Allabroad Sailing Academy |
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| Reviewers Male / Female | Recommend Yes / No | Number of Reviews | Classes & Instruction | School Facilities | Boats & Courses | Cost | Total Average Rating |
| 12 / 0 | 10 / 2 | 12 | 8.58 | 8.41 | 8.33 | 8.58 | 8.48 |
| Date Submitted: | July 11, 2011 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 9 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 9 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | An excellent provider I have copied my responses on the post course questionaire below. I dont work for ASA but it is tempting! 1. Please tell us what you thought of Time Out II and the provisions on board. Like me, Timeout II is mature, but she is more than comfortable and performed exceptionally well in challenging seas. She is in very good condition and is obviously well maintained. She was more than adequately provisioned with good quality food and even wine which was a pleasant surprise. She is a yacht I would happily charter privately. 2. Please tell us what you thought about your tuition from Tony and sailing experience. As you know we had difficult conditions but Tony managed to work a schedule that was challenging and rewarding. Tony is an excellent instructor and I would certainly like him to do my next course. His teaching was not 9-5 but carried on into the night. 3. Did you experience with Allabroad last week meet your expectations? My experience with Allabroad exceeded my expectations. From the point of my first enquiry to my departure, Allabroad showed their pedigree as a top quality RYA training establishment. Administration, borrowed equipment, accommodation, the training yatch and the course were all of a high quality. 4. What recommendations do you have that will improve the experience? The only thing I can think of is to offer people who write good reviews and are thoroughly nice people such as myself a free coastal skipper master class in October – ok in my dreams! – Seriously I cannot think of anything to improve the service. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Richard 53 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Cambridgeshire |
| Date Submitted: | February 1, 2011 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Sorry but my review can only be a glowing one! From start to Finish I could not fault this company! I have used Lagoon Watersports in England who I thought were excellent too but by comparison Allabroad are different league. The tuition and education handed out by the instructor on my course was far more comprehensive and easily absorbed than the previous courses I have attended, The boat was great the food served was amazing; the staff were all friendly and warm. I am sorry that I have to put all 10s but it’s just the only thing I could do! I will be going back! If I have any criticism it would be towards one of the students on another boat, but choosing the students is not something i can do much about! The crew I was with were superb. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Dean Warrington 43 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: London |
| Date Submitted: | January 31, 2011 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | A note from the Principal Dear All, It was brought to my attention this week that a review had been submitted to this website regarding Allabroad Ltd. This review is completely unfounded, and does not appear to be from any genuine Allabroad client. There is some speculation that these false allegations may have been submitted by a rival company with a view to spreading malicious and damaging rumours. This is currently being investigated. Allabroad Ltd is being portrayed in a very negative light. This is, indeed in stark contrast to the truth. Our company policy is to request feedback from all of our clients both in-person during their training courses and following their course via email. We view this as a crucial requirement to ensure that customer satisfaction is achieved and maintained. Should a client at any time be unhappy with the service which they receive, we will ensure that this is rectified as soon as possible. Allabroad has fully documented evidence of all feedback received from our clients, in this way for the last 11 years. Genuine client feedback which has been received over by us regarding the quality of tuition, cleanliness and standard of our yachts, and administration, has been fantastic. This has been repeatedly validated by the fact that may of our clients choose to return for us for further training again and again. These are clients who are both weekly and 14 week fast trackers who not only regularly return for other courses and charters, but who also recommend us to their friends and family which to us is the greatest complement possible. All RYA (Royal Yachting Association) recognised training centres may be inspected by the RYA at random, and they can at any time request to see the feedback provided by any client. This is in addition to the yearly inspections which all centres must comply with. The review also states that Allabroad is currently under investigation by the MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency). This allegation is fictitious and Allabroad has never been investigated by the MCA. We comply stringently with all guidelines, coding policies and practices which are issued by both the MCA and the RYA. It may be independently verified whether any RYA schools or school Principals within Gibraltar are currently or have been previously under investigation by the MCA by contacting them directly: MCA helpline telephone: +44 2920448800 MCA helpline email: hq_inspection@mcga.gov.uk Alternatively, you may also contact the RYA directly: Tel: 023 8060 4100 or email: enquiries@rya.org.uk