Southwest Yachting: Sea School

Start Yachting Practical is a two day introductory course for complete beginners. The course provides a short introduction to sail cruising for novices.

Ideal for persons with no practical sailing experience or knowledge.

This 5 day course teaches you basic Seamanship and helmsmanship enabling you to become a useful crew member.

Ideal for persons with basic navigation and sailing ability and who have spent at least 5 days at sea (including 4 night hours) and have logged 100 miles.

This 5 day course teaches basic pilotage, boat handling, seamanship and navigation in tidal waters enabling you to skipper a small yacht in familiar waters by day.

A practical assessment for persons who have a level of sailing ability equal to Day Skipper or above, but without formal RYA qualifications.

Aimed at persons with navigation experience to Coastal Skipper shorebased standard and sailing experience to Day Skipper practical standard.

Ideally you will also have spent 15 days at sea (2 days as skipper) logging 300 miles and 8 night hours.

This 5 day course teaches the skippering techniques required for coastal and offshore passages and shall equip you with the relevant knowledge to skipper a yacht on coastal passages by day and night.

Yachtmaster Offshore Prep and Exam

Aimed at people with substantial sailing ability and experience. 50 days at sea (5 days as skipper) logging some 2,500 miles of which five passages have to be of more than sixty miles and 2 night passages as skipper. This course prepares you for the RYA/MCA examination where candidates have to demonstrate their ability as skipper on an offshore cruising yacht and answer questions on any part of the syllabus for all courses (except Yachtmaster Ocean). The yacht is also provided for the examination which is independently examined by an approved RYA examiner.

Note: Candidates for the exam also require the restricted (VHF Only) operators certificate and a valid first aid certificate.