RYA Sailing Courses & Yachtmaster Training in Sydney, Australia
Learn to sail for fun or fast-track your professional yachting career with Australia’s leading RYA training centre
From your first sailing course to Yachtmaster and commercial qualifications, train on Sydney Harbour and in the Whitsundays with internationally recognised RYA and AMSA pathways.
Trusted by thousands of students for over 30 years.
Choose your sailing pathway below
RYA Learn to Sail Courses
Learn to sail with confidence on our RYA-approved courses, from beginner to advanced
Yachtmaster & Professional Courses
Fast Track and modular Yachtmaster courses for aspiring professional sailors
Racing & Adventure Sailing
Offshore passages, blue-water adventures and iconic races including Sydney to Hobart
Dinghy Sailing & Watersports
Dinghy sailing, windsurfing and SUP courses, lessons and hire in Sydney
Powerboating and Boat Licence Courses
Get your NSW boat licence or AMSA Coxswain qualification, on Sydney Harbour
Yacht Charter on Sydney Harbour
Charter a yacht on Sydney Harbour for corporate events or New Year’s Eve
Gap Year Sailing Programmes
Structured programmes with internationally recognised qualifications
RYA Learn to Sail Courses
Learn to sail with confidence on our RYA-approved courses, from beginner to advanced
Yachtmaster & Professional Courses
Fast Track and modular Yachtmaster courses for aspiring professional sailors
Racing & Adventure Sailing
Offshore passages, blue-water adventures and iconic races including Sydney to Hobart
Dinghy Sailing & Watersports
Dinghy sailing, windsurfing and SUP courses, lessons and hire in Sydney
Powerboating and Boat Licence Courses
Get your NSW boat licence or AMSA Coxswain qualification, on Sydney Harbour
Yacht Charter on Sydney Harbour
Charter a yacht on Sydney Harbour for corporate events or New Year’s Eve
Gap Year Sailing Programmes
Structured programmes with internationally recognised qualifications
Australia’s Leading Yachtmaster
Training Specialists
Start your career on yachts and superyachts with internationally recognised qualifcations
★★★★★ 5/5
5-star ratings on Google & Facebook
Premier sailing & watersports training in Sydney
For over 30 years, Flying Fish has delivered professional sailing and watersports training with a strong focus on fast-track progression and high-quality instruction.
Founded in the UK and Europe, we introduced the first Yachtmaster training programmes to Sydney in the mid-1990s and have trained sailors across Australia ever since.
Today, we welcome more than 2,000 students each year, offering courses for recreational sailors, future professionals, boat licences and watersports enthusiasts.
All courses are led by experienced, qualified instructors known for their friendly, professional teaching style.
Train in one of the world’s best sailing classrooms
Our training centre is located in a spectacular setting at Sydney’s Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
We are surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches and picturesque coves, perfect for exploring by water.
Sydney Harbour, Australia’s favourite yachting playground, is our backyard and provides us with a superb training environment.
Offshore, we explore the New South Wales coast and run adventure passages to Tasmania, world heritage-listed Lord Howe Island and the tropical paradise of the Whitsunday Islands.
Testimonials
Matt and Drew were exceptional leaders who turned a group of strangers with mixed experience into a cohesive, capable crew in just six days. Their patience, resilience, and calm expertise created a supportive environment that helped everyone grow and achieve something truly meaningful. This experience is a real testament to the quality of your sailing school, and I’m grateful to have challenged myself and seen it through.
Paul HarvellSydney to Hobart 2025
I’ve been lucky enough to be hired by an incredible carbon ketch based out of New Zealand. So many thanks again to George and everyone else at Flying Fish!
Cameron PimentelYachtmaster Ocean Fast Track
I have recently completed the Yachtmaster Offshore Theory and Sailing courses and wanted to send my appreciation to the whole team. I had Paul for the theory, and he was super patient, incredibly knowledgeable with fascinating stories, and made the theory course a fantastic, rewarding week.
Matt was my on-water instructor. He quickly developed a strong rapport with all the candidates, was incredibly competent, again patient and wise and in my opinion, got the most out of all the candidates in a short period of time.
It is no wonder everyone says to do the Yachtmaster with Flying Fish!
Simon and Alex Pearce Yachtmaster Theory and Practical Skills
Dear Flying Fish Sailing Team,
I just wanted to reach out and say a huge thank you to everyone in the team that has made the Yachtmaster Offshore Fastrack course so amazing.
Everything from the quality of instruction, the boats facilities, accommodation, venue (the list goes on) has been fantastic. Big shout out to George who I did most of my sailing with, he is an absolute credit to Fish and is the most conscientious and meticulous instructor.
Jonny AndersonYachtmaster Offshore Fast Track 2025
This has been the greatest life experience I ever had!! and with result: Yachtmaster! Now I’m a REAL Sailor!
Willem B. van RootselaarYachtmaster Offshore Fast Track
Joining the Flying Fish Yachtmaster programme was one of the best decisions I ever made, My new office is floating on Sydney Harbour. If you’re considering doing the course, sign up now and don’t give it a second thought. But be warned, it could change your life.
Lyndsay BarnesDayskipper to Yachtmaster Fast-track
My understanding of sailing, a yacht, and the role of its crew, quickly evolved to an informed, practical level of competency that has provided me with a skill level that far exceeded my expectations.
Scott Parkinson RYA Competent Crew
I cannot speak highly enough of the RYA Day Skipper course Flying Fish offers. The combination of expert instruction, practical hands-on experience, a world-class boat, and a stunning environment made this a truly unforgettable experience. I am confident about taking on the responsibilities of a Day Skipper, and I owe it all to Jim and your fantastic team. Thank you once again for providing such an outstanding course. I look forward to levelling up with the Day Skipper to Yachtmaster Fast Track soon.
Rob ScottRYA Day Skipper Practical
I just wanted to reach out and say that Kylie and I had an absolutely amazing experience with Mathew on Let Loose.
His kindness, patience, and teaching methods helped us build the confidence we needed to tackle our next adventure—bareboat skippering in Gippsland in a few weeks.
We’ve worked with several RYA instructors, but we found Mathew’s gift for teaching beyond compare. We will recommend both Mathew and the Flying Fish Sailing experience to our friends.
Thank you so much. We will be back!
William JamiesonRYA Day Skipper
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