Nigel started sailing professionally in 1994. Having spent a season working as a Sunsail flotilla skipper in the Northern Sporades islands in Greece, he then moved to California for a few years, where he worked as an instructor in the American Sailing Association coastal and offshore cruising scheme.

 

On returning to Europe, Nigel was given a full time position at Kiel Training Centre in Germany, where he was part of a team of civilian instructors training British military personnel in offshore sailing, power boating and diving. Being appointed by the RYA as a Yachtmaster Instructor in 2008, he eventually became chief instructor at the centre in 2014 and remained in service there until the end of 2016. He has been working as a freelance instructor ever since.

 

At the beginning of 2013, alongside his work in Germany, Nigel became involved with the training programme for the Clipper Round The World Race where he still works as a regular member of the team, training amateur crew members, many of them complete novices, for their 42,000 mile race around the world in a fleet of matched 70ft, custom built racing yachts.

 

Nigel is a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Ocean with a GMDSS GOC radiocommunications certificate of competence and a certificate of proficiency in medical care at sea. A RYA Yachtmaster Instructor and approved shorebased instructor and a qualified Marine Radio (SRC) instructor and examiner. He also holds a current ENG1 medical certificate.