Our Team

George Burton the School Principal, is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, qualified to teach every level of sailing. He's been a sailor all his life, first skippering open whalers and cutters at 12 years old! After 30 years with the Royal Navy, where he instructed in sailing, diving, seamanship, and sea survival, and another 15 years skippering yachts in Scotland and the Saronic boat, or a local taverna sipping a cold beer talking about boats and enjoying the Greek apres sail, George's experience is second to none. A keen cook and shellfish enthusiast, when not sailing George enjoys listening to blues, making great food, or diving for oysters.

Mark Cooper started teaching with the school in 2007 and will be our Chief Instructor for 2010. Mark is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, Advanced Powerboat Instructor, and Senior Dinghy Instructor. He has spent most of his life since a young boy participating in water sports. Raised in Cornwall , Mark was a keen surfer and windsurfer in his younger days. He has also campaigned catamaran dinghies in worldwide events for 30 years, being the F18 catamaran National Champion in 1999 - a major personal achievement. Mark retired from the Royal Navy in 2004 after 23 years service as a hydrographic surveyor. When not sailing you'll find him on a friend's boat or in a nearby taverna sipping a cold beer, talking about boats and enjoying the Greek après sail.

Melody McKay Burton is the company Marketing Director but she also handles many of the enquiries personally. She's available by telephone, email or Skype, to offer advice or answer questions. As a qualified skipper herself, Melody knows what is involved in getting through each of the courses. Melody's background is IT and she enjoys playing with all the 'techie' stuff. She runs the website, the Ship's Blog and the sailing school Crew Club and mailing list. When not at her computer or sailing, Melody likes to walk, paint, and research genealogy.

Erion (Nektarios) Doce is a Powerboat skipper and trainee Yacht Skipper. He is in charge of ensuring everything on board the yachts is ready for you to leave, and his smiling face will normally welcome you back at the end of your trip. If you are looking for a fun trip in our RIB around Aegina or Agistri Erion is the one to speak to. He can also arrange hire of motor bikes, quads, and cars for those who want to go sight-seeing on Aegina

Ian Papworth joined us in 2006. He is an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor with 25 years experience sailing in the British Isles, Sweden, and the Mediterranean. Ian is a member of the Royal Welsh Yachting Club, where he races his Sigma 400. Ian served for many years in the police force before becoming involved in education. He spent a year working in Ethiopia before coming to Aegean Sailing School - lured by the pleasant climate and easy living! As well as sailing, Ian's interests are diving, cross country skiing and hill walking.

Anna Toufexi Toufexi speaks both Greek and English and will help you with any problems you may encounter. Anna's the one who can send you information about how to order an airport taxi, book a hotel room, or find out more about Aegina. She and her Dutch husband own a boat and so she's familiar with the sailing area and life on board. Apart from helping our customers she has the unenviable task of keeping the office running smoothly and trying to organise us all!

John Clark RYA Cruising Instructor, is originally from North London. He sailed to Greece from the UK in 2008 on a 26-year old 33 ft British racing yacht. John has worked on the South Coast of the UK, in the Caribbean, and Mediterranean . His career as a Watersports instructor has included coaching dinghy sailing, windsurfing, powerboating, and kayaking. He is a highly experienced RYA instructor and charter skipper with over a decade of experience on many different boats, both sail and power, from small craft to luxury yachts. John lives on Aegina with his wife, Cathy. He is popular with clients for his laid-back, easy style of instruction.