The Rob Swain Sailing School Instructors, BVI
 RSSS is an owner operated school with Rob Swain leading our team of instructors.
Rob has taught sailing in the BVI for over 15 years. He directed the Tortola branch of Offshore Sailing School for 8 years. Rob holds a US Coast Guard Master One Hundred Tons license; US Sailing through Advanced Coastal Cruising - instructor Certified; American Sailing Association through Coastal Passage Making- instructor certified. Rob has delivered up to 45' sailing yachts East Coast to BVI and BVI to St. Martin and Antigua. He has taught Coastal Passage Making from the BVI to St. Martin and St. Barths for 8 years. Rob raced professionally 89-91.
In addition to Rob, RSSS has a staff of terrific instructors; people with years of teaching experience, who have worked for the competition and have lived in the BVI for many years.
We're confident that the quality of sailing education we provide is the best out there.
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Norman Martin
Norman Martin is a native of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His early sailing took place in the fog, currents and shoals so common to that area. A family voyage aboard a 48 foot gaff rigged yawl took Norm down the US East Coast, into the Bahamas, finally settling in South Florida during high school. After that, he sailed as crew on a variety of 70 to 90 foot yachts in the Caribbean and Atlantic. During later years he crewed on several very successful yacht racing teams.
Sailing was a welcome relief from the rigors of foreign trade work in New York City. Since the Seventies, he has made a dozen deliveries between New England and the Caribbean and sailed across the Pacific Ocean twice. All along, he studied yacht design and construction. These experiences gave Norm a type of training that is so valuable to him as a sailing instructor.
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Tom Wilson
 At age 10, Tom started sailing blue jays and widgeons on the Lafayette River in Virginia. Later, sailing lightnings in regattas in North Carolina and Virginia. After college, Tom relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he went to work for Irwin Yachts in the engineering department. Tom bought his first cruising boat when he was 25 and sailed it all over the Florida Keys. In the early 80's Tom obtained his USCG Masters license and pursued his long time interest in teaching sailing, signing on with Offshore Sailing School. After a couple of years of instructing, Tom was recruited by the largest shipyard in Bermuda for the position of managing director of the Bermuda Shipyard. Life on the water was more appealing to Tom and after a couple of years in the Shipyard, Tom returned to teaching sailing, which he's been committed to for more than a decade now. Tom and Rob taught together for Offshore for many years, so it wasn't a difficult decision for Tom to re-join Rob in 2002 to teach for RSSS.
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Bryan Ruegg
 Bryan began sailing at age 3. Sailing the east coast of the United States, and the Caribbean was a preferred vacation for him and his family. Having a father who is a boat builder, Captain, and sailing instructor, it was inevitable that sailing would become a big part of his life. He began to professionally sail when he was 18. Crewing on various deliveries and
Tall Ships allowed him to acquire his Master 100 Ton license at age 23. More importantly he acquired the knowledge of how to sail traditional sailing vessels with multiple sail configurations aboard the Schooner Liberty and Schooner Liberty Clipper. While on ³Ocean Navigator¹s² vessel Ocean Star, he learned how to navigate celestially. Bryan has managed a marina in Sausalito, California, taught sailing, worked aboard whale watching and caving glacier tour boats in Alaska, then
aboard Columbia University¹s (NSF), Global Seismic Ship. He pushed himself for larger challenges driving dinner and casino cruise boats. After many terrific experiences on different vessels, Bryan decided to return to his roots and true passion for sailing the Caribbean. When Bryan is not on the water, he's pursuing his another passion in the work he is doing with The Omora Foundation, www.omora.org , in Cape Horn, Chile. It is here where he uses his degree
in Biology, artistic creativity, mechanical skills, and personality to help preserve the pristine Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, http://www.phil.unt.edu/chile/capehorn.htm. |
Jeannette Forte
Jeannette Forte joined our team in February 2007 as Marketing Coordinator. Jen is in the office part-time during the weekdays. She's in charge of the office, handling enquiries, course bookings and looking after our customers' details.
Jen is Danish. She grew up in Kenya, met and married her husband in the UK and settled in Tortola with their 3 children 3 years ago. Her background is 11 years in hotel management, the latter part of that time concentrating on Sales and Marketing.
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