RYA Practical yachting courses overview
07 July 2020
So you’ve heard about sailing courses that you can do, perhaps it’s a completely new adventure and you’ve never stepped on board a boat before, or you’ve done RYA Start Yachting but what next? The RYA stands for the Royal Yachting Association and is the governing body for dinghy, yachting and motor boating and training providers.
RYA Start Yachting
This is a weekend course, designed for someone who has never stepped on board a yacht before to experience two days afloat to get a feel for sailing a yacht.
View our RYA Start Yachting Course
RYA Competent Crew
This is a five day course designed to give a potential crew member some basic knowledge of how a yacht sails, handles and some of the tasks a good crew member needs to understand to sail a yacht safely and effectively.
View our RYA Competent Crew Course
RYA Day Skipper
This is a five day course, designed to teach and test your skills at skippering a yacht in a variety of situations. From anchoring, to putting in a reef, to sailing onto a mooring buoy and many other practical sailing skills. The person doing the course will be expected to not only understand maneuvers but can also give direction to the crew to carry out these maneuvers. Practical navigation and collision avoidance is also a large part of this course. While participating on the Day Skipper course you will be assessed by the instructor during the five days and it is the instructor that decides if the qualification is given. This is the perfect course for those who want to skipper their own yacht or on a yacht charter holiday.
View our RYA Day Skipper Course
Sailing Refresher
Maybe you've completed your RYA Competent Crew course and need a bit of extra sailing before signing up for your RYA Day Skipper course, or maybe you're just feeling in need of some no pressure sailing to refresh your skills? This 5 day Sailing Refresher is the course for you!
View our Sailing Refresher course
RYA ICC Flotilla course
This 5 day course is perfect for those who don’t feel ready to complete the RYA Day Skipper course but would like to gain skipper experience on a flotilla holiday. It teaches and assesses boat handling, navigational ability (including use of GPS), man overboard procedure and knowledge of collision regulations. You will need to be a minimum of RYA Competent Crew or equivalent before joining the course. You will also focus on personal safety and yacht handling skills required to join a flotilla.
View our RYA ICC Flotilla Course
RYA Coastal Skipper Practical
This five day practical sailing course, only to be taken once you have met the pre-requisite amount of sea time and passages. This is the first of the externally examined qualifications if you decide to go for the RYA Yachtmaster Coastal exam too. This qualification probes more deeply into the leadership skills of the candidate and focuses more on longer distance sailing, with a view to sailing at night time. It is a challenging course which will test your ability as a yachts person and of course develop your sailing skills.
View our RYA Coastal Skipper Course
RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Exam
This is a very intensive course, often carried out over five days, followed by a two day practical examination. You will need to meet the prerequisite requirements and have passed the RYA Yachtmaster theory course also. The aim of the course is to develop your ability to skipper in more challenging scenarios and ensure you can take charge of a yacht on a series of short passages during both day and night, keeping your boat and crew safe at all times.
View our RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Exam
View our RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Exam
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