Roland Bowen
Roland chose Milford Marina in 1994 to launch the Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) Sail Training Centre. For 30 years Roland and the Pembrokeshire Cruising team have been welcoming people from all over the UK and Europe to experience sailing on and around Pembrokeshire waters.
Sail training has been the focus of the business, delivering the RYA cruising syllabus, from absolute beginners to Yachtmasters, offering weekend and five day courses.
As Principal Instructor, Roland has worked with hundreds of students as they progress through their various stages of qualification. Roland has a passion for teaching with patience, a sense of humour and good cooking skills, and this is shared by his team of Yachtmaster Instructors.
“We are blessed with the perfect training ground. The busy Milford Haven waterway is a challenging environment with commercial shipping aplenty and almost every navigation mark in the book. Once clear of the estuary we have the coastal national park to explore. Beautiful anchorages and islands to visit, with testing tide and navigation to consider.”
Adventure Cruising has also been a significant part of his career.
Hundreds of sailors and their families have been introduced to the joy of cruising and living on a cruising yacht by Roland in his regular adventure trips to Ireland, the Scilly Isles and Scotland.
“Although in the early years we used to take clients to join the Antigua Race Week, with lots of fun and great sailing, I’m still drawn to Pembrokeshire.
Swinging at anchor amongst thousands of Puffins, Razorbills and Guillemots in South Haven off Skomer Island… just 10 nautical miles from our berth. Now that’s hard to beat.”
Pembrokeshire Cruising also undertakes yacht delivery.
Roland has moved all types of sailing vessels and craft, from Westerly Centaurs to Oyster 60, all around the UK, and from Spain, Portugal, Holland, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
Nikki Bowen
Nikki runs the onshore office and manages the Pembrokeshire Yacht Sales brokerage services. Whether you are buying or selling a boat Nikki facilitates the whole process to make it as simple as possible and is on hand to guide you through the processes.
Nikki was brought up on the Milford Haven waterways. He father Claude, a local pharmacist was also a Yachtmaster and keen Offshore racer on his Ohlson 38 Yacht, Apotek. As a child Nikki was either on a boat, on a horse, on a beach or up a mointain.
Nikki loves leisure sailing and the simplicity of life on the water that cruising offers. She leaves the professional sailing to Roland but is always ready to pull a rope delights in serving up meals and snacks from the galley.
She is a keen swimmer and raises money through her swimming for the Visually Impaired Sailing Association GB. Each year Roland and Nikki welcome the charity Visually Impaired Sailing Association GB to the Pembrokeshire waterways hosting a week of sailing and fun.
Nikki’s background is as a manager in the international hospitality industry, and attentive service is at the forefront of the brokerage operation. Nikki will be delighted to chat to you about helping you to buy or sell your boat.