Chieftain Training is the trading name/brand used by two separate Not For Profit organisations, Southampton Boat Club Ltd. and STCW Ltd.
Southampton Boat Club has existed informally for several decades and was originally a small group of local sailors, power boaters and sea fishermen operating on the River Itchen. In 2018 the members formalised their group’s status into a Limited Company. The Club organises training courses for leisure boaters and those seeking work within the recreational boating industry. Courses are run from Bitterne Park, Southampton and Helensburgh, Scotland.
STCW Ltd. is a training centre and focuses on the provision of training for commercial seafarers. Courses are run from Willments Shipyard, Southampton.
Neither organisation has any share holders. Any profit we make is ploughed back into the organisations to ensure we continue working towards our key objectives.
OUR KEY OBJECTIVES
1. “Provide high quality vocational training for those wishing to pursue a career in the marine industry.”
2. “Facilitate participation in the sports of sailing, yachting, jet skiing, sub-aqua, water skiing, ocean rowing, powerboating and angling by the provision of moorings, equipment storage, changing facilities, refereeing, judging, training and coaching.”
3. “To support lifeboat charities whose primary objective is to prevent loss of life at sea.”
In 2023 Chieftain Training took over the Quality Time Training brand when its previous owner retired.
MEET OUR TRIBE
DOUG INNES (Principal)
Doug has sailed 4 decades, been an RYA Instructor 3 decades and a powerboat owner 2 decades. He has been the Chief Instructor or Principal of an RYA and/or STCW Centre since 2000.
He was one of the first MCA Master 200s in the UK and has skippered race yachts since the 90s. Race wins include; RORC Series, Round Britain & Ireland, Cowes to Cascais, Cervantes, Myth of Malham, Antigua Week & Round Barbados. Alongside his Director responsibilities, Doug delivers most of our RYA & IMO Instructor Courses and many of our Survival, First Aid, STCW & Long Range Cert. Courses.
- BA (Hons). Maritime Leisure Management
- MCA Master 200 & OOW 500
- AMERC GMDSS Examiner
- RYA Advanced Powerboat Trainer
- RYA PWC Trainer
- RYA Dinghy, Keelboat & Multi-hull Trainer
- RYA First Aid Trainer
- RYA SRC Trainer
- RYA Navigation Trainer
- RYA Radar Trainer
- RYA Diesel Engine Trainer
- RYA Teaching in Classroom Trainer
- RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Instructor (motor & sail)
- RYA Sea Survival, Offshore Safety & STCW Instructor
- RYA Sail Foiling & Windsurfing Instructor
- MT Rock Climbing Instructor (SPA)
- PADI Dive Master
BECKY INNES (Accounts Director)
Becky is the most organised amongst us and keeps us all in check. Since 2007, she has worked on the management team of three RYA Training Centres. Prior to that she was with the RYA (within the racing and dispatch departments). She has also worked for the SB20 Class Association and at a busy local sailing club. Becky is a yacht sailor and a scuba diver. She has raced in RORC, Cowes Week, Barbados and Antigua and cruised the South Coast of England, Scilly Isles, Channel Isles, Caribbean and Eastern Med. She has scuba dived as far afield as Egypt, Jordan, and Mexico and she likes to travel.
- RYA Day Skipper Shorebased
- RYA Day Skipper Sail
- RYA Dinghy Level 1 & 2
- RYA SRC
- RYA Sea Survival
- PADI Advanced Open Water
- HSE First Aid at Work
CALLUM VAUGHAN (Digital Marketing, Course Advisor & Office Admin)
Callum joined us in 2022, initially part time. We quickly recognised his talents and offered him a full time position. He has a background in IT, networking and in media/design. He also takes charge of record keeping as well as handling many enquiries.
- BSc (Hons) Computing
- MSc Music Technology
- Diploma in Creative Media
- STCW & HSE First Aid
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
ROD SMITH (Instructor,)
Know as the, “Sailing Scotsman,” Rod is a well known figure on the West coast. He spent many years as a Senior member of the team at the Scottish National Watersports Centre (Cumbrae) and now conducts a considerable amount of Instructor Training and Yachtmaster exams for the RYA. Rod works for us on a freelance basis.
- RYA Yachtmaster Examiner
- RYA Yachtmaster Instructor Trainer
- RYA Advanced Powerboat Trainer
- RYA PWC Trainer
- RYA First Aid Trainer
- RYA Diesel Trainer
- RYA Radar Trainer
- RYA Navigation Trainer
- RYA SRC Instructor / Assessor
- RYA Sea Survival Instructor
- RYA Senior Dinghy & Keelboat Instructor
- RYA Centre Inspector
BRIAN CLOUGH (Chief Powerboat Instructor, Southampton)
Brian has been around boats for more years than he cares to remember. He has sailed most of the waters around the UK, with numerous cross channel trips and transited the great lakes NW to SE. As an avid Scuba Diver, he has been around RIBs for over 40 years and has dived The Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
He enjoyed a 38-year career with the MOD as an electronic engineer and is now 20+ years into a second career as a Powerboat Instructor, Principal and Chief Instructor. He previously owned and ran his own RYA & BSAC training centre, until the premises were re purposed.
