I am planning to start a sailing course in London but I am a bit confused..?

Question

I want an RYA accredited course but as I understand the association does not run any courses, they just accredit courses ran by other private societies/clubs. Is this right?

Also, I am a bit confused about the different types of courses. For example is a sailing course for dinghies suitable for sailing a big sailing yacht (i.e. 42 feet)?

Answer 1

Where you are now is how my wife and I started 8 years ago. We were total novices then, but we had the dream. We've spent the last 3 years living aboard our own 45 foot sailing yacht ("Little Roundtop") in the Greek islands.

You're right that the RYA doesn't run any schools, but they keep a close watch on all the schools they accredit. So be sure to choose an RYA approved school. The skipper/instructor will usually decide for themselves whether you've met the standards for each course and award the certificates. For the advanced qualifications (Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster) you will be externally examined by an RYA qualified examiner (it's much like a 2-day driving test).

Dinghy sailing and cruiser sailing are VERY different. If you choose a cruising sailing school (as we did) you'll probably learn on a yacht of around 36 feet and there will probably be 6 people on her (including the skipper/instructor). It's VERY cramped, but as long as you can get along with people it's terrific fun! Most schools deliberately mix the crews so that some are more advanced than others. This gives beginners an early view of what they will be learning next but, more importantly, it gives those taking skipper qualifications an inexperienced crew to manage!

The basic training path (as I remember it) is:

Competent Crew ( 5-day sea-based practical)

Day Skipper Theory (5-day shore-based)

Day Skipper Practical (5-day sea-based practical)

Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Theory (5-day shore-based)

Coastal Skipper practical (5-day sea-based)

Then you need to build sea miles to take either (or both if you like):

Coastal Skipper Examination

Yachtmaster Examination

Both at typically 2-day sea-based examinations, usually with two other candidates plus you. The examinations are very similar actually, but a much higher standard is expected of the Yachtmaster candidates.

We loved every class we did. You're with fun-loving like-minded people all learning the same stuff. I can't recommend the RYA scheme highly enough. It didn't make us great sailors (we're still learning that - and we always will be) but it made us safe - and that's more important than anything.

Have fun!!

Answer 2

SO AM I... I SHOULD START IN THE WATER FIRST..ITS MUCH SAFER THAN LONDON ..ALL THOSE TAXIS AND BUSES ...GOOD LUCK

Answer 3

If it is still there, The Little Ship Club in the area of Cannon Street, London may be able to help you.

Answer 4

Yes, the RYA accredit schools and instructors who then teach a laid down course. There are different courses for different types of boat as dinghies are different to RIBs, are different to cruisers, are different to large sailing yachts etc and  schools will only do courses for some craft and not all so you need to check that you get the correct instructor and school for your requirements

Answer 5

The RYA is responsible for administering the recognition system of training centres bearing their name and logo, and ensuring standards of training are maintained.

Each RYA recognised training centre is inspected regularly to ensure that training craft and instructors meet the high standards of the RYA, and where relevant, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The RYA also carries out spot inspections during courses to ensure the level of tuition and the condition of the equipment remains consistently high over time.

As for what course to go for, that rather depends what you envisage yourself doing in due course.  Have a look at http://www.rya.org.uk/GetontheWater/.

Personally, if you really want to understand sailing and be in control, I'd recommend you start with dinghy sailing, where you can make mistakes without any serious problems apart from getting wet - which will happen regularly, I can assure you!

Answer 6

Let me start with your second question first - of course not. You will probably begin by learning the basics of sailing with a one-sailed dinghy. Having master those basics, you then move up to a craft with mainsail and job. Comfortable at that size, you then move up to a larger vessel and learn additional sail configurations.

Sailing a 42-foot craft includes navigation skills that are usually covered in a separate course (courses actually - certainly in the US it takes several to qualify to master a craft of that size)

Check with the place you are thinking of enrolling to see if their courses are accredited. If not - shop around.