Paper Sailors Rock

Paper Sailors Rock is an Australian sailing school, RYA Recognised Training Centre and ICC Test Centre with bases in Brisbane and Hobart. It combines internationally recognised training with coastal sailing adventures, mile-building passages and a warm, supportive approach to learning aboard a cruising yacht.

The name captures the character of the business rather nicely. “Paper” represents theory and shorebased learning, “Sailors” covers practical training and sailing adventures, and “Rock” reflects a shared appreciation for the ocean and the people who enjoy it.

Training ranges from a first introduction to sailing through to Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster exam preparation. There are also navigation courses, marine radio qualifications, diesel engine workshops, rope-splicing sessions, Safety and Sea Survival training, women’s sailing programs and personalised tuition aboard a student’s own yacht.

What makes Paper Sailors Rock particularly interesting is the combination of formal qualifications and genuine cruising experience. Students can learn in the protected waters of Moreton Bay, experience Tasmania’s more challenging conditions or join a longer passage along Australia’s east coast. The atmosphere is practical and encouraging, with an emphasis on building confidence instead of turning sail training into a floating boot camp.

Services in detail

Beginners can start with RYA Start Yachting or RYA Cruising Level 1 Start Sailing. These introductory programs cover the essential parts of a yacht, basic ropework, steering, sail handling, safety and what life aboard a cruising yacht actually feels like.

RYA Competent Crew is designed for people who want to become useful, confident and involved members of the crew. Students participate in steering, handling sails, reefing, tacking, gybing, anchoring, mooring, keeping a lookout and completing everyday duties aboard the yacht.

RYA Day Skipper combines practical leadership with navigation and passage-planning skills. The practical course helps experienced crew members take the next step towards skippering a yacht in familiar waters during daylight hours. Students work on boat handling, marina manoeuvring, pilotage, weather awareness, anchoring, crew management and making safe decisions.

The Day Skipper Theory course provides a substantial introduction to chartwork, navigation, tides, meteorology, collision regulations and passage planning. Paper Sailors Rock offers online study as well as supported face-to-face delivery, including classroom training in Hobart when scheduled.

RYA Coastal Skipper practical training is aimed at sailors preparing for longer and more demanding passages. It develops advanced skippering, pilotage, navigation, watchkeeping, boat handling and passage planning for sailing by day and night.

Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore Theory is available online and through scheduled face-to-face courses in Hobart or Brisbane. Subjects include position fixing, magnetic compasses, tides and tidal streams, buoyage, lights, pilotage, electronic navigation, weather, collision regulations, restricted visibility, safety at sea and detailed passage planning.

Experienced sailors preparing for an RYA Yachtmaster examination can undertake focused preparation with Paper Sailors Rock. The training is intended to refine existing skills rather than teach sailing from the beginning, with attention given to navigation, boat handling, seamanship, leadership, safety and decision-making under pressure.

The school is also approved to conduct International Certificate of Competence assessments. The ICC is commonly requested by charter operators and authorities in parts of Europe, making it useful for sailors planning an overseas bareboat holiday.

Marine radio training is offered for both the Short Range Operator Certificate of Proficiency and Long Range Operator Certificate of Proficiency. The SROCP covers VHF operation, while the LROCP includes VHF and MF/HF radio systems. Training includes online learning followed by a theory and practical assessment.

The Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival course combines online modules with practical exercises involving liferafts, inflatable lifejackets and distress equipment. The practical session includes pool exercises completed while wearing realistic sailing clothing and safety equipment. Successful participants receive a qualification used for Category 1 and Category 2 offshore racing, with full and refresher options available.

The RYA Diesel Engine course introduces sailors to the operation and everyday care of a small marine diesel engine. It is particularly useful for cruising sailors who want to understand their engine, carry out routine checks, recognise developing problems and deal with straightforward faults before calling a mechanic.

Rope-splicing workshops provide another useful hands-on skill. Participants can learn how modern ropes are constructed and practise creating strong, neat splices for practical use aboard a yacht.

Own-boat tuition allows individuals, couples, families and crews to learn aboard their own vessel. Training can be customised around marina manoeuvring, berthing, anchoring, sail handling, navigation, crew-overboard recovery, safety procedures or preparation for longer cruising.

Paper Sailors Rock also runs dedicated women’s sail training in a supportive environment led by an experienced female instructor. The emphasis is on giving every participant time at the helm, space to ask questions and the confidence to take on responsibilities that can sometimes be difficult to practise in a mixed or more experienced crew.

Sailing adventures and mile builders

Sailing adventures range from relaxed day sails with friends to extended coastal passages of several days. These trips welcome different experience levels, including beginners looking for a first taste of cruising and established sailors wanting to consolidate their skills.

The mile-building program is one of the school’s real strengths. Instead of repeatedly sailing around the same local area, participants can join genuine passages along the Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmanian coasts.

Published routes have included Brisbane to Yeppoon, Yeppoon to Mackay, Mackay to Airlie Beach, Airlie Beach to Mackay, Mackay to Yeppoon, Yeppoon to Brisbane and Sydney to Hobart. The school also runs five-day and eight-day Whitsunday and Hobart adventures.

