About Altair
Passion for teaching and the sea. Meet the team behind Altair Nautical School.
Ricard Prehn: 25 years of craft, teaching, and direct management
Altair Nautical School is not a mass-market academy; it is a personal project with a clear commitment. I am Ricard Prehn: CEO of the school and the instructor who will accompany you in your training. At Altair, there are no intermediaries or delegation of functions; I deal directly with each student to guarantee honest, rigorous teaching without filters.
A lifetime forming sailors
My teaching vocation began 25 years ago. I have trained thousands of students in all disciplines and levels, starting from the purest base of navigation. My trajectory as an instructor includes:
- Dinghy Sailing and Board Sports: I began teaching the fundamentals of the sea in Optimist, Hobie Cat, and Laser, evolving later towards Windsurfing and Kitesurfing. This base has given me a unique understanding of wind and water dynamics.
- Southern Expeditions: Navigation in the South Pacific and New Zealand, facing the extreme conditions of the mythical "Roaring Forties."
- Professional Master: Years leading charters all over the Mediterranean (Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Tunisia, and the Balearics), mastering both group management and professional safety on board.
Technical Consulting and Inspections
I combine my teaching work with my professional activity as a specialist in refits, focused on updating electrical systems and marine electronics. Altair is a company authorized by the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine (Reg. 5/2024) for the installation, repair, and maintenance of all radioelectric and radio-navigation equipment.
Thanks to this technical facet and my decades of navigation, I perform pre-purchase inspections (Yacht Surveys). It is an expert advisory service for those looking to buy a boat: my clinical eye, forged among cables, maintenance, and storms, ensures that your investment is safe and that you know the real condition of the vessel before buying.
Official Accreditations and Authorizations
Certified Industrial Engineer 
Merchant Marine Authorized The Altair Guarantee: At this school and technical service, you receive my time, my experience, and my word. If you are looking to learn to navigate or repair your boat with someone who manages their own project with total transparency, welcome on board.
Altair: The Eagle in Flight
The name of our school travels from the desert. It comes from the Arabic Al-Nasr al-Tair, the term that ancient astronomers and horizon travelers used to name the brightest star in the Eagle constellation.
For the navigators of the sands, Altair was an infallible guide, a light that marked the course when everything else was darkness. In this school, we seek the same: to be the guide that helps you spread your wings and reach your own brilliance.
Our Boat: The Soul of Altair
Finnsailer 34: Robustness and Safety
Our training is carried out on a Finnsailer 34, a vessel from the prestigious Finnish shipyard Fiskars. It is a boat designed for the rigorous conditions of the North Sea, characterized by its robustness and safety.
For a student, there is no better school than a boat that conveys confidence. Its behavior is noble, predictable, and forgiving of the typical mistakes of learning, allow you to focus on the technique and the pleasure of sailing without unnecessary stress.
Technical Specifications
- Length: 10.40 meters
- Beam: 3.45 meters
- Engine: Perkins 4.108 (50 HP)
- Capacity: 6 students + Instructor
- Equipment: Comprehensive refit in 2024 (AIS, Radar, Lithium)