The Allabroad Story 1998 to now...
Allabroad Limited was established in 1998 with the purchase of a brand new Moody 46 and started as a yacht charter business setting out from the UK on a worldwide sailing adventure. In 1999 we stopped on route in Gibraltar and actually never left, that's how great a place Gibraltar is for sailing! In January 2000 we applied to become an RYA Training Centre and have been setting standards from our Gibraltar base ever since.
In 2002 we were one of the first to run a Fast Track Yachtmaster all-in-one course from beginner to professional and have been adding to and enhancing this course ever since; with Allabroad you are buying into our expertise and industry experience accumulated over many years.
In 2008 we applied to become a MCA Accredited Training Provider to run STCW courses in order to expand our professional maritime training courses for our career minded clients, or indeed leisure clients that caught the sailing bug so bad they decided a lifestyle change was required.
We started as Allabroad Sailing School changing to Allabroad Sailing Academy when we grew both our fleet and extensive shore-based facilities. Allabroad Maritime Academy is our professional side - delivering courses to not only the maritime industry, but shore based emergency services, customs, government and police.
We're now known as an international centre of training excellence attracting students from not only UK and Europe, but from as far away as the USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
We are known as Allabroad or ASA for short.
Our Training Standards
Training at all levels on new and modern school yachts not only offers further challenges but equates to much better accommodation and systems on board. For example our 2016 model Jeanneau 389 sailing yachts all have USB charging ports in all cabins along with a two pin European style electrical socket. Running new sailing yachts comes at a great expense to the company but great benefit to you the client, still our ethos continues to work up to a standard and not down to a price. As a result Allabroad has become a favorite amongst the discerning trainee skippers of all levels as the Allabroad training is more conducive to the real world demands the skippers of a modern yacht faces.
The Sailing Area
Gibraltar is a great sailing area due to being tidal and having 300 days of sunshine each year thus making it a true all year round sailing destination. We are just as busy in October to February as we are in the spring and summer months. Whilst the RYA have just removed the tidal requirements for Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper in 2017 the clients that come to us are the ones that still want the real tidal experience but the comfort and warmth or the Med climate. Plus the convenience of the International Gibraltar airport connecting Gatwick, Luton. Heathrow, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester. We are British Pounds Sterling here in Gibraltar and thus with the Euro rate you get to enjoy Euro land without the expenditure. The Straits of Gibraltar have many challenges for the developing skipper with strong currents, tidal rips, traffic separation scheme and one of the most unique night pilotage exercises with the variety of natural maritime activities. We regularly see dolphins and sometimes whales and even basking sharks and to add to the wildlife randomness you can often take a camel ride on the Moroccan side when we decide to stay overnight in a different jurisdiction again.