Sailing boats!!
Discussion
My dad used to drag us out on sailing boats when we were young, and we hated it.
I've just noticed how cheap small yachts are, and the crazy idea of subjecting my own kids to the same thing in case they enjoyed it seems to have entered my brain.
1. What qualifications would you need to be able to sail something like a 24 foot sailing boat? I did do various RYA things when I was younger - are these essential?
2. How long does it take to get the relevant qualifications, assuming you've done a bit of sailing before, including charts, bearings etc etc?
3. Once you have the qualifications, what else would you need to be able to sail to, say, France? Would the problem be that once there you wouldn't be able to afford a mooring or something? Is there a catch?
I've just noticed how cheap small yachts are, and the crazy idea of subjecting my own kids to the same thing in case they enjoyed it seems to have entered my brain.
1. What qualifications would you need to be able to sail something like a 24 foot sailing boat? I did do various RYA things when I was younger - are these essential?
2. How long does it take to get the relevant qualifications, assuming you've done a bit of sailing before, including charts, bearings etc etc?
3. Once you have the qualifications, what else would you need to be able to sail to, say, France? Would the problem be that once there you wouldn't be able to afford a mooring or something? Is there a catch?
There is nothing stopping you buying a yacht and sailing across to France tomorrow. You might well die trying though.... A fair few yachts have disappeared without trace in the channel. IMHO apart from needing to know how to sail the boat, you need to know about charts, navigation and tides, etc. The channel is the busiest shipping lane in the world and can be quite confusing around Portsmouth / Southampton / IOW.
Moorings aren't too expensive (well, wasn't when I was last there, which, thinking about it, was a few years back now!). Quite nice to sail along the Normandy coast.
Moorings aren't too expensive (well, wasn't when I was last there, which, thinking about it, was a few years back now!). Quite nice to sail along the Normandy coast.
Simpo Two said:
thinfourth2 said:
No qualifications needed what so ever in the UK
Feel free to kill yourself without the nanny state butting in
Don't you need some kind of navigation qualification to cross the Channel? It's bloody busy.Feel free to kill yourself without the nanny state butting in
Damn good idea to learn the rules though
Simpo Two said:
thinfourth2 said:
No qualifications needed what so ever in the UK
Feel free to kill yourself without the nanny state butting in
Don't you need some kind of navigation qualification to cross the Channel? It's bloody busy.Feel free to kill yourself without the nanny state butting in

I did my Yachtmaster nav. course via evening classes at the local college - took about 8 months IIRC.
I used to be one of the skippers in the Sailing club where I used to work at (company which spnsored RTW race )
Legally you can sail in the UK without either theory or practical Day skipper or Coastal skipper / yachtmaster exams - however I would *really* not recommend sailing X-channel without a LOT of experience and appropriate quals.
Bear in mind as skipper you are legally responsible for the others on board - and its unlikely you could charter a boat without RYA quals.
In France - mooring charges along the Brittany coast are generally less than round the solent area ( maybe not now thought wiht 1 euro = 1 pound , anyway the charges arent exortionate )
I have sailed across the channel several times - and really enjoyed it , just be aware that quite a bit can go badly wrong on a yacht...and if you are 40 miles from shore it's good to know how to deal with every eventuality.
EDIT: I would NOT take a 24 foot yacht across the channel unless it was completely millpond-like. 35 to 45 footers are far more appropriate IMHO
I used to be one of the skippers in the Sailing club where I used to work at (company which spnsored RTW race )
Legally you can sail in the UK without either theory or practical Day skipper or Coastal skipper / yachtmaster exams - however I would *really* not recommend sailing X-channel without a LOT of experience and appropriate quals.
Bear in mind as skipper you are legally responsible for the others on board - and its unlikely you could charter a boat without RYA quals.
In France - mooring charges along the Brittany coast are generally less than round the solent area ( maybe not now thought wiht 1 euro = 1 pound , anyway the charges arent exortionate )
I have sailed across the channel several times - and really enjoyed it , just be aware that quite a bit can go badly wrong on a yacht...and if you are 40 miles from shore it's good to know how to deal with every eventuality.
EDIT: I would NOT take a 24 foot yacht across the channel unless it was completely millpond-like. 35 to 45 footers are far more appropriate IMHO
Edited by alfaman on Saturday 10th January 21:31
No nanny state involvement at all??
jeez, it's almost worth doing just for that.
I did do the RYA yachtsman's certificate thing with my Dad, and did everything including day and night navigation etc - only to be told by the guy that he couldn't give me a certificate because I was too young. I was, not surprisingly, somewhat upset....
jeez, it's almost worth doing just for that.
I did do the RYA yachtsman's certificate thing with my Dad, and did everything including day and night navigation etc - only to be told by the guy that he couldn't give me a certificate because I was too young. I was, not surprisingly, somewhat upset....
zadumbreion said:
What are the pros / cons of a single hull versus a trimaran?
A modern trimaran will generally offer less accommodation than an equivalent monohull, but sail faster and heel less. An analogy might be sportscar v saloon?For more detailed answer you'd have to be more specific. As with anything else, there are good and bad examples of each.
alfaman said:
EDIT: I would NOT take a 24 foot yacht across the channel unless it was completely millpond-like. 35 to 45 footers are far more appropriate IMHO
I think i know what you are getting at but perhaps a better way to say it is that 24ft is still a small boat, and you need to be aware of the boats (and your) limitations before setting off. But then this applies to any size of boat.Edited by alfaman on Saturday 10th January 21:31
FWIW i have done channel crossings in the past in boats smaller than 24 ft too ... (although i would not want to do, say a poole - cherbourg crossing in such.)
to the OP, no quals needed, but may be worth booking yourself onto a weekend sailing course just to remind you what everything does before you start inflicting your Captain Ahab on your nippers

