This course provides a short introduction to sail cruising for novices run over 2 days.  By the end of the course, participants will have experienced steering a yacht, sail handling, ropework and be aware of safety on board.  Holders of the start yachting certificate can obtain a competent crew certificate by completing a further 3 days or 2 weekends of the Competent Crew course

•   Competent Crew - practical

This practical course is for the newcomer to sailing or for someone who has some dinghy but no cruising experience. It assumes no prior knowledge at all. The aim is to introduce the beginner to cruising and to teach personal safety, seamanship and helmsmanship to the level required to be a useful member of a crew on a cruising yacht. The course is of 5 days or 3 weekends duration and will contain at least 100 miles and 4 night hours. An RYA certificate is issued on satisfactory completion.

• Day Skipper - shorebased

This theory course is for beginners and people with little experience in yachts. It is for those who wish to expand their skills by introducing navigation, pilotage and meteorology. There are assessment papers during this course. It is designed so that, upon completion, you will have sufficient theory to enable you to complete the Day Skipper practical course. The course is of 5 days / 3 weekends / or 22 evenings x 2 ¼ hours duration. An RYA certificate is issued on satisfactory completion.

• Day Skipper - practical

This is a practical course that does for skippers what the Competent Crew does for crews. This course assumes a knowledge to the level of Day Skipper shorebased. The preferred minimum prior experience is 5 days, 100 miles and 4 night hours. The course will concentrate on pilotage and boat handling. Upon completion, you will be sufficiently prepared to skipper a small yacht in familiar waters. The course is of 5 days or 3 weekends duration and will consist of a minimum of 100 miles and 4 night hours. A RYA certificate is issued on satisfactory completion.

• Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore - shorebased

This theory course is for students who have already completed elementary courses or who have a background of offshore cruising or racing. This course assumes knowledge of navigation, collision regulations and meteorology. It is an extensive course and participation is not recommended without prior knowledge to at least Day Skipper shorebased level. The course will take you on to the more advanced aspects of offshore and coastal navigation, pilotage and meteorology. There are assessment papers on navigation, meteorology and the collision regulations during the course. It is designed to give you a good grounding in the theory that will be necessary to move on to the RYA/DoT Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore practical examinations. The course is of 5 days / 3 weekends / 22 evenings x 2 ¼ hours duration. An RYA certificate is issued on satisfactory completion.

• Coastal Skipper - practical

This practical course assumes a knowledge to the level of Day Skipper practical and Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster shorebased. The preferred minimum prior experience is 15 days ( 2 days as skipper), 300 miles and 8 night hours. The course will consist of putting into practice lessons learned from previous courses and teach the skills and techniques required to skipper a yacht safely on coastal and offshore passages by day and night. The course is of 5 days or 3 weekends duration and will consist of a minimum of 100 miles and 4 night hours. An RYA certificate is issued on satisfactory completion and you should now be sufficiently prepared to take the formal RYA/DoT practical examination.

• Coastal Skipper - RYA/DoT practical examination

The RYA/DoT examination will take about 6-10 hours for one candidate and 8-14 hours for two. Candidates will be set tasks to demonstrate their ability as a Coastal Skipper and may also be asked questions on any part of the syllabus for all practical and shorebased courses up to Coastal Skipper. You must hold a restricted VHF Radio Operator's Certificate before the exam can be ratified.

• Yachtmaster Offshore - RYA/DoT practical examination (plus optional preparatory course)

This examination is designed for those who have a lot of experience and wish this to be formally recognised. Optional preparatory courses are available and assume an ability to RYA/DoT Coastal Skipper level and consist of honing the skills of crew management, boat handling, pilotage and offshore navigation. These practical courses are generally of 5 days duration and upon completion you will be prepared to take the Yachtmaster Offshore examination.

The RYA/DoT examination will take about 8-12 hours for one candidate and 10-18 hours for two. Candidates will be set tasks to demonstrate their ability as a skipper of an offshore cruising yacht and may also be asked questions on any part of the syllabus for all courses except Yachtmaster Ocean. You must hold a valid VHF Radio Operator's Certificate and a First Aid Certificate before the examination can be ratified.

This theory course is for holders of the Yachtmaster shorebased, Offshore certificates or for those with some sailing experience that would like to take such a course out of interest. The theory covers astro-navigation and worldwide meteorology for which there are assessment papers during the course. It is designed to give you sufficient theory to be able to navigate celestially and be able to plan an ocean passage. The course is of 5 to 7 days/or 22 evenings x 2 ¼ hours duration. An RYA certificate is issued on satisfactory completion.

• Yachtmaster Ocean - practical

Students will need to have completed the Yachmaster Ocean shorebased before attempting this or have prior experience. You must have been engaged as a skipper or mate on a vessel that is on a non-stop passage of 600 miles run by the log, must have been continuously at sea for 96 hours and must have been more than 50 miles from land while sailing a distance of at least 200 miles. You must have been active in all aspects of passage planning and managing the vessel (see RYA publication G15 for details). You will be required to produce a sun run meridian altitude sight, a compass error check and extracts from the log of this passage for inspection by the RYA examiner. This passage does not have to be completed through a recognised RYA teaching establishment.

 

• Yachtmaster Ocean – RYA/DoT oral examination

This examination is designed for students who hold a RYA/DoT Yachtmaster Offshore certificate, have completed the Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased course and completed the qualifying passage. Those who do not hold the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased certificate may take the examination but a written examination will also be included in this case. The RYA examiner will inspect the log extracts from the qualifying passage and records of planning, reduction and plotting of a sun run meridian altitude sight and compass check carried out using the bearing of the sun, moon, a star or planet. During the oral test the candidate may be required to answer questions on all aspects of ocean passage making in a yacht including passage planning, navigation, worldwide meteorology, crew management and yacht preparation, maintenance and repairs. (see RYA publication G15 for details). Students must hold a valid First Aid qualification before the examination can be ratified.

• First Aid - Shorebased

A one day RYA course which covers basic First Aid for seafarers. This course is MCA and HSE approved and satisfies the requirements for Coastal Skipper Yachtmaster and Advanced Powerboat certificates of competence and some commercial work afloat.The RYA First Aid certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of the course and is valid for three years. This course is a prerequisite for the RYA / MCA Coastal Skipper and RYA / MCA Yachtmaster exam. The RYA First Aid course can also counts as one module of the RYA/ISAF Offshore Safety certificate,