RYA Practical Courses for Yacht Cruising.
| The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Sail Cruising Programme is a voluntary scheme for those wanting to start cruising, or to expand their cruising knowledge. Enjoy the courses simply to increase your knowledge and confidence, or use them to prepare for the practical exam for either the Coastal Skipper Certificate of Competence or the even more prestigious Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence. These RYA/MCA Certificates are recognised by maritime authorities worldwide. Further details from
www.rya.org.uk.
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Start Yachting. 2-day course. Short introduction to sail cruising for novices. Provides experience in steering a yacht, sail handling, rope work and awareness of safety on board. No previous experience or knowledge is necessary. |
| Competent Crew. 5-day course. For beginners and those who would like to become active crew members rather than just passengers. Shows you how to steer, handle sails and mooring lines, keep a lookout, row a dinghy and assist in all routines on board. No previous experience or knowledge is necessary. |
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Day Skipper. 5-day course. On successful completion of this course you should be able to skipper a small yacht in familiar waters by day. It is recommended that you attend the RYA Day Skipper shorebased course before taking this course and that you have a minimum pre-course sail cruising experience of 5 days, 100 sea miles and 4 night hours. The course concentrates on pilotage, boat handling, seamanship and navigation and give you the opportunity to take charge on short passages under instruction. |
| Coastal Skipper. 5-day advanced skippering course for those who have good knowledge and experience of sailing and navigation and want to skipper coastal passages by day and night. It assumes boat handling skills to the standard of the Day Skipper practical course and navigation to the standard of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased course. It offers more challenging passages and passage planning, pilotage by day and night, boat handling, safety and emergency situations. Minimum recommended pre-course sail cruising experience is 15 days (2 as skipper), 300 sea miles and 8 night hours.
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| Preparation for RYA Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster Exam. This 5-day course gives you practice in the practical skills you are likely to be asked to demonstrate during the exam, as well as enabling you to revise the theoretical content of the syllabus. We can help you arrange the exam and make the training yacht available for it at the end of the course, usually with the crew you have been training with. Please visit www.ryatraining.org/leisure/certcomp/examrequirements for details of the previous experience required for these examinations, and the current RYA examination fees.
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What to expect.
Detailed instructions for finding the yacht will be given when you book. On 5 day courses, meet up with your instructor at the yacht at 6 pm in the evening of the first day, then settle in and get to know your crewmates. Although most other sailing schools will accept up to 5 students on a course, West Coast Sailing limits the number to 4 in order to give more instuction time to each student. Don't worry about getting along with the others if you are on your own. In fact, crews where nobody knows anybody else at the start often gel together best, forming lasting friendships. There will be a full safety briefing before the yacht sails the next morning.
Keeping the crew well fed is an important part of cruising. Meals, other than breakfasts, are organised according to a rota, which you know in advance, with everyone taking turns to cook and wash up. When its your turn you can select something from the ship's provisions or, if you prefer, you can prepare a meal of your own choosing. Either contact us in advance so we can make sure the right ingredients are on board or bring your own (with receipts for reimbursement). Provisions can usually be topped up at ports of call during the week. There is a small fridge and the usual type of yacht gas cooker with two top burners and an oven. Breakfasts are do it yourself affairs with cereals, fruit, milk, fruit juice etc. provided and fried breakfasts as an option.
Normally, each night will be spent in a different harbour or anchorage. There is a hot shower on board but most students prefer to to make use of the shower facilities available in harbours and marinas. There will be a mix of boat handling and short navigation exercises as well as longer passages. Skipper trainees will take turns in planning and skippering passages. Man overboard recovery techniques will also be practised with a dummy, such as a fender tied to a bucket, substituting for the real thing. The instructor will debrief students after each exercise or passage. Each 5-day cruise will normally cover at least 100 miles and include 4 hours night sailing. The course will finish about 5 pm on the final day, after boat cleaning and individual debriefings.
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What to bring.
Bring a sleeping bag, pillow and clothes
suitable for the vagaries of Scottish weather, including a hat (and spare). Waterproofs (oilees) and sea boots are essential. These can be hired if you wish. Shoes should have a good grip on sloping decks - deck shoes or most trainers are fine. Don't forget toiletries, a towel, sun cream (we can always hope) and any personal medications, but try to keep it all down to one soft bag.
Bring your G15 logbook if you have one. If not, you can buy one from the RYA, many chandlers or onboard from the instructor.
Lifejacket /harnesses and all safety gear are supplied. |
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The Yacht.
Hallberg -Rassy 342. Commissioned 2007. (Pictures of a Swedish sister ship)
| 34 feet is a good compromise for sail training ~ avoiding the close quarter manoeuvring difficulties that come with bigger boats, but still with good accommodation ~ double fore and after cabins and two roomy settee berths and an optional pilot berth in the saloon. There is more than ample room for the maximum of 4 students.
