The Whitsunday Marine Academy has been the pre-eminent sail training school in the Whitsunday Islands for over 10 years. Malcolm Robertson, after a career in the marine industry in Australia, New Zealand, the Sth Pacific and SE Asia, spent 6 years working in the Gold Coast Marine Academy from about 1984.
With a Master 5 and Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate under his belt he moved to the Whitsunday Islands in 1990 and commenced sailing charters around the islands. In 1992, with good knowledge of the local area to back up his international experience he launched the Whitsunday Marine Academy.

Over the years the Academy has focused on training sailors both recreationally, via the Yachting Australia Yacht Cruising courses. Commercially, within the school, we have trained and developed a large number of deckhands through to Master 5 skippers. Some of the these crew are working in the Whitsundays as charter skippers and others are now working internationally in the white boat industry.
In 2001 Graeme Richardson, a partner of Mal in the crewed overnight sailing company, Aussie Adventure Sailing, joined Mal as a partner in the Academy and together they have been steadily growing the business since that time.

In 2004 the Academy passed the accreditation process for International Yachtmaster Training and became one of the few schools in Australia accredited to teach the IYT program up to Yachtmaster Ocean. This is recognition of the quality and standards achieved by the Academy and of the professional status of its principals.

Malcolm H Robertson [Principal]
Master Class V
Yachting Australia Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor and Examiner
Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment
Marine Radio Invigilator
Marine Engine Driver III

Malcolm Robertson has over 17 years experience teaching Yachting Australia Yacht Cruising Courses. This was initially for 5 years as an instructor at the Gold Coast Marine Academy under the guidance of experienced Yacht Master Offshore and Ocean Instructors. Here he developed the skills required to pass on his career skills and experiences to up and coming students. Moving to the Whitsunday Islands 12 years ago Malcolm established the Whitsunday Marine Academy based in Airlie Beach. He remains the principal and managing partner of this business which has grown in prestige and status.

Over his teaching career it is estimated that Mal as instructed thousands of students in sailing and marine studies and many of these have now moved up to become sailing instructors and/or to develop commercial maritime careers. The courses he has taught range from Introductory through to the highest level in the Yachting Australia programme, the Yachtmaster Ocean. The courses include class room theory components and practical training, the latter aboard a registered sail training yacht.

As part of Malcolm's ongoing development he obtained his Certificate IV in workplace training and assessment and has added to his list of qualifications the Marine Radio Invigilator certificate. In recognition of Malcolm's experience he has also been appointed as a Yachting Australia Examiner to conduct examinations for students from other sailing schools on behalf of Yachting Australia.

Graeme J Richardson [Director]
Master V
Yachting Australia Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor
IYT Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor Sail/Power [MCA]
Volunteer Marine Rescue Vessel Commander
Volunteer Marine Rescue Unit Training Co-ordinator
Certificate IV In Assessment and Workplace Training

Graeme and his wife Marianne were living the dream sailing the Australian Coast on their 40 foot catamaran in 1997 when they stoped and fell in love with Airlie Beach. Putting their business and sailing skills to work they quickly joined Aussie Adventure Sailing conducting crewed overnight charters around the Whitsunday islands. From there it was a small step to join Mal in partnership in the sailing school and helping raise the standards of sailing school training in the Whitsundays.

Gary 'Max' MacIntyre [Director]
Master V
MED III
Yachting Australia Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor
International Yachtmaster Training Yachmaster Offshore

'Max' has been an instructor with the Marine Academy for 6 years and in 2005 joined Graeme and Mal as a partner in the academy. With an extensive sailing training history on a variety of yachts and tallships 'Max' has added an enourmous amount of experience and fun to the academys courses.