Contrary to the claims made in the review, I can personally assure you all that Allabroad Ltd are not experiencing any financial difficulties. Allabroad Ltd has a specific holding account for client funds which is not drawn upon until the courses have been delivered. The finances have been structured in this way for the last 4 years of Allabroad's 11 years trading in business. This scheme provides us with an instant financial status check, which in turn allows us to fully concentrate our focus on training. We are proud to be able to confirm that investments are being made into marketing and development of new training courses, shore based classroom and Fastrack facilities and upgrades to the radar and communications simulator training equipment. This I hope, will be of great benefit to all of our clients who are all welcome to visit our facilities and meet the Allabroad team at any time. Please do not hesitate to contact me personally via info@asa.gi should you wish to clarify or discuss any of the points raised here in further detail. Yours faithfully, David Punch Principal Allabroad Sailing Academy Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | David Punch 37 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Gibraltar |
| Date Submitted: | January 28, 2011 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 1 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 2 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 1 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 1 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Dangerous Dirty badly maintained boats. Gas alarm not working.I don't think they ever clean their boats properly. My instructor was a nice guy but totally honest about the company. He said that they write their own reviews on this web site and you can see that from all the glowing reports. They had a major accident last year when a group of students they had been teaching for ten weeks ran a boat aground because they didn't know how to use the GPS. Not much to say for a fastrack course if they sink boats. There is a big investigation into this now by the MCA. Rumour has it they are in financial difficulty so beware putting a big deposit down on a course. Comments [ 6 ] |
| Submitted by: | Vic 42 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Spain |
| Date Submitted: | June 18, 2010 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Head and shoulders above the rest I did my YachtMaster with Allabroad under their fast-track programme. Even though I'd already completed my Dayskipper with another school and done milebuilders with another school after researching Allabroad, speaking to those who knew them and speaking to past students I took the decision to start from the beginning. Boy was I glad I did. From day one it was clear they offer more and expect more. Gibraltar is an amazing sailing location anyway and teaches you so much more than Greece or the Canaries ever could, but the structure of the course and the consistently exceptional level of the instructors meant they pushed me every day of the course. Their theory courses, shorebased facilities, and in particular our theory instructor Dave Punch, were outstanding. Always to pass is not enough...they want you to come away being the best sailor you can. Done a lot of training in my line of work but have never been faced with an instructor who demanded and got 100% pass rates. Can't speak highly enough of the school and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Lex 38 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: London |
| Date Submitted: | September 28, 2009 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Simply the best Since obtaining my Day Skipper with Allabroad, I have been back again and again. ASA make learning and sailing real fun. It's one thing to know how to sail, it's another to teach how to sail and ASA can do both. The boats are always well kept and clean and we have had plenty of room whenever we stayed. Anyone wanting to learn to sail should look no further. Forget the UK, get yourself out to Gib and let Allabroad show you how to do it properly. They have single handedly ignited a love for sailing in me. First class sailing school and first class staff! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | David 29 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: UK |
| Date Submitted: | September 3, 2009 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | The best just keeps getting better All at Allabroad Sailing Academy go the extra mile again and again to ensure your sailing experience is the best. Appart from Comp Crew, I have taken all my RYA courses with Allabroad. I could not afford the time to complete a Fast Track course so took Day Skipper through to YatchMaster with Allabroad. The tuition was excellent, the quality of the boats was far beyond my expectation. The whole experience was unbelievably good. Two weeks ago we chartered a yatch from Allabroad and the best just got better. Every member of staff was so friendly and most helpful to ensure the whole experience was perfect. If you want to learn to sail or charter a boat, use these guys Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | John R 53 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: UK |
