Our Crew
DOUG INNES (Principal & Managing Director) |
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 Doug grew up sailing dinghies, and first qualified as an RYA Instructor in 1993. He has been training sailors and power boaters ever since. After working for a number of RYA centers in the nineties, he decided he would establish his own business (and work for the tax man instead!). Stormforce Coaching was born in 2001. He sits on various industry committees and has been called upon to provide "Expert Witness" for negligence court cases involving small craft. He is an RYA Centre Inspector. He also provides consultancy to new centers and super yachts seeking to gain RYA recognition. He helms a 1720 regularly and has won the RSYC Frostbite Series for the last two years. He races a variety of other yachts and previous wins include the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, Cowes to Cascais Race, Myth of Malham, Cervantes Trophy and RORC Offshore Series. |
BECKY INNES (Accounts Director & Office Manager / Southampton) |
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 Becky is the most organised amongst us. Although Doug thinks he runs the company, it is Becky who really controls the finance and keeps our employer (the tax man) happy. She joined the team part time in 2005. In the spring of 2007 we persuaded her to join the full time staff and she now runs the accounts under the watchful eye of Stella. She previously worked for the RYA in both the Despatch and Racing departments. Becky is a yacht sailor and a scuba diver. She has raced in Cowes Week and extensively cruised the South Coast of England, the Channel Islands and Turkey. She has scuba dived as far afield as Egypt, Jordan, and Mexico and she likes to travel.
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ADRIAN BANNISTER (Chief Instructor / Southampton) |
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Adie joined us in 2010 having previsouly worked for the RYA. He ran their RYA Honda Youth RIB Challenge area and national championships. Prior to that he spent over a decade working as an Instructor in the outdoor eductaion and sailing industry, working both in the UK and overseas. At Stormforce Coaching he heads up the instructional team and manages the fleet maintenance. He co runs much of the instructor training and plays a key part in the development of the Interns. He is also an RYA Centre Inspector. |
ADAM SMITH (Yacht Manager & Race Skipper / Southampton) |
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 Adam came up through the RYA Training Schemes completing the dinghy courses as a teenager. He went on to become a professional yachtsman and has been instructing and racing for the last decade. Having joined us in 2010, he now takes charge of our yacht fleet drawing upon his experience of managing race boats, skippering the Trans Atlantic Race (the ARC) and teaching hundreds of RYA courses. Adam runs some of our Sail Cruising Instructor Courses and heads up our race campaigns. In particular he is one of our four in house race skippers. |
STELLA (Centre Manager / Southampton) |
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 Stella meets and greets most of our Southampton students as they enter the front door. She joined the company in 2005. She has cruised the Solent, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Islands by yacht and participated in plenty RIB and Motor Boat rides on calm days in the Solent. She spends much of her day in the office although quite often sits in on shorebased courses, even although she has done them before.
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ADAM O'NEILL (Senior Instructor / Southampton) |
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 Adam joined us in 2007, on our twelve-month Internship programme. He trained at both our UK and Greek Centres. Having completed the Internship we offered him a full time position and the rest is history. He is a valued member of the team, teaches both ashore and afloat across most disciplines and is now involved with the delivery of the Internship Programme. Prior to joining us he spent some time travelling the world.
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IFAN JAMES (Instructor & Race Skipper / Southampton & Caribbean) |
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Ifan joined us in 2010, he previously worked for the RYA as a Onboard Development Officer and also for a number of RYA dinghy/powerboat centres as an Instructor. He races a RS 600 and came 5th in last years National Championships. He also won the Impala European Championships as tactician. He has been the mate/tactician on board "Cheeki Rafiki" for our 2011 Fastnet Campaign and skippers a number of our other regattas and events. He was recently presented the RYA Yachtmaster of the Year Trophy by HRH Princess Anne.
