The story behind commodore yachting

Every business has a backstory. Ours starts with two people who love sailing and decided to build something around it. Meet the team Commodore Yachting — Tom and Jonno took over this sailing school in 2020, right as the world was turning upside down. Not the smartest timing, maybe. But it worked out.

The business was already established when we bought it. A solid reputation, a fleet of well-maintained Bavaria yachts, and a loyal customer base. What it needed was new energy. Tom brought the instructional expertise. Jonno brought the operational sense. Together, we have grown it into something that feels genuinely ours.

We are based at Premier Gosport Marina on the Solent. If you know the Solent, you know it is one of the best places in the world to learn to sail. The tides keep you honest. The shipping traffic keeps you alert. The variety of destinations — Cowes, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight, Chichester Harbour — means every day on the water is different. When you read about the Solent with Commodore Yachting, you understand why we chose this place.

But a location is just a location. What makes a sailing school is the people. So let me introduce you properly. Meet the team Commodore Yachting — here is who we are and what we do.

Before the takeover, Commodore Yachting had been running for years as a well-regarded Solent school. The previous owners built something good. What they did not have was a succession plan. When the opportunity came up to buy the business, Tom and Jonno did not hesitate. They saw a school with potential that was not being fully realised. Two years of pandemic disruption later, they had rebuilt the customer base, upgraded the fleet, and established a new reputation. It was not easy. But nothing worthwhile ever is.

That history matters. When you come to meet the team Commodore Yachting, you are meeting people who put everything into this business. Not for a quick return. Because they love it.

When prospective students arrive wanting to meet the team Commodore Yachting for the first time, they often tell us they were nervous. Walking into a sailing school you have never visited, not knowing anyone, is intimidating. By the time they leave, that nervousness is gone. That is the effect of dealing with real people rather than a brand.

Tom: RYA Yachtmaster and company owner

Tom has been sailing since he was a kid. Not the kind of kid who did a single sailing course and called it done — the kind who spent summers on the water, worked his way through every RYA grade, and ended up with a professional qualification that lets him teach at the highest level. Tom is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor. It is the top of the teaching tree. You do not get there without thousands of sea miles, countless exams, and the kind of patience that only comes from years of watching people make the same mistakes and helping them learn.

He leads our instructional team. When you take a course with us, there is a good chance you will have Tom on board for at least part of your training. He teaches everything from Competent Crew through to Yachtmaster prep. His style is straightforward — he explains things clearly, demonstrates them, then steps back and lets you try. He does not shout. He does not make people feel stupid for not knowing something. He just teaches.

Tom is the public face of our instruction. If you read reviews, his name comes up a lot. Students remember him. That is not something you can fake.

When you browse our sailing courses, you get Tom or someone he has trained personally. That is the standard he holds everyone to.

Seriously. Meet the team Commodore Yachting and you will see it within five minutes. Tom does not just teach students. He teaches instructors how to teach. That commitment to quality runs through everything.

What sets Tom apart is his approach to building confidence. Anyone can teach you which line to pull. The harder skill is teaching you to trust your own decisions. Tom has a knack for knowing when to step in and when to let you figure it out. Students on our Day Skipper course often tell us the same thing: they did not realise how much they had learned until the last day, when they found themselves making decisions without checking first. That is Tom’s teaching style in action. He does not just certify you. He makes you competent.

Tom also handles our advanced training — Yachtmaster prep, Coastal Skipper, and the theory courses that underpin the practical skills. He teaches both classroom and online theory, so students can choose the format that suits them. If you are working towards a professional qualification, you want Tom assessing your progress.

When people meet the team Commodore Yachting for the first time, they often comment on how approachable Tom is. He has the authority of a senior instructor without the ego that sometimes comes with it. That combination is rarer than you might think.

Jonno: co-owner and business partner

Jonno is the other half of the partnership. Where Tom is on the water teaching, Jonno is the one who makes sure the business runs. He manages the fleet, handles the bookings, looks after the yachts, and deals with the thousand small details that keep a sailing school operational.

