Working race professionals
Professional Race Coaching —
on the Solent
Tactics, trim and boat handling from sailors who race for a living. One-to-one helm work or whole-crew campaigns. On the Sun Fasts we book, or on your boat.
What we coach
Start sequences
Time-on-distance, line bias, transit calls. Getting off the line on the favoured end with clear air, every time.
Tactics & strategy
Reading the wind, planning the legs, working the tide, calling layline. Fleet positioning and risk management for IRC and one-design.
Crew choreography
Mark roundings, peels and gybe-sets at race pace. Vocabulary, calls and drills that turn a fast crew into a clean crew.
Boat handling
Sun Fast / sport-boat trim, twist and depth. Driving downwind in breeze. Spinnaker peels under load.
Helm coaching
Owner-driver and amateur helm one-to-one — pre-race, race, debrief. Fast progression for skippers running their own boats.
Campaign building
Targeting a series, a regatta or a specific big race (Round the Island, Fastnet, JOG offshore). A coaching plan that tracks the goal.
Available in the Solent
Professional Race Coaches Available in the Solent
Chris Baldwin
Skipper, Coach, Ocean Lover
Cal Finlayson
DH World Champion, Skipper & Professional Coach
Louise Clayton
All-female teams, Round Britain & Ireland, Fastnet, IMOCA 60 Transat · Skipper & Professional Coach
Stuart Greenfield
Ex-America's Cup veteran · RORC Rear Commodore
Simon Dipple
Fastnet 2025 Skipper · Professional Coach
Upcoming
Coaching dates you can book
Spinnakers, Foredeck & Pit Training
Sunfast Foredeck & Pit Training — intermediate two-day course with optional Sunday racing
Sunfast Training Weekend
Intro to Sunfasts and Racing — two-day beginner Sunfast course (Tue/Wed, Thu/Fri or Sat/Sun)
Double Handed & Race Skipper Training
Race Skipper & Double Handed Training — advanced short-handed and DH training (from £375)
Race coaching FAQs
What's the difference between sailing training and race coaching?+
Training builds the underlying skills — sail trim, manoeuvres, watch system, navigation. Race coaching applies them under racing conditions — start sequences, mark roundings, fleet positioning, tactics, downwind boat handling at speed. Most crews benefit from both, in that order.
Do you coach on my own boat, or only on boats you book?+
Both. Professional coaches work on the Sun Fast 3300 and 3200 race yachts we book (most popular for one-design tactics and short-handed work) and on owner-supplied boats — most owners book us for a series, a season, or a specific big race like Round the Island or Fastnet.
Who are the race coaches?+
Working race professionals — campaigns include America's Cup, Round Britain & Ireland, Vendée Globe preparation, Double Handed World Championships. See each coach's profile for their specific racing background.
One-to-one or group coaching?+
Both. One-to-one is faster progress for helms and skippers. Small-group coaching (a full crew) is the right call for a whole-boat campaign — everyone learns the same vocabulary, the same calls, the same drills.
How much does race coaching cost?+
Day rate plus boat charter if you're on a yacht we book. We'll quote against your goal — "learn to start in a 60-boat fleet" is different from "prep our boat for the offshore season". Get in touch with your race programme and target events and we'll come back with a plan.
Plan your race coaching
Tell us your boat (or that you'd like us to book one), the race or series you're targeting, and where you're at now — we'll come back with a coaching plan.