| RYA Practical Courses |
Start Yachting
Competent Crew
Day Skipper
Coastal Skipper
Yachtmaster
For course dates and prices click here
Learn to sail or improve your skills. Our RYA Practical Courses are run in the Solent, the sailing capital of England, on board one of our luxury yachts based in Southampton. Sail on one of our fully equipped boats which offer differing sailing experiences. We use a Bavaria 36, a Moody 37, a Dufour 365, a Feeling 39 and a Najad 39. All sleep eight, but we keep numbers down to a maximum of 5 plus the instructor on RYA Practical Courses.
The Solent provides the perfect training ground for the novice and experienced sailor alike. There are a wide variety of harbours and anchorages to practice your pilotage, and plenty of other boats to see (and avoid), sandbanks to navigate around and at night there are plenty of flashing lights to identify, and of course pubs to get a pint in….
There are 5 different RYA Practical Courses. Which one suits you best?
Start Yachting 
The Start Yachting course is a two day course for which no previous experience is required.
You will learn the names of parts of the boat, about her rigging and sails, rope work, how to steer the yacht under sail and power, and how to keep a proper look out.
Competent Crew
The Competent Crew course is a 5 day course. It can be taken over two weekends or 5 consecutive days. The Competent Crew course, like the Start Yachting Course, is also aimed at the novice and provides a comprehensive introduction to the operation of a sailing boat.
You will learn how to steer, how to hoist and drop the sails, how to set the sails to the wind correctly, mooring procedures, rope work, what to do if somebody falls overboard, using a tender and a bit about weather.
 Day Skipper
The Day Skipper practical course is a 5 day course. Like the Competent Crew course it can be carried out over two weekends or 5 consecutive days. Recommended prerequisites for the Day Skipper practical course are Competent Crew and the Day Skipper theory course.
The course is about learning to be a Skipper. It is often the minimum standard required by charter companies to charter a boat.
The course covers: Preparation for sea, safety, navigation, rules of the road, maintenance, pilotage, yacht handling, passage making, victualling and all that might be considered good seamanship.
Coastal Skipper
The Coastal Skipper course is a 5 day course and must be completed over 5 consecutive days. The suggested pre-course minimum experience for the Coastal Skipper course is 15 days seatime (2 as skipper), 300nm and 8 night hours.
The Coastal Skipper course covers the more refined skippering techniques required for coastal and offshore passages.
Students may wish to take the RYA/MCA Coastal Skipper exam which upon successgul completion result in the award of a RYA/MCA Certificate of Competence. To be eligible to take the exam, which takes 6 to 10 hours for one candidate, you need 30 days seatime (2 as skipper), 800nm, 12 night hours, VHF license and First Aid certificate.
If you have taken the 5 day Coastal Skipper course the seatime requirement to take the exam is reduced to 20 days (2 as skipper), 400nm and 12 night hours.
Yachtmaster
The Yachtmaster prep course is the course for those that want to sit the MCA/RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam. Our instructors will provide all the preparation and practice you think you might need before the MCA/RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Examination. To be eligible to take the Yachtmaster Offshore exam, which takes 8 to 12 hours for one candidate, you need 50 days seatime (5 as skipper), 2500nm, 5 passages over 60nm including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper, VHF license and First Aid certificate.
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