RYA practical sail training courses

The RYA define a wide range of courses related to sailing, power boating and other topics associated with enjoying the water. The details here are just of the courses relating to sail training.

Start Yachting sailing course

This course provides a short introduction to sail cruising for novices. By the end of the course, you will have experienced steering a yacht, sail handling, ropework and be aware of safety on board. The Start Yachting course is, in effect, the first 2 days of the Competent Crew course.

Please note that as most of our courses are 6 days long if you take this course we cannot guarantee that you will disembark the training boat on Poros Island.

RYA Competent Crew sailing course

This course will teach you how to be a competent crew member of a cruising yacht. With successful completion of the course you will be able to steer (helm) the yacht under sail and power, understand the principles of sailing and points of sail, sail trim, safety routines such as ‘man over board’, understand knots and rope-work, row a dinghy and generally safely contribute to daily routines.

This is the ideal course for novices and for dinghy sailors who want to start sailing on cruising yachts and provides an excellent foundation to your sail training.

Children over 9 can be awarded a Competent Crew certificate, whilst learning to sail in such an attractive and warm environment is a pleasant holiday in its own right.

RYA Day Skipper sailing course

This course is for those who already have some sailing experience and knowledge of navigation, and wish to progress to skipper level. The course provides a good foundation for you to safely and confidently skipper a cruising yacht, skipper a flotilla yacht and is recognised by charter companies in Greece and elsewhere.

On this course you will learn to skipper a yacht safely in familiar waters. In addition to boat handling and pilotage, the emphasis is on giving you experience of being in charge. You will be asked to skipper the yacht on a short passage, with the instructor on hand to give advice and encouragement. The course also covers preparation of a yacht for sea, yacht handling under sail and power, navigation, pilotage and passage making, rules of the road, emergency situations, meteorology and basic boat maintenance.

As we are in Greece, you will get plenty of practice in techniques like ‘Med mooring’ (stern-to mooring) so you will be able to moor safely and competently and look professional when you bring your own boat into the quay.

RYA Coastal Skipper sailing course

This sailing course is for experienced skippers only. This is an advanced course for those with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation. You will learn the skills needed to skipper a yacht safely, by day or night, throughout the Mediterranean and other waters. As well as advanced boat-handling under power and sail, dealing with heavy weather passage planning and pilotage, at least one long night passage will be undertaken.

RYA/MCA Coastal Skipper examinations for those who have successfully completed the practical course and have the appropriate theory certificates can be arranged.

As we are in Greece, you will get plenty of practice in techniques like ‘Med mooring’ (stern-to mooring) so you will be able to moor safely and competently and look professional when you bring your own boat into the quay.

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal & Offshore preparation

At Yachtmaster Coastal & Offshore the process of courses changes. Instead of completing a course, you are instead required to undergo independant examination by an RYA examiner who has taken no part in your training. The assessments lasts from one to two days depending upon how many are on the yacht and are being examined.

Typically there may be four or five on a yacht and the exam will last two days with each ‘student’ being assigned tasks to complete, ranging from practical sailing exercises to re-sitting Yachtmaster theory exam papers or simply answering the examiner’s off-the-cuff questions.

This sailing course is for experienced skippers only and you will need considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation prior to starting. The course is split into 4� days training and 1� days of examination and recovery! The training will cover boat handling, navigation, pilotage, safety with an emphasis on crew and yacht management.

The course is specifcially designed for advanced sailors preparing to take the RYA/MCA exams for a Certificate of Competence; either Yachtermaster Coastal or Yachtmaster Offshore, and is to designed help prepapre you for the challenges and questions you will be given by the examiner. It is in effect an advanced coaching session.