Reedleyboating Reviews 

Amy and Roy were great instructors. Really informative and packed a lot of information into a reduced time. Coffee was provided and made a wet day into a fun day. Freya the dog was a cute addition too. Would highly recommend.

Excellent team all done at a nice and relaxed pace for everyone also great biscuits

Had such an enjoyable two days with Amy and Roy. They are so supportive and have built my knowledge and confidence massively. Would highly recommend this course, I was quite nervous to begin with but they soon calmed my nerves with their relaxed and encouraging teaching styles.
Lunch, biscuits, brews on tap and puppy cuddles were an added bonus!

Honestly one of the best course experiences I've had. Very knowledgeable and such a relaxed environment with such amazing instructors. Had such a good time learning from the two of them.

Absolutely incredible experience!
Helsman 2 day course with Amy and Roy! Really useful and easy to understand contents. Really helpful!. Had two amazing days, they actually managed to teach me, so they got to be good 😊 I am well impressed, I can't stress this enough people, how lovely to have training nowadays, not a single power point in sight! Inland water lovers, this is the place to go!

Absolutely brilliant helmsman course well recommend they take there time and go through everything you need to know plus more all done in a relaxed inviroment

Roy and Amy were exceptionally knowledgeable, patient, friendly and welcoming. Had a great weekend sailing a narrow boat on the Leeds- Liverpool canal, never realised there were that many intricacies involved in canal boating until they explained the physics of sailing ⛵️

Whilst waiting for my new boat to be completed I thought taking the Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Certificate was a good idea. Whilst the cost is quite high £350 for 2 days. (The same everywhere) I thought it was money well spent. Roy and Amy did a fantastic job of bringing up my skill level and I now feel totally confident with my ability to handle my boat. The course was 2 days long and we covered a lot. Thankyou both for a really productive course. Enjoyable, productive and informative.

The RYA Inland Waterways Helmsmans Certificate - A really excellent course aimed at novices and those who want to improve their skills. Roy Fletcher and Amy formed the instruction team for 3 participants; and presented clear and informative instructions and practical advice throughout two busy days (9am to 5pm). By the final afternoon I was able to confidently steer, navigate, moor and cast-off on a narrowboat. This should be an essential course for those using the waterways especially in heavy traffic and challenging conditions. Can't recommend it enough. Thank you Roy and Amy.

Did this course last weekend with Roy and Amy. Was a very positive experience and cant praise them enough.
Both are very knowledgeable in the subject and deliver the course in a way that's enjoyable and easy to take in. Roy has extensive boating experience both inland and sea bound, so isn't put off by being asking odd questions and has plenty of fun stories to share.
Two of us did the course, my friend was very worried about taking the helm, but by the end of the first day she was confident with taking control and was having fun.

Did originally think about learning by having a narrowboat holiday instead, but I would advise this course over that approach. The sheer amount of extra tuition, skills, manoeuvres, rope handling, tips and tricks to deal with boat life are invaluable

I completed my helmsman course this weekend with Roy and Amy. They both delivered an informative yet engaging course. Roy's knowledge and experience knows no bounds and yet he delivers the course at exactly the level we needed to feel confident and capable without being overwhelmed with too much information. The all round experience from start to finish was professional, great value and fun! They are both a great asset the canal community. Don't hesitate to contact them for a course or private tuition, you won't be disappointed.

I've just completed the course run by Roy Fletcher from Reedley Marina.
Going on courses can be seen as a chore and to be honest sometimes boring.
THIS COURSE CERTAINLY DOES NOT FALL INTO EITHER CATEGORY.
Roys' pace and presentation has in my opinion been honed to perfection. For this reason I would recommend this course to anyone seeking or improving knowledge of canal boat cruising.
His methods show you how to make the boat work for you and enjoy your time canal cruising.

Thanks Roy for superb weekend.

Graham

I completed the two day course RYA helmsman with Roy Fletcher at Reedley Marina , a very pleasant man with excellent tuition for me, a novice who had never sailed a canal boat, it was at a pace that was understandable , logical in a methodical way to take a vast amount of his knowledge from a basic of putting on life vest to checking the boat before setting off, all equipment and presail checks done off we went strait into control and positioning and how to negotiate bends and locks
We assended and desended locks then experienced turning around and reversing, just in time for lunch and drinks all provided.
We had further lessons in knots, tieing then bringing the boat in and coming in straight or at angles, lights, horn use and setting off using spring rope use.
A very worth while learning experience to get me on the canals sailing safely with confidence from an expert.
A must for all who sail or use the canals, A two day course thats is excellent value for the money.