| Date Submitted: | July 5, 2009 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 5 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 5 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 5 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 5 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Part Fastrack Although the offer on the web site reads 'Extended professional courses now include STCW 95 First Aid, Sea Survival and PSSR', keep in mind you won't get all those certificates if you enroll to the Part Fastrack starting from Coastal level with your RYA SRC and First Aid. Neither STCW 95 FA, PSSR, PST, nor RYA Diesel, Radar, Motor Yacht Helmsman Certificate, Winches, Rigging, Electrics, and On Board Systems. They claimed to give it all in the first four weeks of the course along with the Competent crew and DS shorebased & practical. If you want to get all these you're to start from the very beginning whatever you experience is. With my RYA DS shorebased & practical from Hamble School of Yachting, RYA VHF and 3700 Nm logged I've been advised to either start from Coastal theory with no STCW option, or from the Competent crew – if I want to gain all those certificates. As they put it: 'from Day One you will be taught to a very high standard and in the correct manner - it is very easy to become complacent and adopt bad techniques without the correct instruction.' According to other reviews out there on the web, the school is good, though you can find a couple of 'not so good' references from the latter students. However, considering all of them passed the exam with all those extra bonuses, this course could be recommended for the beginners. Comments [ 2 ] |
| Submitted by: | Rasim 40 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Moscow, Russia |
| Date Submitted: | May 1, 2009 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 7 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 7 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 5 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 9 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Not that good!! I passed the Yachmaster fastrack this year and must say that all but one of the instructors are excellent. Tony, Sean and JP were great teachers and I learnt a fortune from them. The one that wasn't took us to Portugal on a 10 day trip were he didn't teach just commanded and on 3 occassions got back to the boat drunk only a few hours before we were due to depart which meant late starts and early finish.You shouldn't pay good mney for an instructor that justs wants to get drunk. The boats are getting old and the maintainance was poor and I found it difficult to get things fixed. The gas alarm did not work for the last 7 weeks of the course!! Also bear in mind that they do say you wont share a berth but there are bunk bed cabins and shared saloon. The smaller boats only sleep five so with five on a course there is no room for an instuctor to sleep so it is back to Gib every night which is not good as the marina and shower blocks are the worst we ever visited on that coast. You are not allowed to use the showers on the boat!! The web site and pre course emails pull you in but once there the management, which is no longer Vic and Lyn, is very poor and disorganised and if you dare to criticise then you are made to feel very unwelcome. They may the best in Gibralatar but that doesn't make them good. Comments [ 6 ] |
| Submitted by: | Pete 48 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: UK |
| Date Submitted: | February 14, 2009 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | I did it all at ASA From start to finish my fastrack course was a first class experience, I have been on long courses (non sailing) many times and there is no doubt in my mind, they have got it right. I was told, at the start of the course, that the style of training had evolved over 9 years of running fastrack courses, this became clear at week 3 when I struggled with those dammed secondary ports, I was imediately given extra training at the weekend and now they are second nature! I chose them initially because of their shorebased facilities, on site classrooms and lounges, it never occured to me until I arrived how much was included in the course as standard and how much of this was extra elsewhere, I even got my motor cruising ICC over 10m included in my YM sail Fastrack! STCW 95 FA, PSSR, PST, RYA Diesel, Radar, VHF, Winches, Rigging, Electrics, and On Board Systems were all included. We met up with some of the other guys from another school who were pig sick when the found out what we were getting for the same price and they saw the facilities we could use, they had no shorebased stuff at all. I knew I had made the right choice within the first week. Have a look at Allabroad seriously before booking your fastrack course elsewhere. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | mulkie 31 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Hull UK |
| Date Submitted: | August 18, 2008 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 10 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 8 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Allabroad did it for me Great school with great instructors, I have been with 3 other schools prior to ASA but chose them to do my half Fastrack course. I passed easily and felt confident in the exam, the other 4 also passed. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Gensonbabee 37 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: W.Bridgeford Notts |
| Date Submitted: | April 4, 2007 |
| Sailing School: | Allabroad Sailing Academy |
| Location: | Gibraltar, Gibraltar |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 8 out of 10 |
| Boats & Courses: | 10 out of 10 |
| Cost: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Great School Great People Great Fun These guys are a family run school which is aimed at good quality tuition whilst having fun. The course are great (And I have done a few with them) and the teaching very competent. The boats are always great never very old. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Patrick 34 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Ascot, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
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