A Yeppoon to Mackay passage, for example, covers approximately 250 nautical miles and can include early departures, arrivals after dark, tidal planning, pilotage, coastal navigation and overnight sailing. Participants can use these passages to gain sea miles, experience watchkeeping, practise sailing at night or work towards RYA Competent Crew, Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper certification.

Routes, anchorages and daily distances remain flexible because the weather, tides and safety of the crew come first. That flexibility gives students useful exposure to the real decisions involved in passage making rather than following a fixed tourist itinerary.

Paper Sailors Rock describes its broader cruising range as extending from Tasmania to Lizard Island, creating opportunities to experience everything from cool southern waters to tropical Queensland cruising.

Life aboard

The liveaboard experience is treated as an important part of the training. Students learn about provisioning, shared responsibilities, meals, watches, personal equipment and the practical realities of living in a relatively small space with other crew members.

For selected five-day programs, inclusions can cover accommodation aboard, bedding, linen, towels, personal flotation devices, safety tethers and meals from the first morning through to the final afternoon. Cabins may be shared, depending on the yacht and number of participants.

The approach to food is refreshingly different from the old stereotype of basic frozen meals aboard a training boat. Paper Sailors Rock places plenty of attention on fresh, wholesome food prepared aboard, helping the course feel like a genuine cruising experience as well as a serious training program.

Local Sailing Knowledge

The Brisbane training centre is based at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly, providing immediate access to Moreton Bay. The bay offers protected sailing, tidal navigation, islands, channels, sandbanks and plenty of room for practising sail handling and skippering skills.

Moreton Bay can appear straightforward on a chart, but its shallow areas, shifting weather, strong tidal influence and marked channels reward careful navigation. This gives students a useful mix of comfortable sailing and real navigational responsibility.

The Hobart training centre operates from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at Sandy Bay. The River Derwent and surrounding Tasmanian coast provide a noticeably different learning environment, with cooler weather, stronger frontal systems, tidal considerations and access to destinations such as the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Bruny Island, the east coast and Wineglass Bay.

Longer Queensland passages introduce students to coastal weather systems, reef passages, overnight sailing and the planning required when moving between widely separated ports. Whitsunday programs add island navigation, tidal passages, anchorages and tropical cruising to the experience.

Tasmanian mile builders can involve more exposed conditions, rapidly changing weather and longer offshore legs. They are well suited to sailors who already have basic skills and want to develop greater confidence before independent coastal or offshore cruising.

Training locations

Brisbane Training Centre Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron 578 Royal Esplanade Manly QLD 4179

Hobart Training Centre Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania 15 Marieville Esplanade Sandy Bay TAS 7005

Practical training and sailing adventures may also operate through Moreton Bay, the Whitsundays, the Queensland coast, Sydney, Hobart and Tasmania’s east coast. Longer passage programs can finish at a different port from where they begin.

Training yachts

SV Fika

Fika is a Swedish-built Najad 490 launched in 2001. The yacht was acquired by Paper Sailors Rock in 2020 with long-distance sailing and training adventures in mind.

She has sailed from Europe through the Pacific, New Zealand and Asia and now operates from Brisbane. The Najad 490 is a substantial centre-cockpit cruising yacht suited to extended passages and comfortable liveaboard training.

Length: 14.9 metres Beam: 4.5 metres Draft: 2.0 metres Licensed capacity: 10 people Comfortable overnight accommodation: 6 people Cabins: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Additional equipment: watermaker, heating, refrigerator and freezer

SV Vonnie

Vonnie is a Beneteau Cyclades 39.3 built in France in 2008. She provides a second training platform from Brisbane and is representative of the modern production cruising yachts many students may later charter or purchase.

Length: 11.98 metres Beam: 3.96 metres Draft: 1.9 metres Overnight accommodation: 6 people Cabins: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Additional equipment: watermaker and refrigerator

Contact details

Paper Sailors Rock Phone: 0407 044 663 Email: annette@papersailorsrock.com.au Website: https://www.papersailorsrock.com.au/ Facebook: Paper Sailors Rock Instagram: @papersailorsrock YouTube: @papersailorsrock

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Person in charge

Annette “Netty” Hesselmans, Founder and Principal Instructor

Annette Hesselmans founded Paper Sailors Rock and leads its practical sailing, theory and safety training. She is an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore, RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival Instructor and Registered Nurse.

Her sailing experience stretches from childhood cruising to serious short-handed and offshore racing. She has cruised extensively along Australia’s east coast and through the western Pacific, competed in multiple ocean races and sailed the Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster and Rolex Sydney to Hobart.

Annette also skippered her yacht double-handed in the 2018 and 2025 Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Races, including the long return passage from Japan. That background brings genuine offshore experience into the classroom and aboard the training yachts, but her teaching style remains patient, calm and inclusive.

Phone: 0407 044 663 Email: annette@papersailorsrock.com.au