About Me

Background:

My name is Clive Mason, I have been teaching sailing for all my working life (39 years). Initially I was a dinghy instructor, then moved in to yachts once realised I did not want to spend all my time sitting in a puddle! Originally it was only possible to find work from Easter to October, but one of the biggest changes in the industry has been the extension of the sailing season to being a professional year round occupation in the UK, and also the amount of work available during the winter in warmer climates.

In that time I have worked for many different organisations, from commercial schools, within the school and youth service system, to freelance teaching. I set up and ran my own school for 7 years, based from Chatham Dockyard on the River Medway.

I qualified as a Yachtmaster at the age of 18, and I am now a Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner with the Yachtmaster Ocean endorsement.

I run a large number of practical courses at all levels, from beginners up to the Cruising Instructor qualification. I also teach the RYA theory courses up to Yachtmaster Ocean and the VHF radio Short Range Certificate.

One of the best parts of my work is being able to sail on different boats to a variety of places and to help my student get the best out of their time afloat.

In addition to formal courses, I frequently teach students on their own vessels. As the course structure can only take you so far, I have found that when a client purchases their own vessel, a few days training on their own boat is invaluable.

In addition to sailing, I have also taught snow skiing, sea kayaking and mountaineering and now spend most of my spare time scuba diving around Mallorca. The diving round Mallorca is normally fairly straight forward as there is little in the way of currents or difficult sea states plus the visibility is normally excellent, but there are some very interesting caverns to explore. I also spend time in the Maldives (when I can afford it!, I thoroughly recommend Biyadhoo for a reasonably priced holiday ), which can provide some very challenging and exciting dives. Being able to combine scuba diving with yachting, adds another dimension to both sports and for anyone considering a full time career in the large yacht industry,scuba diving is an area worth being qualified in. If you want to develop your scuba skills up to instructor level, Tom and his team at Scuba Mallorca run a very efficient and user friendly school.

For the past ten years I have been working full time in residential property management in Ascot and Windlesham and now in Virginia Water. This is an area that I have been involved in for some time previously, on a part time basis (I had to do some thing to earn a real living!), mainly renting out holiday accommodation in Mallorca. So if you are looking to rent or let a property in the Ascot or Virginia Water area, visit our website at www.carrslettings.com.

Obviously I have less time to sail now, but most weekends or holidays, I am out on the water or teaching in a classroom.

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