Charly Hewett
Chief Instructor
Charly has spent the majority of her adult life at sea, working on a range of vessels from warships, to tall ships, Antarctic expedition yachts and marine conservation research vessels. Even nowadays, she helps run Ardent Training from her floating home.
"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." – The satisfaction from becoming good at something I find challenging has always been so rewarding to me. Sailing wasn't something I found easy at the beginning and making mistakes can feel embarrassing at the time, but they are so valuable in the long run. Now I'm a Yachtmaster Ocean instructor who's sailed over 12,000 nautical miles with only a sextant for navigation!
Charly has spent the majority of her adult life at sea, working on a range of vessels from warships, to tall ships, Antarctic expedition yachts and marine conservation research vessels. Even nowadays, she helps run Ardent Training from her floating home.
Qualifications:
- Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Instructor
- SRC (VHF) Instructor
Additional Experience:
- Team Manager for Kirsten Neuschafer (winner of the Golden Globe Race 2018 and Rolex World Sailor of the Year).
- 1st Mate for Skip Novak's vessel Pelagic Australis
- Contributor to Yachting Monthly.
Instructor background:
Early in my career, I spent several years in sail training, something I absolutely loved, mostly aboard the square rigger TS Royalist. It's an incredibly fun vessel to sail and relies on strong teamwork and leadership.
One of the most rewarding parts was watching young people, often from underprivileged backgrounds, adapt and thrive in such an unfamiliar environment.
My teaching style focuses on creating a relaxed, happy atmosphere. In my experience, once people are having fun, curiosity and learning soon follow!
I've always loved being on the water with people who want to learn. When we founded Ardent Training, I knew we had to prioritise that same positive, supportive environment from the beginning to make the best experience for our students.
Hobbies & Interests:
Before I found sailing, I spent several days a week at our local dry ski slope. My dad was an instructor, and my sister and I had unlimited passes, so we practically lived there while he was working.
When I was 14, the slope burned down and was never rebuilt. Around the same time, I discovered sailing, and my focus shifted in a completely new direction.
Who knows, if the slope hadn't gone up in flames, I might have ended up writing snowboarding courses from a chalet in Chamonix instead. Nowadays, my hobbies are walking, camping and roasting marshmallows on campfires with Edd and our daughters.
Previous Trips:
100 degrees of latitude
A delivery trip of a whale and dolphin research vessel to the southern ocean, Charly and Edd took the opportunity to put their celestial navigation skills to the ultimate test.
NATO Exercise Cold Response
Charly was a trainee warfare officer aboard Royal Navy flagship HMS Bulwark during wargames involving the Royal Marines. Charly remembers the crew using signal lamps to cheekily ask two Polish warships the going price of cherry vodka in Gdynia.
Family cruise to an epic island.
Spotting a weather window they couldn't ignore, Charly, Edd and their 3 year old daughter set sail for St. Kilda. St. Kilda lies far out in the North Atlantic, a remote and dramatic archipelago where the rewards more than justify the challenge of getting there.
Race across the Bay of Biscay
With a Royal Commissioning Ceremony to attend, there was no time to wait for a weather window to bring the brand new T.S. Royalist home from the shipyard. It was a lively shakedown cruise in tough conditions that many of the crew will remember for life.
