[Closed] Hello Sailor!! - RYA Training Advice

How much sailing have you done (I am guessing not that much) ?

I did the shore based Yachtmaster at evening classes (as I had some sailing experience so skipped the earlier ones). The course is very useful but they stretched the material out far too long so doing the distance learning you can compress that you just have to be disciplined. I would imagine these days there are plenty of youtube demos for the chart work.

The practical courses are very good. I would strongly recommend you try and get a good few days on the water first and then try and do say coastal skipper, as imho courses like competent crew are a bit basic. Find local sailing/yacht clubs and get yourself invited out. No reason not to sail a bit over the winter, the winter racing is from now to dec and will be a good "in at the deep end" experience. You will learn more sailing small boats (inc dinghies) about the basics. Big boat sailing thereafter is mainly about safety and "parking" (the hardest bit usually !).

25-30ft is a good size to start and its a buyers market. Larger boat if you afford it and want to travel a bit further afield in a bit more comfort, plenty of 25 footers cross the channel regularly.

A few STWers are sailors. email in my profile if you want to contact me directly. If you are close enough to get to Southampton/Hamble I can try and arrange some sailing for you. I am boatless for the first time in 15 years but may have another for next season. I learnt to sail as a kid and then came back to it in my 30's racing with others before buying myself a boat and muddling along.

Thanks for the info jambalaya and thanks for the offer, but I'm based in Scotland.

No sailing experience. I've had two boats in the past, but just small fishing boats with outboards. I've done some windsurfing, but wouldn't count that.

I've got a sea school not far from me on the west coast (Oban), so will give them a call to see if they do a beginners trip before signing up for any RYA courses.

I'm in my thirties (just), but it's something i've wanted to do for a while and a few things recently have made me realise there is no point in putting things off in life.

So you are in a spectacular location for sailing ! Lucky you.

If you can handle the fishing boats then you have a headstart for the yacht handling under power. Yes try and get some experience one way or another. I have a bit of a bias towards racing but look at the Scottish Series (Tarbert) in May 2015 and see if you can get an invite to crew. The intensity of it (and any training days if they do any) will give you a headstart for your RYA practical later in the year.

I did the day skipper course over weekends, took about 5 days IIRC. If Dunstaffnage is the RYA school you're looking at, I think you'll find that they'll be looking for previous experience, including some at night, so I'd be looking at hooking up with a local club and get some sailing in now. That said, if you can commit to it, yiocan do the practical as a week's course which wasn't that expensive, bearing in mind that accommodation is provided (on the boat) as is day time food (which I'm told is excellent). Dunstaffnage has (or had, I don't sail now so don't get the gossip any more) an excellent reputation as an RYA school
Like jambala said, you couldn't be in a much better place for sailing.

If you go to Oban sailing club, get chatting to the folks there I would be amazed if you don't get to go sailing. Doing Scottish Series (Tarbert) as a starter may be a bit much.. There are other races around Oban which are a bit more cruise biased. I would be a bit weary about buying a 30ft boat without spending a bit of time sailing with others first, and seeing what mistakes they make with their boats. I race out of Helensburgh, but kept a boat at Dunstaf a few years ago, you are on the doorstep of some of the best sailing in the world.

I did the RYA day skipper course at evening classes a few years back down near us in Christchurch, and practical later. Really glad I did it, don't do much boating and think I was basically okay but was really good to learn and re-inforce the rules of the road so to speak and basic navigation. I was amazed at how stupid some people were (but glad they were doing the course too) e.g the bloke next to me already had a big yacht he kept in Poole harbour, had no idea about plotting courses or tides, how to use radio, he said he only ever went to the Isle of Wight and only when he could see it....
Definitely recommended.

Thanks for all the replies. I was looking at Oban Sea School, but hadn't looked into it further to get feedback on where best to go.

BBSB for Dunstaffnage are you talking about Alba Sailing or another centre?

It would be good to get some practical experience and some theory. I was looking at the RYA certs as I might prefer to charter a yacht before thinking about my own and I believe from reading that you might need some certs

I wouldn't be buying a boat until I was confident. Not just due to the cost and risk, but also I might not like it.

I'll send a few emails out to the sailing clubs to see if I can get a trip out with one of the club members and take it from there. I'm also not too far away from the Forth, so could also look at Port Edgar etc.

Head west if you can - you've (we've) got arguably the best sailing in the world right there on the doorstep! Years ago I got certified by the people at Cumbrae - they joined us on a boat we'd borrowed.
I can't see a problem with doing the theory yourself - but there's no better way than to apply what you are learning. My one (very minor) worry would be picking up poor habits - hence the value of a practical course to follow it up.
Dunno about mtb and sailing, but check out [url= http://www.scottishislandspeaksrace.com/ ]this[/url]

I, I, I was gonna..... Awe never mind

I qualified as a dinghy instructor aged 16, and later added the racing instructors' ticket. Then I got into big boats. Then biggerer boats. Then I worked on a sailing magazine, talking to people who had got into sailing via various routes. One thing I noticed was that people who came to the sport completely fresh sometimes came with misconceptions about what they wanted to do, what they were comfortable doing and what they actually could do. So don't rush into a purchase (Souns like you aren't) and get the hours in in the mean time. It *will* be enormous fun, and there is no rush.

You are in one of the most beautiful places for sailing in the world, so go for it. I'd suggest starting with a practical taster weekend or similar - get stuck in to actually doing it. Getting the paper qualification is one thing - but I think the money would be better spent on getting a few miles under your belt.

Actually, you don't really need to spend a huge amount of money to get started if you do it right. As suggested above, get involved with a local sailing club, and you will get a bucketload of practical experience.

Oh, one other thing that you may already be familiar with: owning a boat costs a lot of money. A lot. My last bit of advice: the end goal is to go sailing, not own a boat. I have sailed for other people for the last 20 years, or chartered or borrowed boats, sometimes in exchange for my time or experience. You don't need to go and buy a yacht to enjoy sailing - sometimes, exactly the opposite.

Speaking of which, you might want to look at fractional sailing businesses. A crewmate set one up on the South coast a few years ago, and is making it work very, very well. You pay a (relatively) small amount each year, and get a certain number of days' sailing or motoring in a wide variety of boats that someone else keeps running.

+1 on not buying, but get involved with a club and get crewing.

I was fortunate that my folks had a boat on the west coast all through my childhood, and now my own kids get to enjoy it too !

A wee selecion of shots all withinn a days sailing of the mooring at Ardfern

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You could also volunteer with the Ocean Youth Trust or any other sail training org. Stick with them and they will train you and you will easily fill your logbook. The crews are all mixed so they will take a total beginner.

Would concur with the rest - Charter rather than own. They cost money in and out the water.

bent udder has given you the best advice you will ever get..EVER. I did the day skipper back in the eighties and the course was full of boat owning duffers. One guy paid for me and another course member to take his ketch to the Med for him, flew us home, then repeated the exercise in reverse a month later, happy days.