Learning to sail
Discussion
I’m looking to start working towards getting my sailing certificates and was looking for a bit of advice as to go about it. My experience on sail is minimal with a few days out on a friends boat (Bavaria Vision 40), as crew on a 78 foot maxi racing yacht for 3 days and about 6 years of owning power boats between 21 and 32 foot in fresh water.
The ultimate aim would be to own a smallish yacht (something like a Beneteau First 30 or similar) which would be moored in the west of Scotland and to have the ability to charter a yacht barefoot abroad but I do realise I am some way away from this at the moment.
Having had a look about at what’s available the most obvious option appears to be an ‘all in one’ option. I think it would give me the majority of the certificates I require and should give me a good grounding so as at least have a good idea what i am doing.
The blurb on the course says – ‘This Combo-Course Package takes you from zero prior experience, to full RYA Day Skipper (Coastal/Tidal) level, holding the Day Skipper Photo-I.D. Licence with I.C.C. Eligibility for chartering yachts worldwide. It is 1 x 5 Nights RYA Competent Crew, 1 x 5 Nights RYA Day Skipper + 1 x RYA Online Shore based Navigation Course + ScotSail® Online Day Skipper Student Resources.’
Has anyone done a similar course and if so how did you find it? I think it might be cramming a lot in too soon and that it may be better to spread the courses out over a longer period of time?
The ultimate aim would be to own a smallish yacht (something like a Beneteau First 30 or similar) which would be moored in the west of Scotland and to have the ability to charter a yacht barefoot abroad but I do realise I am some way away from this at the moment.
Having had a look about at what’s available the most obvious option appears to be an ‘all in one’ option. I think it would give me the majority of the certificates I require and should give me a good grounding so as at least have a good idea what i am doing.
The blurb on the course says – ‘This Combo-Course Package takes you from zero prior experience, to full RYA Day Skipper (Coastal/Tidal) level, holding the Day Skipper Photo-I.D. Licence with I.C.C. Eligibility for chartering yachts worldwide. It is 1 x 5 Nights RYA Competent Crew, 1 x 5 Nights RYA Day Skipper + 1 x RYA Online Shore based Navigation Course + ScotSail® Online Day Skipper Student Resources.’
Has anyone done a similar course and if so how did you find it? I think it might be cramming a lot in too soon and that it may be better to spread the courses out over a longer period of time?
Hi. Myself and two friends are working towards day skipper. We took the RYA 2 dinghy and powerboat courses first and spent a fair bit of time at the sailing club getting free tuition. We then got a 20 ft trailer sailer and have been getting experience on that. I did the radio course as well. Currently doing day skipper theory distance learning with centaur training. Our intention is to crew a few deliveries and then take the practical. For me I think an intensive course would be too much, but may well suit others. I prefer to learn at my own pace. We have got hundreds of hours sailing under our belts now and learnt mainly from our mistakes. I think that racing teaches you a lot.I wonder if I had done the intensive course if I would feel as confident as I do now.
From a wind appreciation point of view it is worth doing lots of dinghy sailing. From a boat management point of view you'd probably benefit from doing a comp crew course and then trying to get out with a decent skipper.
The 'all in one' courses aren't too taxing if youo've got some sailing experience, but I'd imagine they'd be a bit of a mind f
k if you were ab initio and hadn't been in a learning environment for a few years.
The 'all in one' courses aren't too taxing if youo've got some sailing experience, but I'd imagine they'd be a bit of a mind f
k if you were ab initio and hadn't been in a learning environment for a few years.I did the Dayskipper course (onshore bit first, then 4-5 days at sea including one night sail) about 20 odd years ago out of Largs.
I thought it was good actually and enjoyed it despite the 40 kn gusts on day 2 (one of the attendees didn't and jumped ship at Tarbert!)
Been sailing dayboats for 10-12 years beforehand though which did help with basic seamanship and the other sailing stuff.
Agree with comments above that it may be better to get as much crewing experience beforehand on other boats (small and large)as you can to get more out of these courses. The classroom stuff you could also cover over a period of time if that works better for you - evening classes, online etc.
I thought it was good actually and enjoyed it despite the 40 kn gusts on day 2 (one of the attendees didn't and jumped ship at Tarbert!)
Been sailing dayboats for 10-12 years beforehand though which did help with basic seamanship and the other sailing stuff.
Agree with comments above that it may be better to get as much crewing experience beforehand on other boats (small and large)as you can to get more out of these courses. The classroom stuff you could also cover over a period of time if that works better for you - evening classes, online etc.
A possible alternative or supplement to the formal RYA stuff would be to post on YBW or Clydesailing that you'll 'crew for food'; obviously there are risks with that, but it's a cheap way of gaining experience and you get to sail on lots of different boats! 
Where are you? If you're local I could perhaps get you out on a Hunter Impala for an evening race or a day sail on a Contessa 26.
