Your instructor and skipper will be John Corden, a highly experienced yachtsman, RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Instructor, Short-Range Radio (VHF) Certificate Assessor and Radar Instructor.

Now 54, John has been sailing since he was 12 and competed in the Fastnet Race in 1973 at the age of only 17. He has owned and raced dinghies including: a Cadet, a 420,  an OK, 2 International Moths, 2 Lasers and a Dart Catamaran. His first boat with a cabin was an 18' Gem Micro-Tonner. He has since moved on to own 2 J24s, a Tripp 26, a Contessa 32 and now our sailing school boat "Kipper", a classic Victoria 34 Cutter.

John has competed in more Cowes Weeks than he cares to remember, 4 Cork Weeks, numerous RORC races, single-handed and double-handed racing and the ARC. He has also extensively cruised The Channel and The Channel Islands.

Before setting up Kipper Sailing, John worked as a freelance instructor for Lagoon Watersports; OnDeck and Four Winds Sailing.

Prior to embarking on his second career, John enjoyed 27 years in the software industry, starting out as a programmer and ending up as Chief Operating Officer or a 600 person, £100m revenue, publicly listed software company operating in 15 countries. Subsequent, short, interim-management assignments included running a 300 person, £30m revenue HR Outsourcing business and as MD of Hood Sailmakers.

John is married to Annie and between them they have: 5 children, with ages ranging from 21-26; 2 dogs (Ebony - a Border Collie and Fizzy  - a Springer Spaniel) and 2 cats.

John's Favourites: Places -The Serengeti, Guatemala, The Alps, Pennington Marshes, The New Forest, Devon & Cornwall (in Winter), Newtown Creek. Food - Rib-eye steak, curry, lemon-meringue pie. Drink - Ringwood Best, Full-bodied Aussie Reds. Film - Top Gun. Books - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, anything by Wilbur Smith, Bryce Courtney or Frederick Forsythe. Music - Dire Straights, REM, Dido, Nora Jones, Katie Melua.