- Professional Development
- Medicine & Nursing
- Arts & Crafts
- Health & Wellbeing
- Personal Development
This is the course for sailors who would like to pass on their sailing skills and experience on the water. The title RYA Cruising Instructor will allow the successful candidate to teach up to Day Skipper level. The course is for experienced Yachtmaster Offshore candidates, with commercial endorsement, who on successful completion of the exam be able to instruct practical courses. The course is taken over 5 days with a moderator joining at the end of the week. It is a combination of assessing the candidate's knowledge, providing a structured framework to instruct, coach, observe and deliver constructive feedback, and ensure the structure and standards required of RYA courses are understood. Prior to the course the candidate is required to have their RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence commercially endorsed. Your Professional Practices and Responsibilities certificate (PPR this can be done online) Your original, completed ML5 or ENG1 (for cat 1 or 0 waters) medical fitness form A copy of your RYA Basic Sea Survival certificate or STCW Personal Survival Techniques A copy of your RYA Marine Radio SRC Certificate or other acceptable GMDSS Marine Radio Operator's Certificate. The course is for the experienced skipper with theoretical and practical knowledge well in excess of the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence. Candidates are required to pass an online Pre-Course Knowledge Check prior to attending the Cruising Instructor course. Access to the online check will be issued with the course Joining Instructions, which will be sent out 6 weeks before the course starts. As with all our courses, onboard food, fuel and marina fees are included in the cost. The course starts on a Monday morning (0900 hrs) and departs from Largs Yacht Haven, Scotland. Candidates are invited to arrive on Sunday evening and familiarize themselves with the yacht.
This 2 day course builds upon the basic knowledge and skills covered in the Level 2 course and is aimed at those who want to drive larger and more powerful powerboats and is a good step to progressing onto the Advanced course. This course covers the practical use of pilotage and passage planning by day on coastal waters using both traditional and electronic navigational techniques, boat preperation, cruising at planing speed, advanced boat handlingand man overboard drills. By the end of the course you will be able to plan and execute short coastal passages by day. It is strongly recommended that candidates hold a first aid certificate and a VHF/SRC operator's certificate. Power Courses Our powerboat training is currently delivered on an MCA coded 7.8m Ribcraft with a 200hp Suzuki four stroke outboard engine and an E-series Raymarine chart plotter. We maintain a 3:1 student to instructor ratio which allows our experienced RYA instructors to tailor courses to the various levels and needs on board and deliver at a manageable pace. All course costs include tea and coffee, waterproofs are available on request.
A course for leisure and professional boaters wanting to undertake more adventurous trips by day and night, this 2 day course, with at least one night navigation exercise, will provide you with an RYA Advanced Powerboat Course Completion certificate. Anyone undertaking this course must have practical skills of the Intermediate level and theory knowledge of at least Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster level. The course is split between theory and practical, with an emphasis on the application of theory knowledge to practical situations including preperation for sea, passage and pilotage making, skippering (meteorology, rules ofg the road)), navigation at planing speed, night cruising, and emergency situations. The Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence can only be issued after an exam, usually taken immediately after the course. If you are looking to take this exam, please let us know and we will arrange an examiner for you. The cost of this exam is payable directly to the RYA. To take this exam your must meet the following pre-requisites: 2 years relevant experience including night pilotage As a guide; 30 days at sea, 2 days as skipper, 800 miles, 12 night hours in the past 10 years Hold a valid First Aid certificate Hold a GMDSS Short Range Certificate (SRC) or higher grade marine radio certificate Age 17 or over Power Courses Our powerboat training is currently delivered on an MCA coded 7.8m Ribcraft with a 200hp Suzuki four stroke outboard engine and an E-series Raymarine chart plotter. We maintain a 3:1 student to instructor ratio which allows our experienced RYA instructors to tailor courses to the various levels and needs on board and deliver at a manageable pace. All course costs include tea and coffee, waterproofs are available on request.
Our 2 day weekend course is a fantastic introduction to sailing, designed to give a taste of sailing or allow you to practice skills in a relaxed environment. It is the perfect setting to find out if sailing is for you, as students are involved in all aspects of sailing the yacht, from basic knot tying to hoisting the sails and steering the boat. You will be taught basic skills and routines on board, whilst enjoying your first exposure to sailing. Price includes accommodation on board one of our yachts, all meals, fuel & mooring fees. Waterproof clothing loan available on request. Our current school boat is the modern 2017 Dufour 382, a fantastic boat to learn and develop your knowledge on; with her spacious deck layout,dual helm and on-deck plotter, she is easy to handle in close and open quarters. We pride ourselves on providing a comfortable, enjoyable sailing experience and guarantee all students their own cabin. Facilities on-board include: • Dual helm • Heating • Fridge • Two toilets each with hot water and showers • Three cabins • Television and radio • Charging points for mobiles • On-deck chart plotter and radar We carry out a deep clean before every course and provide fresh linen and towels. Operating along the picturesque South Devon coast, we venture to prime local cruising locations such as Torbay, Dartmouth, Salcombe and Plymouth. Marinas feature as a daily stop, providing time to reflect and partake in shore-side activities. Our aim is to provide safe fun on the water, allowing you to develop your skills and knowledge in a safe and friendly environment. We use a 3:1 students to instructor raitio, which allows our experienced RYA instructors to tailor courses to the various levels and needs on board, and deliver at a managable pace. Navigation is taught using traditional charting techniques along with electronic methods using E-Series Raymarine chart plotters and Radar. All course prices include accommodation on board, meals for the duration of the course, fuel and mooring fees, and the provision of fresh linen and towels.Waterproofs are available upon request.
