CAPT. D. R. COMER MRIN

Dave, as he is known to literally hundreds of yachtsmen and women, has had a very varied "yachting life" !!.

When he was knee eye to a grasshopper his father built him his first dinghy.  This came in useful when his home town of Lymington was flooded in the early 60's !!

On leaving school he became an apprentice shipwright with Harlands and Wolfe in Southampton.  After 7 long years he graduated with all the appropriate City and Guilds qualifications then joined a square rigged sailing ship on passage to South Africa.  This was the first of many successful voyages he made over the following 30 years.

On his return from South Africa he was commandeered to the Sea Cadet Corps, training children and adults alike in the art of good seamanship.  During this time he was sent by the Admiralty to India to be the project manager for the Indian Navy's square rigged ship T.S. Varuna. 

He has been Master, Sailing Master, and Officer of the Watch on most of the square rigged sailing vessels you see today.

After 3 Fastnet races, including the tragic 1979 race, he then  took a year or two out to join the super yacht industry and then to Singapore to run a shipyard with over 60 vessels of various sizes.

On his return it was time to join the sailing school industry and return to teaching, which is the love of his life.  He is renown for his sense of humor and the ability to make the difficult seem easy.   Having spent a couple of years working for others, he set up his own school in 1988 called Belmont School of Navigation.  Over the years the school became know as International Yachtmaster Academy, which is what it is known as today.

His qualifications are numerous, but his MCA Master of Yachts qualification speaks for itself.

The motto of the academy is "Experto Crede" - believe one who speaks from experience - need we say more?