Where are you? If you're local I could perhaps get you out on a Hunter Impala for an evening race or a day sail on a Contessa 26.hidetheelephants said:
A possible alternative or supplement to the formal RYA stuff would be to post on YBW or Clydesailing that you'll 'crew for food'; obviously there are risks with that, but it's a cheap way of gaining experience and you get to sail on lots of different boats! Where are you? If you're local I could perhaps get you out on a Hunter Impala for an evening race or a day sail on a Contessa 26.
Thanks for the offer, it would be much appreciated if you could. I stay in Lanarkshire but would be able to travel within reason. Where are you? If you're local I could perhaps get you out on a Hunter Impala for an evening race or a day sail on a Contessa 26.I'll have a look at the two sites you mentioned as well.
I did a bit of dinghy sailing first at a local club (pittance for a family yearly membership including learn to sail course on a Sunday morning). Then did my Day skipper theory from home via http://www.tiller.co.uk After that I did my Day skipper practical on a 5 day course in the Solent. I'd say you could probably skip the comp crew if you've been hands on on a boat a few times. Presuming you know which end of a boat is which, how to inflate a tender etc. I would recommend doing the day skipper theory before the practical though, there's quite a bit of navigation that the theory course seemed to go into more depth with, which made what was in the practical course a lot easier (if that makes sense). I followed it up with the coastal skipper theory, but only because it was being taught at a local night school for a couple of quid a week and the day skipper was still fresh in my mind.
Once you've got a day skipper tidal practical certificate you can apply for an ICC. If you join the RYA the cost is the same and you can get an ICC for free. That will be all you'll need to bareboat charter
Once you've got a day skipper tidal practical certificate you can apply for an ICC. If you join the RYA the cost is the same and you can get an ICC for free. That will be all you'll need to bareboat charter
:cough:
Looking for experience?....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
There's a spare cabin between 26th June and about 10th July....
Looking for experience?....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
There's a spare cabin between 26th June and about 10th July....
R8Steve said:
And almost a year later I've now passed my coastal skipper today!
Congrats! Just found this thread and it appears I'm pretty much exactly a year behind you! My gf and I recently went sailing for a day (on Lion New Zealand in the Bay of Islands down in NZ, 80ft racing boat, epic) and we enjoyed it so much we're now trying to organise a holiday for summer '15 with some friends where we charter a boat with Sunsail or similar. If all goes well, after that we might look at potentially buy something for us to use regularly for long periods over summers in the Med....Plan is for us both to do the Competent Crew course later this year, then I'll go on and get the Day Skipper qualification so we can charter a boat as above. Few questions if anyone can help out:
1) recommend me an outfit (or conversely tell me any to avoid!) to do the qualifications with down in Portsmouth? We're London based so Portsmouth is going to be the most convenient I guess.
2) I understand that that Day Skipper practical is 5 days long (and I think the Comp Crew one is also 5 days before that if memory serves?), but how long might it take to get the theory parts done in terms of hours of study? I tend to pick up stuff (especially facts and maths-type things) quickly, but am just looking for an indicative amount of time I guess. Are the theory tests difficult to book/take?
Finally....
3) I think someone above had kindly offered to take out the OP on their boat when this thread initially appeared (or it may have been another one that popped up in the PH search), if anyone would still be willing to do the same (would have to be after Sept 1st though
) to impart a bit of experience, I would obviously be very eager and grateful to take them up on it!Edited by Mario149 on Thursday 10th April 03:59
Solent sailing schools aren't endangered yet so you won't struggle to find one....
The comp crew course is quite basic though, and may be more aimed at women and children who maybe aren't so practical. Put it this way, part of the course is learning to row a dinghy and tie a couple of basic knots, as well as steering a course at the helm. If you can already do this, or confident you can with very little practice, then the course might be a waste for you. If your other half is the outdoorsy confident type then it might be wasted on her too.
Another route might be to study some of the day skipper material yourself, starting any time, and get your head around the theory. The recommended experience level for day skipper practical is something like two days, which you can easily manage by blagging a couple of days out with friendly boat owners!
It's not that comp crew is a waste of time, just that if you're practical and clever, you could cover the syllabus in an afternoon on the water (with a bit of prior practice and reading at home).
The theory you can do by correspondence easily enough, again, depends on your maths skills. If you're confident with basic arithmetic and trig, correspondence would probably be ok. If you're out of practice, a classroom might be better so you can get the backup. Loads of places on the Solent will do this.
To do something in the meantime, get your VHF radio license. £100 and one day, easy.
Having done some background work, your first expensive course will be much more worthwhile, you'll be learning man overboard under sail and stuff like that, rather than how to tie a fender.
You can always do day skipper at the same time as your partner doing comp crew if you aren't of the same ability.
My yacht is in St Tropez at the moment, but heading home after the summer (current plan, likely to change!). If I ever end up back in the UK then you're welcome to a day out.