The yacht fully complies with the MCA (Maritime Coastguard Authority) Code of Practice for the Safety of Small Commercial Sailing Vessels. This involves stability criteria, as well as regular inspections of safety and emergency equipment. Modern RADAR/GPS chartplotting equipment is installed.
The British Kiel Yacht Club, which provides sail training for the British Army, agrees that these yachts are excellent for sail training, having bought 10 of them in 2007. Among the reasons for their choice was that
"It is important to have boats that are built to last and cope with tough conditions".
The German magazine "Yacht" (Issue 16, 2005) commented in their review of the yacht:
"The sailing performance is excellent, even in light airs, but her speed increases effortlessly in response to every increase in wind strength. She reacts instantly to steering commands, but not nervously. From the moment you set sail she edicts a feeling of confidence, a feeling that is retained even in a freshening wind. The hull and deck are completely laminated and cast together with a polyester mixture, the resulting rigidity to the hull gives the boat a more comfortable ride in heavy seas. The high standard of the build quality is valid throughout the whole build process and is evident even to a non-expert. It is not only the precisely fitted interior joinery, the dimensions and solid feel of the khaya mahogany with its varnished finish which is smooth to the touch."
Further information about the HR 342 can be found at
http://www.hallberg-rassy.se
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The instructor.
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Tony Whittingham is Principal and Chief Instructor at West Coast Sailing. He is a Yachtmaster Instructor and Ocean Yachtmaster and has been teaching sailing and navigation skills for over twenty years. His shorebased activities include teaching about astro-navigation, the tides and meteorology.
Some comments from students:
'Thank you again for the great time we spent in Capella.' (U.S.)
'A particularly good instructor, fitting in all the necessary course items during a very windy
week. He coped well in giving all the different levels of crew their relevant experience.' (P.H.)
'Absolutely fantastic instructor and a real asset. He was calm
throughout with good explanations. A great trip allround.' (D.A.)
'Thanks for your calm patient instruction.' (K.C.)
'On board I had the pleasure of meeting our able and patient (you once try teaching me the
tidal rule of twelfths and you'll know what `patience' means) instructor.' (O.T.)
'As well as the opportunity of sailing on a beautiful ocean going yacht in stunning locations, your wealth of experience and knowledge taught me a great deal. I came away from the course with a lot more than my Day Skipper ticket. I can’t recommend your course highly enough.' (R.C.)
'Took into account how nervous I was and was very encouraging and patient. Felt I had learned a lot.' (A.P.)
'Very satisfied ~ met all expectations, with a high quality of instruction.' (D.P.)
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Dates and costs
The 5-day courses listed below are suitable for taking RYA Competent Crew, Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper practical courses, as well as Yachtmaster Examination or Coastal Skipper Examination preparation courses.
The cost is £390 all-inclusive (including onboard meals, fuel, gas and berthing charges). Courses normally run from 6pm on the first day to about 5pm on the final day.
Personal items such as oilees, boots and sleeping bags are not included.
N.B. Oilees and boots may be hired at Largs for a combined cost of approximately £5 per day.
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| Sun 20th April - Fri 25th April | Largs ~ Firth of Clyde |
| Fri 16th May - Wed 21st May FULL | Largs |
| Fri 23rd May - Wed 28th May FULL | Largs |
| Sat 14th June - Thurs 19th June | Largs |
| Sat 21st June - Thurs 26th June FULL | Largs |
| Sun 13th July - Fri 18th July FULL | Craobh Haven ~ West Coast & Inner Hebrides |
| Sun 20th July - Fri 25th July | Craobh Haven ~ West Coast & Inner Hebrides |
| Sun 10th August - Fri 15th August | Kyle of Lochalsh ~ West Coast & Inner / Outer Hebrides |
| Sun 14th September - Fri 19th September | Largs |
| Sun 21st September - Fri 26th September | Largs |
| 2-day Start Yachting courses ~ dates by arrangement. £160 |
| Alternative course dates or durations may be possible. Please phone or e-mail to discuss. |
How to get to Largs Yacht Haven.
By Car: The marina is half a mile south of Largs on the A78.
Easily reached via the M8 from Glasgow.
Free parking is accessed by pressing the intercom button at the
barrier for attention and explaining you have come to sail with
West Coast Sailing.
By Rail: A train journey of under 1 hour from Glasgow with trains
leaving Glasgow Central Station every hour. Visit
ww.firstscotrail.com
for more information.
By Air: Approximately 45 minutes from either Glasgow
International Airport or Prestwick Airport.
Visit
ww.baa.co.uk
for more information for Glasgow
or
www.gpia.co.uk
for Prestwick.
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Firth of Clyde Gallery
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The Firth of Clyde is an extremely attractive and relatively well sheltered area for sailing. Its islands, protected anchorages, harbours and marinas help to make it ideal as a training area.
Close views of porpoises, seals, and diving gannets are common, but eagles and basking sharks are also sometimes seen.
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All RYA practical courses: