaceful, right? For our Day Skipper and Competent Crew students, it was actually a mind bend! With every shore light duplicated on the water's surface, judging depth, distance, and perspective became a real challenge for the eyes. 👀
Learning to navigate when your mind plays tricks is what makes night training so vital ⚓️
Want to test your seamanship in all conditions?
🔗 Head to the link in our bio or visit www.elitesailing.co.uk to join us on the water!
Fog!!!
This was the scene the Spitfire training crew woke up to when they anchored at Harty Ferry last week.
What would you do if you woke up to this view? Give us your answers below 👇
Sailing in total darkness hits completely different... 🌙💫
Last night, Instructor Hodge took his Day Skipper and Competent Crew students out on an atmospheric night passage to put their seamanship to the test.
When the sun goes down, your perspective completely changes. Distance gets tricky to judge, and your mind can easily start playing tricks on you! 🤯
To find their way safely into a quiet anchorage, the crew had to rely entirely on:
📡 Radar tracking
🕯️ Identifying light characteristics & buoyage
🧭 Traditional paper charts & precision pilotage
Experiencing night navigation firsthand is one of the most vital and exciting milestones on the journey to becoming a confident skipper.
Huge well done to the crew for keeping cool heads in the dark! ⛵️⚓️
🔗 Ready to take the helm and gain your Day Skipper qualification? Visit www.EliteSailing.co.uk to view our upcoming course dates!
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 5pm - 7pm |