The comp crew course is quite basic though, and may be more aimed at women and children who maybe aren't so practical. Put it this way, part of the course is learning to row a dinghy and tie a couple of basic knots, as well as steering a course at the helm. If you can already do this, or confident you can with very little practice, then the course might be a waste for you. If your other half is the outdoorsy confident type then it might be wasted on her too.
Another route might be to study some of the day skipper material yourself, starting any time, and get your head around the theory. The recommended experience level for day skipper practical is something like two days, which you can easily manage by blagging a couple of days out with friendly boat owners!
It's not that comp crew is a waste of time, just that if you're practical and clever, you could cover the syllabus in an afternoon on the water (with a bit of prior practice and reading at home).
The theory you can do by correspondence easily enough, again, depends on your maths skills. If you're confident with basic arithmetic and trig, correspondence would probably be ok. If you're out of practice, a classroom might be better so you can get the backup. Loads of places on the Solent will do this.
To do something in the meantime, get your VHF radio license. £100 and one day, easy.
Having done some background work, your first expensive course will be much more worthwhile, you'll be learning man overboard under sail and stuff like that, rather than how to tie a fender.
You can always do day skipper at the same time as your partner doing comp crew if you aren't of the same ability.
My yacht is in St Tropez at the moment, but heading home after the summer (current plan, likely to change!). If I ever end up back in the UK then you're welcome to a day out.
I never did comp crew. As I mentioned earlier, I did my Day skipper theory at home via http://www.tiller.co.uk/ and it worked really well. You could do that from home starting now, it really depends how much time per week you can spend on it but you could easily get your cert by summer. Then you and the Mrs could both do a week's course together, you doing Day Skipper and her doing comp crew. I and a few of my family have done courses with http://www.commodore-yachting.com/ and can highly recommend them.
I'd really recommend doing the theory before the practical though, mainly for the nav knowledge you'd need.
I'd really recommend doing the theory before the practical though, mainly for the nav knowledge you'd need.
dienamic said:
I never did comp crew. As I mentioned earlier, I did my Day skipper theory at home via http://www.tiller.co.uk/ and it worked really well. You could do that from home starting now, it really depends how much time per week you can spend on it but you could easily get your cert by summer. Then you and the Mrs could both do a week's course together, you doing Day Skipper and her doing comp crew. I and a few of my family have done courses with http://www.commodore-yachting.com/ and can highly recommend them.
I'd really recommend doing the theory before the practical though, mainly for the nav knowledge you'd need.
I did day skipper first with a bit of book work. I'm not academic at all and it was easy. On my week day skipper course there were people there with no experience whatsoever and all got through fine. I'd really recommend doing the theory before the practical though, mainly for the nav knowledge you'd need.
Edited by el stovey on Thursday 10th April 10:50
There we go then.
Learn some theory (classroom if you think you'll need support, or distance learning if you're clever), work the stuff out in your head, and give yourself a head start on a practical course.
I never did comp crew. I did a bit of crewing, then some theory, then some practice on my own (newly acquired) boat, then some more theory (which makes a lot more sense when you've actually tried it out), then day skipper, then a couple of thousand miles.
Some of the stuff you can learn at home will be far easier than trying to do it bouncing around the Solent. Lights and marks, tide theory, basic navigation, knots and stuff like that can all be done at the kitchen table, no need to go near a boat. When you do get on a boat, you'll find you can learn a lot more having studied the basics.
You'd be much better off doing a practical course and immediately learning things like helming, steering by compass, positions of sail, man overboard (as well as the little rules that aren't in the book, putting fenders away, not dragging lines, etc.). On a practical course you should be doing as much of that as possible, not being stuck below working out how to plot a course.
Learn some theory (classroom if you think you'll need support, or distance learning if you're clever), work the stuff out in your head, and give yourself a head start on a practical course.
I never did comp crew. I did a bit of crewing, then some theory, then some practice on my own (newly acquired) boat, then some more theory (which makes a lot more sense when you've actually tried it out), then day skipper, then a couple of thousand miles.
Some of the stuff you can learn at home will be far easier than trying to do it bouncing around the Solent. Lights and marks, tide theory, basic navigation, knots and stuff like that can all be done at the kitchen table, no need to go near a boat. When you do get on a boat, you'll find you can learn a lot more having studied the basics.
You'd be much better off doing a practical course and immediately learning things like helming, steering by compass, positions of sail, man overboard (as well as the little rules that aren't in the book, putting fenders away, not dragging lines, etc.). On a practical course you should be doing as much of that as possible, not being stuck below working out how to plot a course.
I'm an RYA yachtmaster and have trained a lot of people to race big boats. Courses are very good, but they key to becoming competent is to do lots of sailing and practice all the skills you've learned. That's the only reason the all in one zero to hero courses are less than ideal - you may have all the paper you want but not be able to handle the boat in huge seas, or whatever. But it's a bit like driving - your licence is the start, not the end, of your learning.
But it's the best sport in the world so do get out there and do it!
But it's the best sport in the world so do get out there and do it!
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