Top Tuition Team
Our team is quite simply the highest qualified in the world, with over 12 RYA advanced instructors – more than you’ll find in any centre anywhere! This year 4 of our advanced instructors are girls, with Claire Elliot competing in the PWA freestyle and Sarah Jackson hoping to compete in PWA slalom. We are also proud to boast that 5 of the UK’s top freestylers work for us which means we can teach way beyond the rest. Our instructors have a shared wealth of experience which means anyone and everyone can learn and keep learning with us, from complete newcomer to highly advanced.
Ollie Scott – Club Vassiliki Centre Manager, Pro Coach and Advanced Plus Instructor
Ollie is a complete all-rounder, having been Centre Manager and a top instructor at all of our centres for many years. He’s an expert windsurfer, having windsurfed and competed all over the world and an outstanding coach.
Sponsors: Club Vass, Severne, JP, Boardwise, Mystic, Global Shots
Check out what Ollie gets up to in a busy day at Club Vass: Ollie Scott: A Life in the Day
Max Rowe: Club Vass Pro Coach and Advanced Plus Instructor
Max has been a Club Vass leading light for the many years now. He’s definitely got the Vass Factor: a great instructor, a huge talent and a leading PWA star. Max’s moves are sick and slick he’s just incredible to watch, but whatever your level you can learn from him. We are very pleased to announce that Max will be Beach Manager this summer.
Sponsors: Club Vass, Simmer, Wideye, Boardwise, Sun God, Gopro UK
Pip Pardoe: Advanced instructor, Pro Coach
Pip has been windsurfing since he was a child. In his teens Pip was the UK youth freestyler champion and PWA Indoor Jump champion in 2005. Since then Pip has had a few career changes and after a year away from teaching at Club Vass, Pip is back to get you blasting on the water again.
Pip’s style is infectious and is a truly talented windsurfer and coach.
Sam Green: Advanced Instructor
Sam has been brought up around windsurfing; he’s lived it and breathed it his entire life! After years spent on the beaches of Australia and Vassiliki, Sam has become an incredible windsurfer with a great talent for teaching the sport. Sam has lived, worked and sailed in great places including Sydney, Dahab , Jerricocorra and Vassiliki.
Favorite moves: Forward Loop, Shaka and No-handed Flaka. Sponsors: Severne
Clare Elliot: Advanced Instructor
Clare started windsurfing only 4 years ago and since then has divided her time between teaching in Greece during the summers and improving her freestyle and wave sailing in Dahab and Cape Town in the winter. Clare loves teaching all abilities and as advanced instructor has great knowledge of all levels and abilities. We are incredibly proud of Clare, our first Club Vass lady to compete in the PWA Freestyle, finishing 7th (in the world!) at Fuerte 2017!! Sponsors: Club Vass, XPLG Patrik Boards, Sailloft sails, Maui Ultra Fin
Ollie Townsend: Advanced Instructor
Ollie Started windsurfing over 10 years ago at Draycote Water in the Midlands. To fuel his freestyle obsession, Ollie became an instructor at the age of 16. He worked at Draycote for a couple of years, and in Vassiliki for the past 5 years. Since graduating he has been going on windsurf trips to Jeri and Cape Town during winter. Ollie is a talented Freestyler with many of the new school tricks in his back pocket. He thinks windsurfing is one of the most amazing sports and that’s why he’s on a mission to get people excited about it!
Ollie in action
Sarah Jackson: Advanced Instructor
Sarah started sailing when she was 7 at Astbury Lake, where she started racing aged 9, competing all over the UK as part of the Junior National Squad and in Holland as 2nd youngest in the Techno 293 Worlds. We are pleased to have Sarah on board for her second summer as an instructor at Club Vass, where she has fully embraced freestyle, already landing Vulcans and aiming to forward loop. Her main passion is slalom and she will be training all winter in Tenerife aiming for a place on the PWA tour next year. Best of luck! Sponsors: Boardwise, RRD, Maui Ultra Fins, Dirty Dog Eyewear
Lucy Taylor: Advanced Instructor
It’s now Lucy’s fourth season teaching at Club Vass. Back home, Lucy’s favourite spot is Avon Beach, Christchurch.
She comes from a racing background, but now prefers just getting out on the water and trying new carving manoeuvres.
Next step perfecting the Essex duck gybe…
Jasper Gaddes : Advanced Instructor
Jasper became hooked on windsurfing aged 12 whilst on holiday in Greece, and back in the UK progressed through the RYA youth programme, until the lure of speed saw him switch to slalom racing, competing in the pro fleet on the UKWA slalom circuit. He caught the freestyle bug during family holidays at Club Vass, and now regularly lands one handed flakas and the occasional ponch. He loves to help people of all levels improve their windsurfing through his attentive teaching style. When not windsurfing or studying, you’ll probably find him freestyle skiing or dancing.