Jonno is not an RYA instructor. He will tell you that himself. His background is in business operations, not teaching. But he knows sailing well enough to understand what students need and what instructors need to do their jobs. He is the person who makes sure a Bavaria 41 is fuelled, provisioned, and ready when a course starts. He is the one who sorts out the problem when something goes wrong. He is the person you talk to when you call or email with a question.

Every sailing school needs someone who thinks about the customer experience from end to end. That is Jonno. He does not just handle the logistics — he thinks about what makes a course feel good. Is the welcome right? Is the boat comfortable? Are the pre-course materials clear? These details matter more than most people realise.

Meet the team Commodore Yachting means understanding that a sailing school is more than just instruction. It is the whole package — the boat, the booking, the welcome, the follow-up. Jonno makes sure that package holds together.

Jonno also handles all the charter operations. Whether you are booking a skippered charter for a weekend or a week-long bareboat, he is the one who matches you with the right yacht and makes sure everything is ready. He knows the Bavaria fleet inside out — which boats suit which trips, which ones have the latest equipment, which ones families prefer. That knowledge comes from spending time on the water, not just from a spreadsheet.

If you are wondering what makes this school different from others, the answer is partly Jonno. In many sailing schools, the person who answers your call is a receptionist. When you meet the team Commodore Yachting, that call goes to a co-owner. That changes the conversation. It means the person you speak to can make decisions. No scripts. No transferring to a manager. Just straight answers.

How tom and jonno work together

Running a business with a partner is not always easy. Running one where your skills barely overlap is harder. But that is also the reason it works. Tom and Jonno do not step on each other’s toes because they operate in different worlds.

Tom focuses on the instruction — the courses, the training, the quality of teaching, the RYA standards. He knows what a good Day Skipper looks like and how to get a student there. Jonno focuses on the operation — the yachts, the finances, the bookings, the customer journey from first enquiry to post-course feedback.

When you get in touch with us, you will probably speak to Jonno first. When you step onto the boat, you will probably meet Tom. It is a natural division. Both of them care about the outcome — that you have a good experience and come back — but they approach it from different angles.

That is what meet the team Commodore Yachting really means. Two people with different strengths, working towards the same goal.

Students often tell us that the best part of their course was seeing how Tom and Jonno complement each other. The instruction is sharp because Tom demands it. The experience is smooth because Jonno organises it. Meet the team Commodore Yachting and you will understand why both roles matter.

The partnership works because they respect each other’s domains. Tom does not second-guess Jonno’s decisions about the fleet or the finances. Jonno does not question Tom’s judgment on instructional matters. That trust took time to build but it is what makes the business function without constant friction. Every owner-managed business has tension points. Ours are handled by knowing exactly who owns which decision.

They also share a genuine friendship, which helps. When the work day ends, they can still have a beer and talk about something other than the business. That might sound trivial, but anyone who has run a company with a partner knows how rare that is.

The wider team

Tom and Jonno are the owners, but they are not the whole team. We have a roster of experienced RYA instructors who work with us across the season. Some have been with us for years. Others join us during the busy summer months. Every instructor is RYA qualified and approved by Tom before they teach a single student.

We keep the instructor team deliberately small. Too many schools scale up in summer by hiring anyone with a ticket. We do not do that. Tom knows every instructor personally. He has sailed with them, assessed them, and trusts them to teach to his standard.

So when we say meet the team Commodore Yachting, it includes the wider team too. The people who maintain the yachts, the people who handle the admin, the instructors who represent us on the water. Everyone who works here understands what we are trying to build.

It is one thing to read about a school online. It is another to actually meet the team Commodore Yachting and see how the whole operation works. The marina staff know us, the instructors know each other, and the students feel that atmosphere from day one.

We also work closely with the marina team at Premier Gosport Marina. They handle berthing, fuel, and facilities, which lets us focus entirely on the sailing experience.

Our instructors bring diverse experience. Some are ex-Royal Navy, some have crossed oceans, some have raced competitively. What they all share is the ability to teach — really teach, not just command a boat. Tom is particular about this. You can be the best sailor in the Solent, but if you cannot communicate with a nervous beginner, you do not instruct for us.