zadumbreion said:
My dad used to drag us out on sailing boats when we were young, and we hated it.
I've just noticed how cheap small yachts are, and the crazy idea of subjecting my own kids to the same thing in case they enjoyed it seems to have entered my brain.
1. What qualifications would you need to be able to sail something like a 24 foot sailing boat? I did do various RYA things when I was younger - are these essential?
2. How long does it take to get the relevant qualifications, assuming you've done a bit of sailing before, including charts, bearings etc etc?
3. Once you have the qualifications, what else would you need to be able to sail to, say, France? Would the problem be that once there you wouldn't be able to afford a mooring or something? Is there a catch?
1. None required by law,although you must have a VHF ticket to operate a marine VHF legally. I'd recommend at least doing RYA Competent Crew before considering investing in a yacht (to see if you still enjoy it and to build miles for next level of course) and then at least Day Skipper before/when buying. Not sure how easy you'd find it to get insurance without a ticket, especially for crossing the channel.I've just noticed how cheap small yachts are, and the crazy idea of subjecting my own kids to the same thing in case they enjoyed it seems to have entered my brain.
1. What qualifications would you need to be able to sail something like a 24 foot sailing boat? I did do various RYA things when I was younger - are these essential?
2. How long does it take to get the relevant qualifications, assuming you've done a bit of sailing before, including charts, bearings etc etc?
3. Once you have the qualifications, what else would you need to be able to sail to, say, France? Would the problem be that once there you wouldn't be able to afford a mooring or something? Is there a catch?
If you can do the training on your own boat then its a big plus in my eyes, rather than doing it on a school's 34ft Bavaria that wont have the string and rags in the same place as your pride and joy and will no doubt handle completely differently.
2. If you've got Competent Crew, you can do a combined Day Skipper practical and theory in about 9/10 days in one hit - cost about £800 IIRC. If you're anywhere near the South Coast, I'd highly recommend having a chat with Doug, the principle/owner at Stormforce Coaching (www.stormforce.biz).
3. Crossing the channel is a big deal in a yacht - wind,tide, the busiest shipping lanes (combined with limited maneuverability) and generally speaking a small aux engine mean that it's a different ball game to jumping on a 24ft powerboat, pointing south and driving.
That said, a yacht of 24ft would easily be capable of the crossing all things being equal - plenty of smaller craft to it all the time. But (trying not to be a patronising t

