The East Anglian Sea School has just marked 50 years with three generations of the same family at the helm, writes HEIDI ASHFORD
Edd Harvey-Bates taught Amelia Fairburn to sail in East Anglian Sea School dinghies when they were in their early teens. Who knew that their synergy out on the water would be the foundation of their future business partnership!
In 1969 Amelia’s grandparents, Bill and Pat Smith, began teaching navigation classes in the back rooms of the family furniture shop in Essex. They were ahead of the curve, as the Royal Yachting Association introduced the first sail training schemes in 1973. Bill and Pat were well-placed to adopt these, and they ramped up their operation, launching the East Anglian School of Sailing. They began training students on Terada, a Westerly Centaur sailing out of Bradwell.
In the early 1980s Bill and Pat made the decision to move to Fox’s Marina to expand, where Amelia’s father Peter joined the business. Yachties were joined by powerboat and motorboat users looking to the Smith family for training.
During this period East Anglian School of Sailing morphed into East Anglian Sea School, reflecting the new courses in motor and power boats. After more than a decade of success, they moved again to Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington where the business remains. Bill says:
“The Orwell River offers lots of locations to sail to, an ideal sea breeze coastline, in an area of outstanding natural beauty.”
Amelia’s mother Alison joined the business in the early 2000s, bringing new and innovative ideas and kick-starting th
