Our Story

Built from the inside,
by someone who lived it

Carl Bird spent years as an RYA Training Centre Principal. He couldn't find software that could handle it properly, so he built Broad Reach — the platform he always needed but could never find.

Carl Bird, founder of Broad Reach
Founder

Carl Bird

Former RYA Training Centre Principal & Creator of Broad Reach

The problem no software could solve

I spent years as a Training Centre Principal at an RYA sailing school. I loved it — the students, the water, the courses. What I didn't love was the administration. Every season was a scramble: scheduling instructors across multiple boats, managing resource conflicts, handling multi-day and multi-session courses, organising overnight liveaboards, allocating private cabins, collecting waivers, chasing reviews — and somehow still having time to actually run the centre.

I looked at every platform I could find. Generic booking tools built for tour operators handled "book a kayak tour" perfectly well — but they fell apart completely when I needed to schedule a five-day Coastal Skipper with two instructors, a specific yacht, a liveaboard configuration, and six students at different stages of their qualification pathway. None of them came close.

On top of that, none of them answered the questions customers actually ask before booking: What time does the course start and finish? Where exactly do we meet? Is this liveaboard or day sailing? What's included? That information either wasn't surfaced in the booking widget at all, or it took three emails to answer — every single time.

Carl Bird onboard with students

So I built it

Broad Reach is the platform I needed and couldn't find. It was designed from day one around the specific complexity of RYA training — and extended to cover IYT and ASA centres too. Not a generic tool with a training-centre skin bolted on. A system that understands how training centres actually work: qualification pathways, resource and instructor scheduling, waivers, certificate generation, and booking widgets that surface start times, meeting locations, and full course details so customers can book with confidence without picking up the phone.

The goal has always been the same: less administration, more revenue, and a full pipeline of students filling spaces on boats that would otherwise sail half-empty. Every berth you fill on a liveaboard is almost pure margin. Broad Reach gives you the tools to manage your sales pipeline, convert enquiries, and make sure those spaces don't go to waste.

Broad Reach is the epitome of a training centre operations platform — built by someone who lived the problem, priced so that every centre can afford it, and shaped every day by the feedback of the centres using it.

Built for RYA, IYT & ASA

Designed around real training centre complexity — multi-day courses, liveaboards, resources, qualification pathways, waivers, and certificates.

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Slash the Admin

Automate the repetitive work — scheduling, reminders, waivers, certificates — so you can focus on teaching, not paperwork.

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Fill More Spaces

A built-in sales pipeline and smart booking widgets help you convert enquiries and fill every berth. Those are almost pure margin.

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Priced Fairly

Flat pricing, no hidden fees, no setup costs. Built to be accessible to independent centres, not just the big operators.

Get in Touch

Let's talk about your centre

Whether you're exploring options, need a demo, or have questions about migrating from another platform — we're here to help.

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Email Us

General enquiries and support

hello@broadreachbookings.com
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See how Broad Reach can transform your training centre. Pick a time that works for you.

30‑minute video call • No obligation • We'll confirm your slot by email