Why personal service matters

There are bigger sailing schools than Commodore Yachting. There are schools with more yachts, more instructors, more marketing budget. What they struggle to offer is the personal service that comes from being owner-run.

When you book with us, the owners are involved. Not just on paper — genuinely involved. If something goes wrong on your course, you are not dealing with a customer service team in another city. You are dealing with Jonno, who will sort it out. If you need specific training that is not in the standard syllabus, Tom will figure out how to make it work.

That direct involvement is part of why meet the team Commodore Yachting is worth understanding. You are not booking with a faceless organisation. You are booking with two people who have put their own money and time into this business and care about the result.

We keep our courses small for the same reason — typically four to six students per yacht. That means more individual attention, more time on the helm, and better learning. It also means we cannot pack the boat full and maximise profit. We accept that trade-off.

If you want to learn at a place where the owners know your name, meet the team Commodore Yachting is the right place. Check out our RYA Day Skipper practical skills weekend and you will see the difference.

The personal service extends beyond the course itself. We stay in touch with our students. Many come back for advanced courses, charters, or mile builders. Some have become friends. That is not a marketing strategy — it is a natural outcome of treating people well. When you build a business around relationships rather than transactions, repeat customers are the result.

We have students who first sailed with us five years ago and still call us for advice before buying a boat or planning a passage. That is the kind of relationship this creates. It is not something you can buy with advertising.

Every student who comes to meet the team Commodore Yachting ends up knowing us personally by the end of their course. Not because we force it. Because that is how small businesses work when the owners are involved.

Whether you are here for a weekend course or a full week, the experience of meet the team Commodore Yachting is consistent. You get the same attention, the same standards, the same people, every time.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns commodore yachting?

Meet the team Commodore Yachting — Tom and Jonno are the joint owners. They took over the business in 2020 and have been running it together since.

Is jonno an RYA instructor?

No. Jonno is co-owner and manages the business side — fleet, operations, bookings. Tom is the RYA Yachtmaster Instructor who leads the teaching. It is a common question when people read about the team, so worth clarifying.

What qualifications does tom hold?

Tom is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, which is the highest level of teaching qualification in the RYA system. He also holds commercial endorsement, ensuring he meets professional standards for teaching and charter operations.

How long have you been running the business?

We took over in 2020. Since then, meet the team Commodore Yachting has grown significantly — bigger fleet, more customers, stronger reputation. We have reinvested every year into better yachts, better equipment, and better training.

Can i speak to someone before booking?

Yes. Call or email and you will speak to Jonno directly. He will answer your questions about courses, availability, and what to expect. If you need technical details about the syllabus, he will connect you with Tom. That direct access is exactly what meet the team Commodore Yachting is about — no gatekeepers, no automated systems.

Do you offer courses for complete beginners?

Yes. Most of our students are beginners. We run RYA Competent Crew courses specifically designed for people who have never sailed before. Start with our sailing courses to see the full range.

What happens after i complete a course?

You get a certificate and, more importantly, the skills to sail confidently. Many students progress through our pathway from Competent Crew to Day Skipper to Coastal Skipper and beyond. Others take what they have learned and start chartering. We can help with both paths. When you are part of meet the team Commodore Yachting, you are part of a network that supports your sailing beyond any single course.

Can i meet the team before booking?

Absolutely. We encourage it. Come down to Gosport Marina, see the yachts, and talk to us face to face. There is no substitute for meeting people in person. And honestly, if we are not a good fit for what you need, we will tell you. Meet the team Commodore Yachting is not about selling a course. It is about finding the right course for you.

How is meet the team commodore yachting different from other schools?

The short answer: we are owner-run and we keep it personal. Tom and Jonno are involved in every course, every charter, every booking. When you call, you speak to an owner. When you arrive, the person who greets you has a stake in your experience. That is not the norm in this industry.

This guide was written by Tom and Jonno, RYA Yachtmaster Instructors and joint owners of Commodore Yachting.

For more information on RYA training pathways and certification standards, visit the RYA official courses and training page.