SisterShip Training

What SisterShip Training does

SisterShip Training is an Australian private training company that delivers practical boating and maritime education to recreational boaters, prospective boat buyers, nervous or returning skippers, professional maritime trainees, and organisational clients such as RTOs and industry bodies. Founded in 2019 by Jackie Parry and Noel Parry after a circumnavigation, the company operates from Bega Valley, NSW (with a Canberra-linked mailing presence) and is built entirely around the founders' combined ~70 years and approaching 100,000 nautical miles of sailing, commercial and rescue experience.

The product portfolio is delivered through a WordPress e-commerce site with LearnDash course delivery and PayPal checkout. It spans NSW Boat Licence and PWC (jet ski) licence preparation (online via nswboatcourse.com and face-to-face in Bega), self-paced modules covering navigation, chartwork, e-charts, Col Regs, weather, marine radio certification, docking and anchoring, emergency preparedness and offshore passage planning, professional certifications (Coxswain Grade 1 MAR20321, General Purpose Hand), a tiered Boat Buyer programme ($59 course plus $9/month and $49/month subscriptions), authored manuals and navigation tools, and a B2B Maritime Training & Workforce Consultancy service for RTOs and government. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the own storefront, with supplementary reach through Amazon for books and Linktree aggregating podcasts, YouTube and social channels.

The business operates as a bootstrapped, founder-led micro-enterprise with effectively two full-time equivalents, no external funding, and revenue drawn from one-time course purchases, low-price recurring subscriptions, physical book and tool sales, and a smaller consultancy stream. Content is explicitly human-authored rather than AI-generated, which the company positions as a brand differentiator. Institutional moats come from NSW Maritime approval, RTO affiliation with Maritime Training School (RTO 91487), and Boating Industry Association membership.

Name

SisterShip Training

Legal name

SisterShip Training Pty Ltd

Website

https://sistershiptraining.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SisterShip Training is an Australian, founder-led marine academy delivering practical boating, navigation, licence and boat-buying courses online and face-to-face in NSW to recreational boaters, prospective buyers, professional trainees, and RTOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Training and Boating Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Navigation, Seamanship & Offshore Operations (EDAOANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational Cruises & Shipboard Learning Programs (THAKAGAM), Maritime Safety Management Systems & Training (ISM/ISO 45001, Drills, Competency) (TLAHANAF)

Keywords

• Recreational boating education
• Boat licence training
• Maritime safety courses
• Marine radio certification
• Coastal navigation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Online Course Sales: One-time purchase courses including boat buying, navigation, weather, marine radio, docking, anchoring, and emergency preparedness. Self-paced delivery with immediate access upon payment.
2. Subscription Support Services: Monthly subscription tiers including Boat Buyer Club ($9/month) for buyer support group and Boat Buyer Check-In ($49/month) for monthly Zoom sessions with Jackie and Noel. Course purchase required before accessing subscriptions.
3. Books and Manuals: Sale of maritime training manuals including Coastal Navigation Book ($99), Passage Planning Manual ($45), Emergency Preparedness Manuals, Understanding Weather ($49), and authored memoirs including Cruisers' AA, Of Foreign Build ($24.99), This Is It, and A Standard Journey 2.
4. Navigation Tools and Equipment: Sale of physical navigation tools including Charts ($50), Portland Course Plotters, Brass Dividers, Pencil Compasses, Nautical Tea Towels ($29) featuring collision regulations.
5. Maritime Training Consultancy: Professional services for RTOs and organisations including training review, course design aligned to AMSA and ASQA requirements, and course licensing of commercial-level maritime training materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SisterShip Training is a marine education company that sells online and face-to-face boating courses, boat and jet ski licence training, navigation, weather, marine radio, docking and passage planning instruction, and a dedicated boat-buying curriculum. Offerings are delivered as self-paced e-learning modules, downloadable resources, printed manuals, navigation tools and recurring subscription support clubs, complemented by in-person training in Bega Valley, NSW. The company also provides maritime training consultancy services to RTOs, industry bodies and government organisations on a project basis.

