Mark Twain said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do. than the ones you did do, So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore
Dream
Discover
After Bob's sudden demise, we have taken on "Oscar" on to help our students with Man Overboard training.
BOB moves on after traumatic years aboard Mohawk. When we asked him to stay on his reply was "I'm a frayed knot"
We finally did it - we moved into a new office at Coral Sea Marina!
At the end of each course the students get together to celebrate an end to a fantastic week in the Whitsundays
James and Bec from Sydney managed to get up to Airlie just before borders closed. They spent a week of interesting sailing around the region.
With COVID-19 restrictions around the world as well as the need to move with the times, the official Sea Safety and Survival Course (SSSC) has changed its format to be a blended learning course.
Ricardo, who over the last few years has gone from zero to Dayskipper with us, arrived out of the blue in his van "Bella" He was on his way home from an over-land trip to Cape Tribulation when he decided to pop in.
Tony Stockton from Northern NSW successfully completed his Dayskipper course in the Gold Coast, and went on to breezing through his Coastal skipper course on arrival in Airlie Beach.
Leaving from Rivergate Marina in Brisbane, Mainstay's incredible crew; Tony, Jodi and Dylan, embarked on an epic adventure that would bring many smiles
2 new course dates have been set for the Australian Sailing Sea Safety and Survival course in Queensland.
The course offers a great introduction to navigation and safety awareness for new or inexperienced skippers and crew.
Mainstay Sailing has adopted the newly allowed remote assessment method for VHF marine radio, and HF marine radio licences.
Following a risk assesment on board,we are doing our bit to reduce risk of infection to our students, staff and guests.
Day skipper / Competent Crew Course 25-30 January 2021 From the moment Sheree and I arrived, Terence and Ron were friendly, welcoming, funny and encouraging. Terence’s vast experience and knowledge was reassuring, and his advice, tips and tricks really helped throughout the course. The food was above and beyond expectations. We all left wanting to replicate the menu and flavours that Terence seemed to produce effortlessly. Mohawk is a handsome boat and very comfortable to live and sail in. Under the expert guidance of Terence, his calm, steady manner, sage advice and humour relaxed our nerves and created a great learning environment. I can think of no better place to learn to sail than the Whitsundays, it was simply stunning. I highly recommend Mainstay Sailing. Terence and Ron are not just teaching people to sail, they are creating community through a shared love of sailing and the sea. I look forward to dropping by again to further my experience and am sure will stay in contact with fellow course crew mates; Fred and Catrin. We were a happy crew and became friends through shared experience. ‘If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea’ - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Terence (the instructor) and Ron were just the Men. Terence is a very dedicated, attentive, patient and super experienced Mentor. I did my RYA Competent Crew course with him in January 2021, and it was a blast. It was amazing to discover many different places I had never been to on the Whitsundays, sail under a storm, learn lots and lots of theory and practice, eat Terence's amazing food (that paella....!) and listen to everyone's stories. What an inspiring trip with only great people! I'm strongly thinking about keeping up with the courses to become a proper Sailor. It's definitely a must for everyone who is considering learning about the Sea and all the amazing things it brings with it. These guys have you.
I completed my Coastal Skipper course with Terrence during August 2020. Whilst the world is in uncertain times, Terrence remained flexible around the border restrictions and dates of the course. When we made it up to QLD, Terrence made us feel very welcome and comfortable in his presence. This carried on through the week where the sailing was awesome, food was even better and the whole experience was 10/10. As an extremely experienced instructor Terrence shared a lot of insights into what blue water cruising is really about, and how we should look to make preparations above and beyond the RYA syllabus. I will be keeping my eye peeled for more opportunities to do some mile builders with Terrence in the near future.Thanks for an awesome week!
I arrived in Airlie with no previous experience in sailing - I came away competent and qualified and loved the experience! Terence is an incredibly patient and thorough teacher (despite a few of my wobbles). I would recommend this to anyone looking to learn something new whilst adventuring around one of the most beautiful spots around! We will be back to flex our new skills - thanks Terence & the Mainstay team!
We have the knowledge and skills to safely deliver your boat to its new port.
We respect the trust owners place on us. Years of blue water sailing experience has ensured that careful preparation, regular watch keeping and making sure the boat is safe at all times is essential for the safety of the people on board and the yacht.
At the same time we can provide tuition for you and your crew during the planning of the passage and the actual delivery itself. Extra crew can be arranged if required.There are four stages to a delivery exercise – preparation, leaving port, passage making and arrival with debrief
Our escapades bring you back to the fundamentals of life. Spending a few days on a boat brings out the best in human nature. Living and working together we talk a lot, laugh a lot, and put the world to rights. It is more than an escape from the complexity of life ashore; the fresh air, natural adrenalin and outdoor activity give your body a good physical detox too.
The ultimate getaway for 2! Yacht charters and sailing cruises are one of the best ways to experience beauty of the Whitsundays. Choose from romantic overnight yacht charters for two, sailing cruises with meals and drinks, hands-on sailing trips or something with a touch of luxury. Once out on the glittering waves you'll see why we think yacht charters and sailing cruises are such a treat!
The Royal Yachting Association is the national body for dinghy, yacht and motor cruising, all forms of sail racing, RIBs and sports boats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative for inland waterways cruising.
Our internationally renowned training schemes steer 250,000 yacht sailors, power boaters, small craft leisure boaters, windsurfers and canal boaters towards confident and successful boating every year.
So whether your end goal is to spend more quality down time on the water, to travel, to compete, to work, or to advance your career; there’s a course for you.
Payments are taken prior to course or charter start. We have payments plans to make it easier for you.