All our skippers and instructors are either fully qualified RYA Yachtmaster or Cruising Instructors with many years of experience sailing in Scotland and with years of offshore experience, sailing across the seas and oceans. They all have various other RYA qualifications and are keen to share their knowledge with you. If you would like to talk about your sailing plans and aspirations, or are interested in customised training at sea or ashore, please contact us at admin@gowestsailing.com
RYA Competent Crew or Day Skipper - £770 A five day practical course which can accommodate both Day Skipper and Competent Crew candidates, depending on ability and course requirements. We familiarise you with the yacht and spend the week port hopping whilst you gain experience and work towards your qualification. Competent Crew - An ideal way to develop your skills and to start to become an active crew member capable of contributing to the running of a boat. Course content includes learning how to steer the boat, what the sails do, knot-tying, basic seamanship principles and safety procedures. Day Skipper - Putting Day Skipper level theory into practice and taking command of both the boat and crew, you will also learn learn basic engine checks. This includes building on previous experience and developing new skills for close quarter manouevring, handling under power and sail, day navigation, with some night hours. RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster™ Preparation - £770 A five day practical course for Coastal Skipper or preperation Yachtmaster™ candidates, this course will build and refine your skills and knowledge, including your planning and skippering for passages with pilotage at day and night, boat handling and safety and emergency procedures. If you are looking to gain the Yachtmaster™ Offshore or Coastal Certificate, please let us know and we will arrange an examiner for you. We cannot over emphasise the need for personal preparation for this exam; your theory knowledge should be instinctive and you should exercise safe practices and judgment without being too overcautious. Primarily you will be examined on your ability to be a good skipper. Our emphasis during this course is consolidate all that you have already learned and fine tune any areas that need improvement. You will be expected to be fully skilled in the following areas: communication with crew members, confident and competent boat handling, high standard chart work and navigation, safety briefings and procedures, radio communication, meteorology skills. Our current school boat is the modern 2017 Dufour 382, a fantastic boat to learn and develop your knowledge on; with her spacious deck layout,dual helm and on-deck plotter, she is easy to handle in close and open quarters. We pride ourselves on providing a comfortable, enjoyable sailing experience and guarantee all students their own cabin. Facilities on-board include: • Dual helm • Heating • Fridge • Two toilets each with hot water and showers • Three cabins • Television and radio • Charging points for mobiles • On-deck chart plotter and radar We carry out a deep clean before every course and provide fresh linen and towels. Operating along the picturesque South Devon coast, we venture to prime local cruising locations such as Torbay, Dartmouth, Salcombe and Plymouth. Marinas feature as a daily stop, providing time to reflect and partake in shore-side activities. Our aim is to provide safe fun on the water, allowing you to develop your skills and knowledge in a safe and friendly environment. We use a 3:1 students to instructor raitio, which allows our experienced RYA instructors to tailor courses to the various levels and needs on board, and deliver at a managable pace. Navigation is taught using traditional charting techniques along with electronic methods using E-Series Raymarine chart plotters and Radar. All course prices include accommodation on board, meals for the duration of the course, fuel and mooring fees, and the provision of fresh linen and towels.Waterproofs are available upon request.
Unravel the mysteries of astro navigation, using a sextant, ocean passage making, worldwide meteorology and electronic navigation aids. This course is for those aspiring to blue water cruising and is ideal for holders of the Yachtmaster Offshore certificate who are preparing for their first ocean passage. Topics covered include: The earth and the celestial sphere Practical guide to use and care of sextant at sea Meridian altitudes Sun, star and other sights Ocean passage planning Prior to the course your navigation skills should be at the standard of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased course. If you are working towards your Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence, completion of this shorebased course exempts you from the written exam. The course is taught over 40 hours with one exam paper. It can be covered as a series of short sessions, as an intensive week-long course, or by distance learning. Included in the price : 40 hours of tuition students pack prep. materials certification tea and coffee snacks
The Day Skipper shore based course sits in the RYA Syllabus as preamble to the Day Skipper practical course and will give the aspiring skipper the knowledge that is needed to navigate familiar water. The course also provides an introduction to lights to help you on your way with sailing in the dark. The course will give you the confidence to be able to plan your passage on inshore and coastal routes, and ensure that you and your crew are safe. The course includes: Basics of seamanship Essentials of inshore navigation and pilotage Chartwork (plotting tidal streams, estimated positions and courses to steer) Electronic charts Position fixing Passage planning Weather forecasting and meteorology Tidal height calculations Collision regulations Construction, parts and equipment of a cruising boat Emergency and safety procedures including distress calls, the use of flares, safety harnesses, lifejackets and liferafts