Product overview

SisterShip Training is a practical boating education company offering a comprehensive portfolio of courses, books, tools and content resources. The core offering consists of online and face-to-face training courses spanning recreational boat licensing (NSW Boat Licence, PWC Licence), navigation (Coastal Navigation, Chart Confidence, E-Chart Essentials), maritime rules (Rules of the Road/Col Regs), weather (Weather Confidence for Cruisers), safety (Emergency Preparedness, Offshore Safety & Passage Planning), boat handling (Dock and Anchor Like a Pro), marine radio certification, and professional qualifications (Coxswain Grade 1, General Purpose Hand). The company also offers a dedicated Boat Buyer programme comprising a $59 course, Boat Buyer Club ($9/month) and Boat Buyer Check-In ($49/month) subscriptions for sailboat purchasing guidance. Supplementary offerings include training manuals, navigation tools, nautical charts, online course bundles, and content resources (podcasts, articles, videos). A Maritime Training Consultancy service provides course design and workforce development support to RTOs and industry organisations. All training is delivered by Jackie and Noel Parry, drawing on decades of real-world sailing, commercial operations and maritime teaching experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NSW Boat Licence Course

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 160 five-star Google reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Boating Industry Association (BIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSisterShip Training is a member of the Boating Industry Association (BIA), supporting safer, more practical boating education for Australian boaters and marine students.
• DeckeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeckee is a practical boating app for local information, trip logging, weather, navigation aids, and official alerts. SisterShip Training is approved by NSW Maritime to provide practical boat training and/or knowledge testing for the NSW general boat driving licence and PWC driving licence.
• Ocean BoardroomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRYA and Australian Sailing trainers who have joined the SisterShip Training team, including Ivan Signorelli, Founder of Ocean Boardroom. Ivan has vast boating experience with over 30,000 miles logged, RYA instructor qualifications.
• Department of Primary Industries and Regional DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Aboriginal Fishing and Marine Conservation initiatives through Primary Industries.
• Maritime Training School (Silver Spit Cruises Pty Ltd T/A)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSisterShip Training Pty Ltd ABN 99 635 698 896 is an authorised Nominated Representative of RTO 91487 Silver Spirit Cruises Pty Ltd T/A Maritime Training School, approved by NSW Maritime to provide practical boat training and/or knowledge testing for the NSW general boat driving licence and PWC driving licence.
• Eden Marine High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking together to create safe and knowledgeable mariners through maritime training at Eden Marine High School.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Boat-Ed: Boat-Ed (a BoatUS Foundation partner) is the leading US online boating safety education provider, offering state-approved boat licence courses. Closely comparable to SisterShip's NSW boat licence / PWC licence course model but at much larger US scale.
• Offshore Sailing School: Offshore Sailing School (founded by Steve and Doris Colgate) is a US-based sailing school offering liveaboard cruising and certification courses. Comparable to SisterShip in combining recreational sailing instruction with offshore/passage content and authored books.
• NauticEd: NauticEd is an online sailing and boating education platform offering self-paced courses and internationally recognised certifications. It is the closest direct peer — same digital-delivery model, same recreational boating learner, and overlapping course topics (navigation, safety, seamanship).
• Maritime Training School (RTO 91487): Maritime Training School is SisterShip's nominated RTO partner (RTO 91487) and a direct competitor offering AMSA-aligned coxswain/master courses in Australia. Closely comparable in regulated commercial maritime training delivery.
• iSail: iSail offers online sailing education and ASA certification preparation, similar to SisterShip's self-paced online course + certification pathway approach. Comparable learner demographic (aspiring recreational sailors) and similar digital delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Yachting Association (RYA): RYA is the UK national governing body for sailing, offering a comprehensive certification framework and instructor network. Comparable to SisterShip in course content (navigation, seamanship, marine radio, safety) but far broader in scope, geographic reach, and brand authority.
• Australian Sailing: Australian Sailing is the national governing body for sailing in Australia and runs the official training pathway (Start Sailing, Competent Crew, Day Skipper equivalents). Comparable to SisterShip in target learner (Australian recreational sailors) but broader portfolio and government-backed mandate.

Regional players

• Boating NZ: Boating NZ is a New Zealand-based recreational boating education and licence training provider. Comparable offerings (boat licence, navigation, safety) but operates across the Tasman rather than in Australia, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• BoatSkillsToday: BoatSkillsToday is an online platform delivering bite-sized boating skills video training, overlapping with SisterShip's modular self-paced course approach (modules from $3.99–$12.99) and YouTube-style short video strategy.

Others

• West Marine (Boat Safety Resources): West Marine is a major US marine retailer offering free boating safety courses and content through its West Marine Plus programme. Not a direct competitor but an adjacent ecosystem player competing for the same recreational boater attention with free content and a much larger retail platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/boatconfidence
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKv5zpHrZO0dRv3PUJae2wA
• Facebookfacebook.com/sistershiptraining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sistership-training

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SisterShip Training