Before joining Reginasailing, I asked my childhood friend Basti (an extremely experienced sailor who, himself, did his RYA Yachtmaster scheme with Leon) about recommendations regarding RYA training.

Basti with Regina Laska in the background anchored outside Ardbeg Distillery, Scotland in 2018.

Basti then told me about his own experiences with Reginasailing: „Leon is a is a great, motivating instructor and has a very special way of selecting and putting together crews”. I wasn’t sure how I should understand this last statement…

Having sailed and co-skippered for more than ten years for the Swiss Cruising Club (CCS), I felt I needed a change from this rather stiff, hierarchical Swiss and German training system and boat spirit. No wonder I was very curious to learn more about Leon, the other participants and the rather ambitious curriculum of the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore theory: 6 days including 3 tests of 2-3 hours). I got positively surprised when I contacted Leon in June 2023 and he just booked me right into my requested course and even on the next available RYA theory course in January 2024.

In a nutshell I have to confirm my friend Basti’s initial words: Leon has a way to instruct that makes it fun to learn and to move through the challenging, yet praxis-oriented theory. Further, the amazing, international, open minded people I met on the course made these intense 6 days of theory almost feel like a vacation.

It definitely gave me a first taste and “flavour” of the often cited "Reginasailing Family“ groove. I’m really looking forward to the practical leg in May 2024 sailingfrom and in The Solent to Granville in Brittany for the first time on Regina Laska and to become one of Leon’s “hand picked and carefully selected crew“!