Stuart Cook
Senior Course Developer and Instructor
From skippering expedition vessels, teaching students worldwide, and becoming an RYA examiner and trainer, Stuart brings a wealth of varied experience to our great team. Stuart's time with Ardent is spent writing new material and updating courses. You'll also find him delivering live sessions and on our instructing help desk.
"Ardent Training has stepped into the sail training scene to fill a much needed void in the learning experience. It is a privilege to be part of this and help inspire more budding mariners."
From skippering expedition vessels, teaching students worldwide, and becoming an RYA examiner and trainer, Stuart brings a wealth of varied experience to our great team. Stuart's time with Ardent is spent writing new material and updating courses. You'll also find him delivering live sessions and on our instructing help desk.
Qualifications:
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner
- RYA Cruising Instructor Trainer
Additional Experience:
- Extensive Expedition Sailing Experience
- Boat Manager and Skipper - 78' Drum
- Instructed RYA practical courses worldwide
- Maintenance manager for Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
- Lead Skipper for Rubicon 3 Adventure Sailing
Instructor background:
Stuart started sailing and racing dinghies when he was just 11 years old before starting his working career in a local marina. This led to skippering and managing a large commercial sailing yacht. A change of tack saw him take on Instructing roles that then led to expedition skippering while also finding time for charters, deliveries, maintenance and even bar/chalet work in the Alps. This all resulted in a wide ranging skill base that Stuart uses to help deliver clear and concise teaching methods to his students while making everyone feel at ease. Stuart teaches with a calm and confident persona, making students that sail under his instruction feel at ease and have the opportunity to develop their own confidence.
Hobbies & Interests:
When not working for Ardent, Stuart is a very active and sporty individual who will mainly be found within the Scottish wilderness riding his bike or swimming in the many lochs. A keen skier, he has completed a couple of ski seasons, perfecting his cake baking skills along the way. While he is from and lives in Scotland, he is often found visiting his second home, New Zealand. With no family at home, Stuart often pops up in the most unlikely of places, and it is not uncommon for him to join our team meeting from a different place each week.
Previous Trips:
The first trip away.
In 2002 I went away on my first ever overnight sailing trip. It was a trip circumnavigating Arran and Bute on the Clyde and whet my appetite for many future trips on the water.
Introduction to Expedition Sailing
Co-skippered trip to Greenland from the UK. The planning, set up, departure and remoteness experienced made me realise how much I loved sailing to the quieter corners of the world.
Perfect Conditions
Skippered charter with clients in perfect weather on Scotland's west coast visiting my favourite anchorages. The weather was so perfect we did 0 tacks and only 2 gybes the entire trip but sailed the full 160nm.
Cetaceans
One of many skippered research trips on Scotland's west coast. This one coincided with perfect sighting conditions to see and observe all sorts of different species of whales and dolphins every single day of the trip.
Motor Cruising
As a sailor, we typically don't always cover ground too quickly, so the chance to do that on a motor vessel was quite surreal. A weather window opened up one Saturday and invited out with friends we covered over 200nm in just 8 hours on the water as we went from Rhu to Gigha for lunch, and back again.