Charlie Wilson: Advanced Instructor
Charlie started windsurfing when he was 11 and competed in national races until he was 16. He’s been teaching on and off for around 6 years, including two seasons in Greece, whilst also competing on the student freestyle circuit. Since finishing university his focus has been on improving his windsurfing coaching and abilities. Charlie loves anything to do with windsurfing, surfing, snowboarding, cycling, craft beer and barbecue food.
Sponsors: Surfladle, RRD
Jamie Howard: Intermediate Planing Instructor
Jamie has been windsurfing since he was 10 and was instantly hooked. His Club Vass affiliation began during family holidays to Club Dahab, where he discovered freestyle…he has not looked back since! He spends time in places like Jeri and Cape Town to improve his sailing. Jamie was the under 20 UK freestyle champion and is now competing on the PWA freestyle tour.
Sponsors: Club Vass, JP, Neilpryde, Dakine, Bawbags, Fuss 3
Charlie Jones: Intermediate Planing Instructor
Charlie has been windsurfing for well over 10 years, having started at Bray Lake. Charlie got hooked on freestyle after spending some time in Vassiliki as a Young Gun. He’s now throwing down some big moves like Air Flaka’s and he’s a rising talent on the UK freestyle scene. Charlie Is a cool, calm and constant instructor with many seasons experience teaching in the UK and Abroad. Charlie is also a pro SUP racer competing on the international race scene for all the extra sup tips you may need. Sponsors: Starboard UK, Severne UK, Bray Lake Water Sports Favorite moves: Forward Loop, Flaka
Ana Berkley : Intermediate Planning Instructor
Ana is in her fourth season at Club Vass and brings a wealth of experience to the team. She has windsurfed in Cape Town mixing it up with the boys in the waves! Ana loves coaching intermediates, particularly guiding them through their first steps on a short board, then getting going and into the foot straps. This is where you see the most progression in windsurfing according to Ana. So, watch out for her on the water this summer with her cool flowing style.
Katie Fleet: Intermediate Planing Instructor
Katie has been Windsurfing for 10 years, she learnt in Abu Soma, Egypt. She has been teaching in various locations around the world, including Egypt, Australia and the U.K, coaching people of all levels, supporting them on and off the water and continuing to develop her own skills as well.
During the winter Katie lives in Sydney where her goal is to spend as much time on the water as possible.
Matt Mercer: Intermediate Planning Instructor
Matt starting windsurfing aged 11 at Crosby Marina in Liverpool. His passion for windsurfing has gone through the roof since then! He spent his formative years developing his skills on flatwater before taking up wave sailing whilst at University, sailing Rhosneigr beach in Wales on almost every good forecast. Matt’s windsurfing was mostly self-taught so he loves to teach and share his skills with others; helping people quickly learn the windsurfing skills that took him a long time to gain without an instructor! Matt heads to Cape Town in the winter for some winter wave sailing when not in the UK.
Will Spurdle : Intermediate Planning Instructor
Will started windsurfing when he was 19, with friends mostly, which grew into his current passion for the sport. He has now been coaching for over 5 years in various location around the world and UK. He enjoys freeride and blasting but has now developed a hunger for freestyle. This summer he’s looking to harness his coaching skills at Club Vass and help get new windsurfers to the next level…… blasting!
Joe Benson: Intermediate Instructor
Joe started windsurfing at Club Vass when he was 15 and immediately fell in love with it . Windsurfing has brought him to some amazing places including Tarifa, Brazil, Cape Town as well as Greece. After two years he decided he wanted to share that experience with as many others as possible and became an instructor, doing his course in Vassiliki. After this he worked a full season in Naxos, building up his skills as an instructor before returning to Club Vass where he’s been teaching ever since.
Finn Howard: Intermediate Instructor
Finn started windsurfing when he was 10 on the south coast of England in Eastbourne. His passion for the sport increased during family holidays to Club Dahab in his early teens and a trip to Club Vass in the summer of 2015. After teaching in the UK for a few years he decided he’d rather go somewhere a bit warmer and get involved in the Club Vass lifestyle. He loves the atmosphere at Club Vass, the high standard of windsurfing and helping people to improve.
Sophie Baykoni : Intermediate Instructor
Sophie is a super outgoing instructor with tonnes of energy and enthusiasm for the sport. After coaching in her native Aus Sophie, is going to be coaching at Club Vass with the Pro Kids. Sophie will be getting the kids flying this summer with her positive approach.
Ivan Newark
Ivan grew up by the beach in Cape Town, where he is well known on the local scene as a top local surfer lifeguard and board repairer with Cape Doctor. The Club Vass crew regularly join him in CT during the winters. He has been windsurfing for well over 12 years now and particularly enjoys full power jumping in big waves alongside windsurfing and coaching in Pozo Izquierdo, Fuerteventura and Dahab.
Sponsers: Ezzy Sails, Mystic South Africa, Cape Doctor custom board
And watch this space for more details on the rest of the team…