Russell McGovern, known generally as Rusty, started Stratus sailing school in 2016 out of Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough, with a 31-footer and two 25 footers. He has now moved on to a new venture, replacing those three with a 40-footer which he will bring back soon from Killybegs. 

Sail School NI is an RYA accredited training establishment offering training in the form of RYA Cruising Scheme with some dinghy race training on demand as well. Sail School NI already has a crew lined up and in training for Bangor Town Regatta in June. They will probably race in the Coastal Races class.

Russell 'Rusty' McGovern

Rusty says Sail School NI strives to make the learning process a fun. “I want to offer sailing to everyone, for people to experience the thrill of gliding through the waves; to offer an escape for a while from the everyday grind. And to use it as a platform to bring people together in an environment where we all work together as a team. And to have a blast!”.

Rusty operates Sail School NI out of Bangor Marina, using the harbour slipway for launching the dinghies. And Harbour Master Kevin Baird is keen to encourage sailing out of Bangor. "We're here to share our passion for boating with everyone and are delighted that Rusty will be operating his school sea from Bangor Marina. We look forward to supporting and helping him make this venture a real success. We know that those undertaking training with him will have great experiences and they’ll tell others and that means more people having fun afloat".