What a fabulous 2 days! I approached the course with a certain amount of trepidation as I’d previously only spent a day with some friends on a narrowboat but would like to do more. I needn’t have worried. Roy started with the basics but without being patronising or overloading. He explained things clearly and then it was our turn. Throughout we were given ample opportunity to put theory into practice, and by the end of the first day I had learnt so much and was thoroughly enjoying it! As promised the course was practical and stress free, and built up confidence in understanding and handling the boat. A massive thanks to Roy and Amy for your patience and good humour. I would highly recommend the course.

I recently attended the RYA inshore helms course. Our skipper Roy Fletcher was outstanding in terms of the way he settled us and quickly dispelled any concerns we had about being on the water. He was able to put the elements of the programme across in a clear and understandable way, backing up the various concepts by practical demonstrations and bucket loafs of patience. Thank you and well done. I would whole heartedly recomend Roy and Reedley Boating.

My wife and I spent two days with Roy and his able assistant Amy – I was taking the Helmsman’s Certificate and my wife the Crew Course and we had a third ‘pupil’ doing the Helmsman’s Certificate too. My wife and I had spent half a day on a narrowboat but that was over ten years ago and we had no experience of locks, so we were starting from scratch really.
From the off we all got on well together and that was down to Roy and Amy’s relaxed approach and whilst we were being ‘trained’ it didn’t feel like a formal training course. Roy draws upon his vast experience not only of narrowboats and the canal system but also of skippering tall ships on the seas and his knowledge of all things nautical is impressive.
Roy’s approach in teaching is a mixture of theory which is delivered on board whilst moored up using visual aids before going out on the canal and putting that into practice with everyone taking their turn and thereby gaining the practical experience. Roy is patient and willing to go over things a few times if necessary and the whole of the training was delivered at a pace that suited us. There is plenty of opportunity to ask questions and Roy was able answer in a clear and easily understood way.
The two days we spent with Roy were excellent and I would definitely recommend him if you’re thinking about any level of training/instruction for a narrowboat.
The challenge is in remembering everything, especially if you’re not on the waterways regularly, but Roy said that he is always available to help if he’s able to and refresher sessions etc can be arranged by agreement. All in all a fantastic two days!

This was a great two days of training. I'd had some training and experience of narrowboating previously, but nevertheless I learnt lots of new tips and techniques in the two days.
Roy is clearly very dedicated in ensuring that his learners get the most they can out of the course, over and above the minimum needed for the certification. I really liked the fact that he concentrated on the areas that the small group most needed, which for us was the tricky manoveurs such as reversing and winding, as well as the basics of steering and locks. I would highly recommend the course not only for the completely new, but also for anyone who is still a bit unsure or who needs a refresher.

Fantastic two days of training. Can’t say enough about how thorough and informative the course was with Roy and Amy. Perfectly pitched, very well explained. Highly recommend to anyone.

I didn't know what to expect on this course (RYA "Inland Waterways Helmsman's Certificate"), having had three 1-week holidays on a narrowboat I thought I was not too bad at handling a boat, but I always had that nervous feeling each morning when heading off, and each lock-landing was a new experience with varying degrees of success (just like every one of my golf swings!). My wife hadn't even taken control of a boat before, so we were at very different experience levels.

Roy, however, caters for it all, tailoring everything he says and does to the individual and how they are responding to his guidance. He doesn't leave anyone behind nor does he ignore those who are more advanced, not an easy task! His easy-going manner puts you at ease immediately, his anecdotes, injected into the day at appropriate moments, are as insightful as they are witty. We've both come away chomping at the bit to get onto the tiller as soon as our new boat is available!
I can't thank Roy enough and I truly believe he could teach any boater a trick or two, regardless of their experience!

As an added bonus (for me), Roy's instructions at the locks have really helped me to get my head around the whole process, including good water management when on a flight of locks, something I had never even thought about (other than sharing wide locks).

We both highly recommend Roy's training course!

I recently purchased a narrowboat and although I have some experience with river and inshore outboard motor boats I decided to enrol on the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman course. Well, I can honestly say it was worth every penny. Roy is an exceptional teacher/instructor. Witty, humorous and very thorough he adapts his teaching methods to the needs and experience of each student. Something I appreciated and I endeavoured to do when I was an instructor in the Army. I learned so much and I am now extremely confident about cruising the cut single handed in my 62ft Narrowboat. I highly recommend this course and can say in all honesty you will not get a better teacher than Roy Fletcher at Reedley Boating.