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RAY SCOTT (Instructor & Examiner / Southampton) |
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 Following a life time of working in and around boats Ray has a vast wealth of experience. He came to us in 2004 from the MOD police (but we don't hold that against him!) where he worked both as an Engine Technician and Boat Handling Instructor. Ray, Doug and Adrian co run most of the RYA Powerboat and PWC Instructor Courses and Ray runs a number of our "Super Yacht PWC Instructor Courses". Ray is our lead Diesel and Outboard Instructor. He also skippers many of our Motor Boat Courses. In addition to working with us he examines Yachtmaster Power candidates for the RYA and is a Lifeboat Cox'n at his local station.
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FRANK SCHWEITZER (Instructor / Southampton) |
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 Frank is a retired surgeon with over thirty five year's experience of both dinghy and yacht sailing. As the former owner/skipper of a Sigma 362 he has tried his hand at JOG, RORC and "Round the Cans" Racing. More recently he has returned to dinghy sailing as he is now introducing his grandchildren to the sea. Frank instructs SRC, Competent Crew, Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased and both the Practical and shorebased Dayskipper Courses, he also skippers a few offshore cruising courses. He is our lead Instructor for the STCW ’95 Medical First Aid and Medical Care Aboard Ship (Ship's Captain's Medical) Courses. Frank has been actively instructing RYA courses since 2001 and began working with us in 2004. When he planned to retire from full time work his biggest mistake was meeting Doug!
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KEITH LLOYD (First Aid Instructor / Southampton) |
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Keith has been our lead First Aid Instructor since 2004 and delivers many of our RYA, HSE, BSAC and MCA First Aid courses. He spent sixteen years at sea followed by twenty three years as an Ambulance Paramedic, he knows his subject from first hand experience and is well remembered by all of his students for his entertaining and educational delivery.
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GARETH GLOVER (Instructor & Race Skipper / Southampton) |
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Gareth has been in the water sports and yachting industry full time since the middle of the nineties. He was the former Chief Instructor at another RYA Centre. He has worked for Stormforce Coaching on a freelance basis since the day the business started and more recently he has skippered some of our Offshore Race Campaigns. He is an RYA Centre Inspector. He was selected by Clipper Ventures to skipper "New York" in the Round the World Race 2011/12. We look forward to his triumphant return and he will be missed by us and our students until then.
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PETER WHITE (Instructor / Southampton) |
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 Peter has a wide experience of keelboat racing, diving and power boating. He and Doug met in the nineties while Peter was training towards becoming a Powerboat Instructor. He joined us on a freelance basis in 2005 and has taught hundreds of our powerboat courses since then. Well liked and remembered by his students Peter works at all levels from beginner to pre Instructor training.
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TOM "RODDERS" HEMSLEY ( Instructor / Southampton) |
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No prizes for guessing who "Rodders," resembles. He joined us in 2010 having sailed on the South Coast and currently owns a small powerboat. He has worked at our Southampton and Porto Heli Centres and teaches across multiple disciplines.
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CHRIS 'BIFF' SMITH ( Chief Instructor / Greece) |
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 Biff has been teaching sailing since the nineties with fourteen consecutive season's Mediterranean experience in France, Spain and Greece. He managed a number of watersports and yachting centres before partnering with us. He and Doug began planning their collaboration back in 1996 when they first met. Chris is well remembered by his students for his fun and lively approach to life. He and Amy co run the beach and accommodation at Porto Heli
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AMY EDMONDS ( Beach & Accommodation Manager / Greece) |
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 On paper Amy co runs the Porto Heli Watersports Centre but really she runs Biff. She ensures things run smoothly and she will make sure your stay is one to be remembered. Her role is diverse as she helps with rigging etc on the beach, as well as handling bookings and accounts, while still finding time to teach the odd windsurfing course.
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Kemps Quay Marina, Quayside Road, Southampton, Hants, SO18 1BZ
Telephone: 02380 231 122
E-mail: coaching@stormforce.biz