The learn2Sail courses run from the Naval Point Yacht Club Boarding is from the floating jetty.
Canterbury Maritime Training
The Canterbury Maritime Training Centre was founded in 1995 by David Martin and quickly established itself as a destination for Canterbury folk wanting to gain boating theory and practical skills on the water. It offered Coastguard Boating Education Service Boatmaster classes at various locations in the Christchurch area, later adding Coastal Skipper and onboard practical exercises around Banks Peninsula.
Peter Marshall ran a charter vessel which was ideal for the CMTC practicals, and joined the Centre as a classroom course instructor in 2001.
In 2005 the Centre’s was invited to occupy Sumner Lifeboat Station’s newly developed boating education venue at the foot of Scarborough Hill, where we now proudly play a central role in administering the Lifeboat’s public and coastguard volunteer training offerings.
Taking advantage of the skilled station crews, the Centre has further expanded its offerings, now including Radar, GPS, Inboard and Outboard Engine Maintenance, and some of the practical modules valuable for cruising skippers, such as flare exercises and liferaft wet drills.
CMTC is also proud to boast the services of CBES tutor Mike Rossouw. He and Peter are both past CBES South Island Tutors of the Year, Mike takes the Dayskipper courses for the Centre if he is not busy skippering on the water.
Not only does the Centre now offer an increasingly comprehensive menu of general and specific courses for the recreational and professional boatie, it supplies outreach courses to points further south - Ashburton, Twizel, Queenstown - and more recently Portobello, Bluff and Riverton.
Powerboat owners can sit RYA National Powerboat Certificates, either off Sumner Head or at Magazine Bay, Lyttelton.
The Centre’s sailing school began operating alongside the powerboat courses at the urging of Dudley Jackson. The school took over adult learn-to-sail courses from Canterbury Sailing School in early 2008, and has flourished under his direction.
Joining the experienced Dudley, Peter Marshall and Geoff Wright are occasional tutors on the sail training keeler Good Point, a lovingly crafted timber Whiting 30, rigged for racing.
