Who we are
The Red Cap Sailing School is a RYA cruising scheme sail training school based at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club in Kuah, Langkawi, Malaysia.
Our Principal/Chief Instructor, Keith Miller - previously of Langkawi Sailing School, is qualified to RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (Commercially endorsed); he is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, RYA Powerboat Instructor, VHF instructor and assessor, and First Aid Instructor. He has many years sailing and teaching experience and, in particular, he has sailed in and around Langkawi and more widely in Malaysia and Thailand, for more than 15 years, training over 3,000 students to RYA standard during his career.
He is also a keen sailing competitor and has skippered yachts in three Fastnet races (the Fastnet being one of the top 10 global races that sailors aspire to sail in); he has competed in four around Great Britain races, and he has won the Raja Muda twice (the Raja Muda being an inshore/offshore 6 day/5 night race from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi covering 300 nautical miles in challenging and changeable conditions); and he has won the Evelyn cup with his yacht SADE 2, which is the School’s main training yacht.
All of our instructors are RYA qualified to a high standard and have extensive experience of sailing in Malaysia, Thailand and more widely across the globe.
We offer courses for all abilities and competencies, whether you are a complete beginner, never having stepped on board a yacht, or whether you are more experienced and looking to pursue a career on super yachts or gain qualifications to enable you to confidently navigate the oceans.
We are a very friendly School with a complete love of sailing, and our main objective is to facilitate you to pursue whatever sailing dreams you have, whilst ensuring you achieve a level of competency to enable you to do so safely. Nothing makes us happier than to see students successfully complete courses and confidently set sail towards the distant horizons.
Where We Sail
The archipelago of Langkawi consists of 99 stunningly beautiful islands which offer many superb anchorages. Our Langkawi – Langkawi courses in and around the area give students ample opportunities to enhance their navigational and sailing skills, whilst enjoying the wonderfully tropical scenery and warm turquoise waters.
Depending on the students and the mix of courses being undertaken, after some boat handling practice around the marina and Bass Harbour, we may head east around the island to Kilim Geoforest Park, or West to Dayang Bunting, Rebak and Telaga.
Either way, you will be captivated by the stunning location, and if you are lucky, you may get to spot the reddish-brown eagles, which Langkawi is famous for, or pink dolphins, which sometimes swim alongside the yacht.
During our 27 week season, we sail up to Phuket four times. Each trip consists of one week’s sailing covering the sail up to Phuket, the next week is sailing around Phuket and the third week is sailing back to Langkawi from Phuket.
The sailing trips to and from Phuket are excellent for those wishing to build miles (200+) and complete courses such as the Coastal Skipper course.
The northbound trip consists of us visiting several islands enroute, such as Tarutao and Ko Muk with a night at Chalong Bay (for immigration purposes) and then finishing at Phuket Yacht Haven, which is 30 minutes from the airport.
The south bound trip is similar with us visiting islands such as Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lipe or Ko Lanta – all of which are idyllic tropical havens, which will surely enchant you.
The week around Phuket is a more relaxed week sailing around the multitude of islands off the north east tip of Phuket, which is an absolute feast for your eyes and we visit destinations such as Phang Naga Bay, which encompasses the island famous in the James Bond film ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’; Ko Yao Noi and/or Krabi.
All of our anchorages and mooring points are excellent for snorkelling and swimming in crystal clear waters, which you will also get ample opportunity to do during your 5 day course.
