About Us

Welcome to Seahaven Maritime Academy


Steve Brand - Executive Director & Company Founder

Peter Phillips - Engineer & Maintenance

Seahaven Maritime Academy is situated in the Port of Newhaven, East Sussex, on the south coast between Brighton and Eastbourne. It was founded and is run by professional mariners for professional mariners. We also provide the same high standard of training for leisure sailors who do not have aspirations of working at sea.

Steve founded the business in 2013 and along with Peter created and built the purpose-built centre in Newhaven to focus on the following aims.

Our aims are:-

  • To provide our students with the best quality training at a fair price.
  • To honour our student’s bookings and run the course regardless of numbers or cancellations by others.
  • To “go the extra mile” for our students.
  • To keep our classes small, which enables us to provide individual attention where needed, allowing for different learning speeds and styles. We believe in one size does not fit all!.

Our instructors are all professionals in their fields and are all qualified trainers. The maritime instructors have all had considerable and varied experience in command of commercial vessels and yachts and many years working as instructors and/or examiners.

"We endeavour to promote a friendly, personal, and welcoming atmosphere at the centre, and you will feel like one of the family. Our students often comment that they don’t want to leave at the end of their course and many return to do their refresher courses and further training with us."

Steve Brand, Executive Director & Company Founder

Meet The Team

Our team are highly experienced professionals in their respective fields.



Mike Clift

Director of Seahaven Maritime Academy
  • Personal Survival Techniques.
  • Basic Seamanship.
  • RYA Powerboat Level 2.

Sam Scott

Training Director & Office Manager
  • PSSR/PSA.
  • Level 2 Food Safety at Sea.
  • Crowd Management for Passenger Ships.
  • Assessor.

Adrian Smith

Training Instructor
  • Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting.
  • Personal Survival Techniques.

Danny Mizon

Training Instructor
  • Personal Survival Techniques.
  • RYA SRC/VHF Radio.
  • RYA Powerboat Level 2.

Henry Prout

Training Instructor
  • Personal Survival Techniques.
  • Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting.
  • Working Aloft.
  • Enclosed (Dangerous) Spaces/Confined Space.
  • RYA Diesel Engine.
  • RYA Powerboat Level 2.

Jane Sudlow

Training Instructor
  • RYA SRC/VHF Radio.
  • RYA Powerboat Level 2.

Joe Purches

Training Instructor
  • RYA Powerboat Level 2.

Juliette Raymond

Training Instructor
  • PSSR & PSA.
  • Elementary First Aid.
  • Superyacht Interior.
  • Level 2 Food Safety at Sea.
  • Assessor.

Justin Attwood

Training Instructor
  • Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting.

Kelly McCullock

Training Instructor
  • Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting.

Kevin Webber

Training Instructor
  • Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting.
  • Enclosed (Dangerous) Spaces/ Confined Space.

Mark Osborne

Training Instructor
  • STCW Instructor (all subjects).
  • RYA Powerboat Level 2.
  • Advanced Fire Fighting.
  • Crisis Management & Human Behaviour.
  • Working Aloft.
  • Enclosed (Dangerous) Spaces/ Confined Space.
  • Assessor.

Peter Cockram

Training Instructor
  • Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting.

Spencer Paul

Training Instructor
  • Basic Seamanship.
  • Personal Survival Techniques.