Renato Ruggiero

Celestial navigation has been a keen interest of mine for a long time and I have been reading about it on and off for years. As soon as I had the good fortune to find Leon on YouTube and watched some of his excellent videos on astro navigation I had no doubts and decided to book the Yachtmaster Ocean Course including Celestial Navigation with Regina-Sailing.

My expectations not only were met but were greatly exceeded by the superb teaching we received from Leon, and by the camaraderie and support that immediately developed among all of the students.

Over the last years, I have attended almost all courses offered in the RYA sailing curriculum both onshore and at sea, and I have navigated in the North Sea, in the Solent, in the Bay of Biscay and crossed the Atlantic, always with RYA certified skippers/instructors. Of all the 14 RYA instructors I have met so far in my sailing, Leon has been by far the best and I do not give this kind of praise lightly.

As a physician who has always worked in a teaching environment dealing with medical students and junior doctors every day I am confident that I can recognise a great teacher when I meet one… and Leon is without a doubt a great teacher. His deep knowledge and passion for a subject such as celestial navigation that could be quite complex to explain clearly, the great quality of the slides, the videos and the templates he has developed, his patience with all the students and his friendly and calm demeanour created a truly optimal learning environment and I am very grateful for it.

So grateful that not only I will be sailing for the first time on Regina Laska with Leon next April in the Bay of Biscay, but I am also already looking at other future opportunities to navigate with Leon Schulz, a great sailor, teacher and friend.

Dr. Renato (René) Ruggiero, Italy
Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Course 2026, Malta