50 Years of Rockley: Peter Gordon on Steering the Ship

As Rockley looks to celebrate 50 years next year, there’s perhaps no one better to reflect on its journey than Peter Gordon. He’s the steady hand who took a struggling family business and turned it into one of the UK’s leading watersports and outdoor education providers, a company that’s not only survived half a century but continues to thrive, inspire, and shape lives.

Peter’s earliest memory of Rockley goes all the way back to when he was 12 years old, driving around the country with his family, looking at possible sites for a new venture.

“I was very excited because I thought we were going to be opening a squash club, that was our family’s main sport, although sailing was a close second. I remember being disappointed when I came across the plans to open a sailing school. I still have those plans!”

Little did he know that, years later, those same plans would end up defining his life’s work.

After studying accountancy and landing a job with Price Waterhouse, Peter quickly realised the corporate world wasn’t for him.

“Five months and ten days as an accountant decided it for me,” he laughs.

Taking over a small, struggling sailing school might not have seemed like the safe option, but Peter was drawn to the challenge.

“It was very exciting. The business was having issues and needed turning around. Huge shout-out here to Duncan Lofts, who came on board and helped Lis (Gordon) and me turn it around.”

From the outset, Peter focused on building Rockley into a strong, sustainable business.

“I lived by the edict that ‘cash is king’, which all small businesses need to live by. We also later learnt that ‘turnover for vanity, profit for sanity’ is another important rule and maybe we didn’t need to open that fifth centre in France…….”

Rockley’s story is one of resilience, and calculated risks. One of the biggest was expanding into France in 1989.

“That was the game-changer,” Peter says. “Shout-out to Richard Proctor, my best man, who was our first overseas manager. He really put the hours in and got it off the ground.”

That expansion became the foundation for Sail France, which operated for nearly four decades and gave tens of thousands of young people their first taste of adventure abroad. It was a huge part of Rockley’s identity until Brexit and the pandemic brought it to a close in 2023.

Peter still sees those years as a defining chapter.

“It would be nice to think we’ll get back out there one day,” he says.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing.

“When we weren’t overdrawn for the first time in over 20 years, that was the moment I thought, ‘wow, this is working’. I’ve got a spreadsheet noting Rockley’s bank balance every Friday for the last 30 years. The first goal was to get into the black, then stay there for six months, then for a whole year. Little steps like that to prove to ourselves that progress was being made.”

That discipline and persistence have kept Rockley stable through recessions, political upheavals, and pandemics, not to mention the unpredictability of British weather.

Ask Peter what he’s most proud of, and the answer isn’t financial.

“Apart from still being around, it’s the lives changed, both students and instructors. People come up to me all the time saying what a difference Rockley made to their lives.”

For Peter, Rockley has always been about people.

“It’s totes amazeballs. What we do is amazing. Right now, I’m back on the water teaching Year 2 students on our NCFE course, and I’m loving the connection with young people. They get a lot of stick these days, but in my experience, they’re amazing, if you give them the chance.”

Lis shares that sentiment, often talking about how rewarding it is to see young people grow in confidence and resilience through outdoor learning. It’s what drives them both, that moment when a nervous student becomes a capable sailor, or when an instructor realises they’ve found their calling.

“We’re still in touch with instructors and students from the ‘70s,” Peter adds. “Just last week Lis and I were in Yarmouth and bumped into Dave and Chantal, who both worked for Rockley back in the early eighties, that’s how they met. Rockley has a great track record of introducing life partners… you all know who you are!”

Ask Peter for funny stories and he doesn’t hesitate.

“Chaotic is funny, in my experience. Like the school group that turned up in France in their own bus — they hadn’t made a booking but thought that they had.Total chaos for a short time, then sorted, then laughed about. Or Katie Beney, who arrived at Poole Station nearly every year thinking we were expecting her, but her parents hadn’t actually booked! She’s now a close friend.”

And then, of course, there’s the mud.

“Most of the funniest memories involve the mud up at Wareham; mud fights, Oppies sailing off across the mud flats, sails up, no rudder or daggerboard, kid sitting there bewildered and covered head to toe. And most of those stories also include Strawman. The man, the myth, the legend. Lord Straw to you lot.”

So what is it about Rockley that keeps people coming back, and makes staff, students, and families feel instantly at home?

“It’s genuine,” Peter says. “Even new staff feel at home straightaway. We think that’s normal, but apparently it isn’t.”

That “Rockley feel” is something Lis also points to, the blend of professionalism and playfulness that has built lifelong connections across generations.

Standing Proud

After decades at the helm, Peter’s proud of what Rockley stands for today.

“That we haven’t sold out, financially or metaphorically, and that we’re liked and respected in the industry. Instructors who trained at Rockley are our best ambassadors and can be found all over the world.”

Despite his achievements, reflection doesn’t come naturally.

“Not really. I normally spend most of my time worrying about next year, but that’s what SMEs do,” he laughs.

Rockley’s 30th and 40th anniversary parties were legendary, and Peter promises the 50th will be no exception.

“P.A.R.T.Y. The 30th was amazing, the 40th even better, so for the 50th we’re doing something a little different. Watch this space!”

As for the future, he’s handing more of the reins to the next generation, but he’ll never fully step away.

“I’ll always check the bank balance before I get out of bed in the morning, wherever I am and however old I get!”

And if he could give his younger self one piece of advice?

“Don’t spend so much time looking at computer screens, get out on the water or into the woods and see your students and instructors enjoying themselves.”

A Lasting Legacy

Peter’s journey, from reluctant sailor to business leader, mirrors Rockley’s own evolution: grounded, authentic, and quietly determined. Alongside Lis, he’s steered the company through five decades of change without ever losing sight of what matters most: the people, the passion, and the promise of adventure.

As Rockley heads into its 50th year, Peter sums it up simply:

“Any time I see kids smiling and relaxed at one of our centres, that’s when I think, this is why we do it. Rockley centres have always been happy places.”