Here's a basic list of kit that'd I'd want to carry on any yacht heading for France, in addition to all the essentials like echo sounder, charts etc..I've probably missed loads, but here's a few..
- Radar Reflector (even better if you can get active like SeaMe)
- Lifejackets with harnesses
- Fire extinguishers (at least two)
- Fire blankets
- Throwing line and lifebouys
- High powered search light
- Emergency tiller or secondary steering device
- Foghorn
- Nautical almanac
- Charts and pilots for the route taken by the Rally
- Auto and manual bilge pumps and buckets
- Sea sickness tablets
- Drinking water
- Offshore flare pack
- EPIRB
- First Aid Kit
- Handheld VHF
- Fixed VHF
- Sea Anchor
- Tool kit
- Torch and Search light
- Thermal Protection Aids
- Liferaft
Marinas in Northern France arent too expensive - for a 24 ft yacht I reckon on allowing for e25 per night.
And remember one thing (a lesson learnt by us just last weekend)
Regularly practice a man overboard drill and make some fun of it.
We lost a hat over the side so decided to do a MOB drill by way of recovery and boy did we make a complete pigs ear of it, whats more worrying is the experiance onboard including 2 offshore DSV operators and many thousands of combined ocean cruising, round the cans sailing, dinghy and speedboat miles / hours!!!
Lets just say that next weekend we may be doing a few MOB practices as our poor hat was killed several times over
Regularly practice a man overboard drill and make some fun of it.
We lost a hat over the side so decided to do a MOB drill by way of recovery and boy did we make a complete pigs ear of it, whats more worrying is the experiance onboard including 2 offshore DSV operators and many thousands of combined ocean cruising, round the cans sailing, dinghy and speedboat miles / hours!!!
Lets just say that next weekend we may be doing a few MOB practices as our poor hat was killed several times over

XJSJohn said:
And remember one thing (a lesson learnt by us just last weekend)
Regularly practice a man overboard drill and make some fun of it.
We lost a hat over the side so decided to do a MOB drill by way of recovery and boy did we make a complete pigs ear of it, whats more worrying is the experiance onboard including 2 offshore DSV operators and many thousands of combined ocean cruising, round the cans sailing, dinghy and speedboat miles / hours!!!
Lets just say that next weekend we may be doing a few MOB practices as our poor hat was killed several times over
And that is before you have to actually get a potentially unconcious person back on board. Lifting the dead weight of a man and sodden clothing up the freeboard of a yacht is incredibly difficult and will often be impossible for a single person to do without rigging up some sort of tackle to help.Regularly practice a man overboard drill and make some fun of it.
We lost a hat over the side so decided to do a MOB drill by way of recovery and boy did we make a complete pigs ear of it, whats more worrying is the experiance onboard including 2 offshore DSV operators and many thousands of combined ocean cruising, round the cans sailing, dinghy and speedboat miles / hours!!!
Lets just say that next weekend we may be doing a few MOB practices as our poor hat was killed several times over

Very worthwhile spending the time to sort out how you would do this if you had to.
indeed, fortunately for us most MOB's are wearing just shorts and T-shirts and with water temps of 20c little risk of cold, and its still a lot more difficult than you might think!!
We have MOB recovery systems on board most boats (because offshore for us tends to be a minimum 20 hours with no coastguard or RNLI to hand) but it gets you thinking "how does this work" followed by "how does this work when i am rolling about in a 70mph Sumatra ... "
We have MOB recovery systems on board most boats (because offshore for us tends to be a minimum 20 hours with no coastguard or RNLI to hand) but it gets you thinking "how does this work" followed by "how does this work when i am rolling about in a 70mph Sumatra ... "
XJSJohn said:
And remember one thing (a lesson learnt by us just last weekend)
Regularly practice a man overboard drill and make some fun of it.
We lost a hat over the side so decided to do a MOB drill by way of recovery and boy did we make a complete pigs ear of it, whats more worrying is the experiance onboard including 2 offshore DSV operators and many thousands of combined ocean cruising, round the cans sailing, dinghy and speedboat miles / hours!!!
Lets just say that next weekend we may be doing a few MOB practices as our poor hat was killed several times over
That's why I like dinghies. Drag 'em in over the transom. Hell of a lot easier than having to haul someone up the side of a yacht.Regularly practice a man overboard drill and make some fun of it.
We lost a hat over the side so decided to do a MOB drill by way of recovery and boy did we make a complete pigs ear of it, whats more worrying is the experiance onboard including 2 offshore DSV operators and many thousands of combined ocean cruising, round the cans sailing, dinghy and speedboat miles / hours!!!
Lets just say that next weekend we may be doing a few MOB practices as our poor hat was killed several times over

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