Tom Farnworth
Help desk legend
Tom started life at sea when he was 12 in a mirror dinghy fishing. He progressed to waterskiing and then into sailing at 17, and quickly gained Yachtmaster Offshore. Working on super yachts and deliveries he then fell into instructing at 24, where he found his calling.
" I never ran aground until I had local knowledge" Tom Cunliffe. I love this saying as it proves that being complacent is the quickest way to fail. I find that teaching is one way to never be complacent, as it is a way to constantly question how well you know something and how best to deliver that knowledge.
Tom started life at sea when he was 12 in a mirror dinghy fishing. He progressed to waterskiing and then into sailing at 17, and quickly gained Yachtmaster Offshore. Working on super yachts and deliveries he then fell into instructing at 24, where he found his calling.
Qualifications:
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean
- RYA Shorebased instructor
- RYA Short course instructor for SRC, Diesel engine and Radar.
Additional Experience:
- My only Transatlantic voyage was on a superyacht while working as an engineer. I still think that I cheated on my only Trans-At as I had no part in the navigation.
- I was working at a Sea school as the chief instructor when an 18yo Edd came to learn to sail. Some will say that I taught Edd to sail
- While instructing a Day Skipper course around Lanzarote, we had a small fishing line while on passage to Fuerteventura, and we caught a Blue Marlin. I hate to say it, but it did ruin the students' passage plan.
Instructor background:
As a professional yachtsman and instructor, my career lead me through deliveries, racing, instructing, and corporate charter. In 2012, I chose to focus on the aspect I enjoyed most, instructing. I took a full-time role at Marine Society and Sea Cadets, allowing me to dedicate myself to teaching.
The shift from instructing adults to working with young people was a welcome change. Their receptiveness to feedback was markedly different, often taking it on board more personally and earnestly. This led me to tailor my feedback style, focusing on growth rather than perceived negatives.
This positive feedback approach subsequently influenced my overall instructing style, resulting in a more comprehensive learning experience for the student. I have, of course, brought this valuable teaching philosophy with me to Ardent.
Hobbies & Interests:
I would love to say that I go sailing for a hobby but sadly, I just dont have as much time as I would like to get out on the water as much as I like. The hobbies that I do get to enjoy regularly are plinking some targets at the air rifle range, playing Farming Simulator with my eldest (most definite guilty pleasure) on the Xbox. Volunteering at the local heritage railway, swapping sleepers or changing rails, and helping at my local Sea Cadet unit.
Previous Trips:
My first command
At the age of 12, in my mirror dinghy with an 0.5hp outboard, I used to go fishing for the day, catching mackerel to sell at local restaurants, all for enough money to buy the petrol for tomorrow's trip
Race the Red Arrows
During a 2 week adult training week that doubled as a delivery trip, I noticed that the Red Arrows were also doing a tour up the Irish Sea starting in Falmouth. We decided to follow them with a display in Falmouth, then Penzance, Dublin, Douglass, Bangor and then finally Troon.
Moby Dick
During a mile builder course in the Canaries, I was reading Moby Dick (my favourite nautical book) in my off watches. Just as I finished the book, I heard a 'Tha she blows!' as there was two sperm whales surfacing about 200m away. That is still the only time I have seen them.