- RYA Powerboat Advanced Instructor
- RYA Safety-boat Instructor
- RYA SRC Assessor
- RYA Advanced Powerboat COC
- BSAC Seamanship Instructor
- BSAC Diver Coxswain
- BSAC Oxygen Administrator
- GMDSS GOC
MATT BLAND (Senior Ship’s Security Instructor)
Matt began dinghy sailing at a young age. He later moved to the coast to study and continued into offshore racing and tall ships. About 20 years ago he joined Doug’s Cruising Instructor Course and entered the world of RYA Training. His main job was as a Master in the Merchant Navy and following a 17-year seagoing career he accepted a shore based position with a local shipping company. He now manages marine compliance and safety for them and he works part-time for us as required.
- STCW Master (Unlimited)
- Nautical Institute Marine Incident Investigator
- Nautical Institute Navigation Assessor
- STCW Ship / Company Security Officer
- Designated Person Ashore
- IMO Train the Trainer
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean CoC
- RYA Navigation Instructor
- RYA Radar Instructor
- RYA SRC Assessor
NIGEL RENNIE (Senior Ocean Navigation Instructor)
Nigel had a distinguished 26-year career in the British Army, serving as a Sergeant Major in the the Royal Engineers (REME). During that time he became a RYA Yachtmaster Instructor and when he stepped onto “civvie street” he became a full time professional yachtsmen. He is a well known and long standing Examiner and he has volunteered for many years at his local sailing club were he is the Commodore. He is the Race Officer for the Warsash Spring Series, one of the biggest yacht race series in the UK and he teaches the majority of our Ocean and astro courses as well as helping with the World Sailing Offshore Survival courses.
- RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Examiner
- RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Instructor
- World Sailing Offshore Survival Instructor
- RYA Race Officer
CARL BRYAN-BROWN (Senior 12 Volt Instructor)
Carl has skippered everything from an Optimist dinghy to a 80′ maxi yacht, he has sailed through blue water paradises, hurricanes and pirate attacks. He has completed a circumnavigation and twenty Trans Pacific & Trans Atlantic crossings, (including 1 solo Atlantic crossing). He has raced Sydney Hobart, several Fastnets and placed 2nd in the Round the Island Race. He became a Yachtmaster Instructor in 1996 around the same time managed and skippered Creighton’s Naturally (world famous 80′ Whitbread Round the World Yacht). He has logged over 150,000 miles and has managed and re wired dozens of yachts from 35-80 feet. He now works offshore on rotation so has a three weeks with us, then three weeks on the wind farm and so on. In between skippering he trained as a teacher and worked for some time as a A level Physics teacher, he now heads up our 12 Volt Marine Electrics Course and assist with a number of other STCW and RYA courses
Quote, “I have life long interest in team building and personal development. I encourage students to sail, not just for recreation but for transformation.”
- MCA Master 200 & OOW 500
- RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Instructor (power & sail)
- RYA Powerboat Instructor
- RYA First Aid Instructor
- HSE First Aid Instructor
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean CoC (power & sail)
- Degree in Applied Physics
- A-Level Physics Teacher
- A-Level Physics Examiner
- Round the World Skipper
PETE HARRISON (Senior Powerboat Instructor)
- RYA Advanced Powerboat Instructor
- RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Sail Certificate of Competence
- RYA /MCA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence
- RYA Navigation Instructor
- RYA Senior Dinghy Instructor
- RYA Safetyboat Instructor
- RYA Racing Coach
ALAN RACKETT (GMDSS, Powerboat & First Aid Instructor)
- AMERC GMDSS Examiner
- RYA Powerboat Advanced Instructor
- RYA SRC Assessor
- RYA First Aid Instructor
- RYA Advanced Powerboat COC
- RYA / MCA Yachtmaster CoC [Power]
- IMO Train the Trainer
- IHCD First Person on Scene
- Level 3 Ambulance & Emergency Care
GARETH GLOVER (Navigation, Safety & VHF Instructor)
Gareth has been in the yachting and watersports industry full-time since the middle of the nineties. He was the former Chief Instructor at a Brighton based RYA Centre and is also an RYA Centre Inspector. In 2011, he was selected by Clipper Ventures to skipper “New York” in the Round the World Race 2011/12. After 42,000 miles and a year away, he returned to the UK, but soon had itchy feet. He was again selected to skipper the Round the World Race, this time on Qingdao. Asides from his RTW skippering he is a Powerboat Instructor, and a RYA Dinghy Trainer (i.e. he trains other Dinghy Instructors). He has operated race yachts on both sides of the Atlantic. Whether teaching navigation, VHF Radio or Sea Survival with us his examples are from true experience gained from many years at sea.
- RYA Yachtmaster Sail Instructor
- RYA Yachtmaster Motor Instructor
- MCA Yachtmaster Ocean CoC
- RYA Dinghy Trainer
- RYA Keelboat Trainer
- RYA Powerboat Advanced Instructor
- RYA Sea Survival and Offshore Safety Instructor
- RYA SRC Assessor
- MCA STCW Medical First Aid & Medical Care Aboard Ship
- Twice, Round the World Race Skipper
INDIA & JULIET (Chief Scroungers)
India and Juliet will often greet you on arrival at the centre. They have both sat in on many of our courses and by now they should both have mastered the sextant, diesel engine maintenance, life raft use and basic life support. They have cruised the south coast as far as the Scillies and can navigate their way too many Solent watering holes.
