About Us

SailCork has been involved in watersports training and holidays for over 40 years in Cobh and on the south coast of Ireland and is run by Eddie English.The English family has been involved in seafaring in Cobh for 4 generations. Eddie has been teaching sailing since 1969 and is one of the most experienced instructors in the sport. He is an ISA/RYA sailing and powerboat trainer/examiner. Eddie is also a yachtmaster instructor/examiner and races dinghies and cruisers.

Why sail with us?

Eddie English leads a team of professional, dedicated instructors are carefully chosen for their sailing and powerboating ability as well as their patience, understanding and teaching skills. SailCork is approved by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA), the RYA and the Irish Tourist Board (Failte Ireland). SailCork offers a very comprehensive list of courses in Sailing, Powerboating, Navigation, VHF Radio, Sea Survival, Safety at Sea, First Aid at Sea etc. The courses are run in a friendly, professional and seamanlike manner.

Our Convenient Location

Our main Cork Harbour base is at East Ferry Marina Cobh with excellent facilities - good berths alongside, showers and changing rooms. This has to be the most tranquil setting for any marina in northern Europe. We have our offices in Cobh run by our customer services manager Jo English where we have invested in the most up to date office technology to improve the communication with our customers.

Our expert instruction and tuition

SailCork has always spearheaded development in marine training in Ireland.They were one of the original schools to introduce the National Dinghy Scheme to Ireland and pioneered the National Powerboat Scheme here. On the cruising front Eddie English brought in full international qualifications and is now one of the leading Yachtmaster Instructor/Examiners.

Well-equipped Boats

Yachting: Holy Grounder is a Beneteau First 36.7 built and equipped to the highest specifications in 2002. The was re-equipped and upgraded for teaching in 2014. Powerboating: Excalibur 6.5m RIB 120 Mercruiser diesel with outdrive. Humber 5.0 RIB with 50hp Suzuki outboard. Narwhal 3.6 RIB tiller 15hp Suzuki outboard.

Our beautiful sailing area

Cork Harbour is an amazing location for watersports. It is the second largest natural harbour in the world (after Sydney Harbour in Australia). Sailing as a sport has been carried on in our sailing waters for 350 years - since the late 1600's - we are part of an amazing tradition. Cork City is located in the north western corner of the harbour and is located nearly 15 nautical miles (26k) from the open sea - the Atlantic Ocean. Cork is a very vibrant city and has excellent marina facilities.

Staff and Instructors

Eddie English Chief Instructor

The English family has been involved in seafaring in Cobh for 5 generations. Eddie has been teaching sailing since 1969 and is one of the most experienced instructors in the sport. He is a Dinghy and Powerboat Senior Instructor and Trainer and has been training instructors for nearly 30 years. He is also a qualified scoolteacher and has lectured at college.

Eddie is also a yachtmaster instructor /examiner. He began his offshore experience in his early teens and has and races dinghies and cruisers. Besides sailing cats he sails on cruisers in competes in many major regattas and cruises thousands of miles each year.

Jo English Customer services manager

Jo has been sailing dinghies and cruisers since 2001. Jo has attended all of our courses over the last number of years and can give you a personal insight from the pupils point of view! She is very knowledgable on certification processes and is the SailCork cook who provides wonderful meals onboard ! She has genuine empathy for our customers.

Shirley Scandrett Sales co-ordinator

Shirley looks after our customer enquiries and will help you to find the course that best suits your needs. She has been sailing and motorboating since her childhood. Her constant good mood and care for our customers is top class.

Blog

Eddie/Joe/Peter (&Kuba)

this note of thanks is a little tardy so apologies.

As a business just want to say you guys look after your customers and everything was well thought out and very well planned.

Food always excellent, can't wait for the Sailcork Cookbook, I am sure its an art planning food in a challenging environment.

The training was exceptional, from theory classes to the practical side, for me it's amazing you can take someone with no knowledge and no confidence, put them through a program and give them them the required knowledge, skills and confidence to sail.

..... and in doing so find that difficult balance between a social activity that also requires vigilance safety and security.

I have done many courses (work and pleasure) I can honestly say I learned the most and at so many levels from Sailcork, we are the better for your long and valuable service in Cork.

best regards,

William Oppermann (look after Lou...she is building muscle for the winches...)

William Oppermann

Jo

Just a note to say thank you for a glorious June Bank Holiday Weekend. I really appreciate you fitting me in. I had a great time and will be back for more. Eddie asked us to send in our thoughts on the trip and how it went. Here’s my go at it.

I’ve just had a hugely enjoyable weekend aboard the Holy Grounder. Anchoring at midnight under the stars, slipping out to sea in early morning, rounding the Old Head so close you feel you could touch it. You have breakfast on deck imagining all the land lubbers still in their beds while you have already explored miles of coastline. Then there’s the huge excitement of sailing and learning the ropes (literally). Finding a secret cove to anchor in for lunch and developing a ferocious appetite for sausages. You feel like you have already lived several days in one. There’s the joking and camaraderie of an unlikely group of people - linked by a common interest - age and occupation irrelevant.

For me Eddie and the Sail Cork crew got the ingredients right. For a beginner there is the comfort of the full confidence you feel in the ability and experience of Eddie and his crew but at the same time you are not mollycoddled or pandered to - you have work to do too. There is an immense sense of satisfaction to be had from tasks mastered and learnt by doing. All the while flying along the Cork coast at speed. Eddie himself is generous with stories, anecdotes and personal experience and manages to be continually teaching without making you feel you are in class. He also takes into account important things like food and socialising on shore!

I would recommend everyone to try a weekend away with a difference. Trade the airports, taxis and hotel rooms for a trip with Sail Cork. If you don’t have a boat of your own and are not lucky enough to have a family tradition of sailing it is a fantastic way to discover how great it can be out on the water.

Eddie, Jo and all the team – thanks for a brilliant trip.

Una

ICC Prep and test April 2015.

Many thanks for looking after us so well on our ICC prep and test.
It helped sharpen my boat handling, and remind me that I need to practice a lot
of core skills. The food was top class as well - I will be certainly be recommending
SailCork.

Tony O'Mahony.

Yachting

Dinghy and Dayboat Sailing

Navigation

Powerboating

Maritime Skills

Professional

Adventure and Kayak