About BVI Sailing Coach
Born from passion, built on experience
Our sailing school was founded by former instructors and staff of the BVI Offshore Sailing School after it ceased operations. With decades of combined experience, our team delivers expert instruction and an unmatched understanding of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) — one of the most spectacular and reliable sailing destinations in the world.
We offer hands-on training on keelboats, cruising catamarans, cruising monohulls, and power catamarans. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced sailor ready to advance, our courses are designed to make you comfortable, confident, and safe on the water.
Students receive recognized certification and leave our courses bareboat charter-ready, with the skills and knowledge needed to sail independently. You’ll also qualify for the International Proficiency Certificate (IPC) — your gateway to chartering in sailing destinations around the world.
Our instructors are known for their professionalism, patience, and passion for teaching. Backed by 5-star reviews, we combine real-world seamanship with deep local expertise to provide a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
Set sail with the team who knows the BVI best — and take the helm of your blue water dreams.
Why Choose Us
We don’t just teach sailing — we build confident skippers in one of the world’s most iconic cruising grounds.
Experienced Instructors
Our team is made up of instructors with decades of real-world sailing and teaching experience in the BVI, US and Europe.
Hands-On Training
We offer immersive, live-aboard courses that combine real sailing, daily practice, and classroom instruction in a relaxed onboard setting.
Unmatched Location
The British Virgin Islands are world-renowned for their ideal sailing conditions, stunning anchorages, and safe, scenic cruising routes.
Global Certifications
Meet our team
Captain Dutch – Founder & Lead Instructor
Born and raised in the Netherlands, sailing was a natural and casual hobby for Dutch from a young age. In 2007, he turned that passion into a full-time profession.
Before founding BVI Sailing Coach, Dutch began his professional sailing career on the Solent, along England’s south coast. Seasonal work soon took him across Europe—including Greece, Turkey, and Croatia—and later to the Caribbean.
After spending a full year in the British Virgin Islands, he returned to the Solent for two more years and completed numerous yacht deliveries across the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel, and the Atlantic Ocean. Eventually, the BVI called him back with its reliable trade winds, sunshine, warm community, and a new opportunity: working with the renowned Offshore Sailing School.
Dutch holds instructor certifications from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), US-Sailing Cruising instructor and the American Sailing Association (ASA). He joined Offshore Sailing School in 2014, and by 2018, he was promoted to Senior Instructor and Caribbean Regional Manager, leading operations in the British Virgin Islands.
In 2025, a year after the birth of his daughter, Offshore Sailing School ceased operations. With a family of five and the unwavering support of his wife, Dutch founded BVI Sailing Coach to continue offering the exceptional training that has launched sailing journeys for hundreds of students.
Today, Dutch proudly runs BVI Sailing Coach from their home base on Tortola, sharing his passion for the ocean and his dedication to high-quality instruction with every sailor who comes aboard. Captain Dutch specializes in guiding beginners into the world of sailing through persistence and patience.
Captain Patrick – Instructor and Course Developer
Born and raised in Brittany, France, Patrick discovered his passion for sailing on an “Optimist,” the iconic small dinghy still used today by young sailors worldwide. He quickly advanced to cruising the English Channel and the North Atlantic, eventually earning his offshore instructor certification.
In his twenties, Patrick moved to Southern California, where he became the chief instructor at the California Sailing Academy in Los Angeles. His career then led him to Club Med Turks and Caicos, where he spent three years overseeing all water sports activities. Following this, he completed multiple monohull and catamaran deliveries across the Atlantic, South Pacific, and Mediterranean.
Patrick later spent three years in Seattle as the sailing director at Windworks Sailing School, where he not only instructed but also developed the school’s course programs.
Seeking warmer waters, Patrick relocated to the British Virgin Islands in 2018 and has been instructing there ever since—teaching on monohulls as well as sailing and power catamarans.
Patrick holds a 100-ton Master Captain license with the U.S. Coast Guard, all-level certifications with US Sailing, and additional instructor certifications with ASA. Patrick is our NauticEd instructor and holds their ‘Captain Level 5 Instructor’ license.
Certification programs
US Sailing
Is a classic style certification program where the instructor will teach you in theory and then practice with you in real time. It is a healthy combination of practical and theory immersion. Our basic sailing and our Bareboat programs use this hands on ‘learn, see, do, repeat’ approach. We always advice students to read the books ahead of the course, which makes it all more smooth and easier. For example, we teach you how to tie up to a dock with a diagram or two and some drawings/pictures. Which line does what and why. And then we will prepare the boat and execute what we just learned. In a morning, we will explain and show you how to do basic navigation. On paper and electronically. After that, you will make your first navigation plan, to be used that day.
