Tuition & Courses
Instruction during the courses comprises of shore-based study in our sailing centre and/or hands-on practical experience
on board a yacht.
- All courses will be conducted in English.
- The prices quoted are all per person.
Practical Courses
Ratio of student to instructor on practical courses: minimum 1:1, maximum 4:1
Theory Courses
Ratio of student to instructor on theory courses: minimum 1:1, maximum 5:1
Practical Courses
On holiday in Gran Canaria? Why not try a two day 'learn to sail' course. Designed to give novices a taste of what sailing
is really about - including steering the yacht, handling sails and ropework.
Cost: € 250
£ 200
Open the door to sailing - if you have never been on a sailing yacht before, no problem, this is the course for you.
You will learn safety and seamanship, gaining the knowledge to enable you to become a sought after crew-member of a sailing
yacht. This knowledge and experience will be the foundation to build on. You can progress to watch leader and dayskipper
courses in the future. And you'll have a lot of fun learning in the sun!
Duration: 5 days
Cost: € 600
£ 480
Learn to navigate and take control of the yacht! This 5 day course is designed to teach pilotage, navigation, seamanship
and boathandling. The aim is for the student to be able to skipper a small cruising yacht safely, by day on short passages
in tidal and non-tidal waters.
Unless you already have a good working knowledge of passage planning, pilotage, tidal heights and streams, collision regulations
and taking bearings and fixes, it is advisable to complete a Day Skipper theory course before attempting this practical one.
Suggested minimum previous experience: 5 days sea time, 100 miles, 4 night hours plus basic navigation and sailing ability.
Cost: € 600
£ 480
Want to cruise further into warmer waters? This five day course is aimed at those wanting to skipper a cruising yacht
(7-15m LOA) safely on coastal and offshore passages by day and night. Cruising around the beautiful Canarian Islands
we will teach you the skills required for more complex decision making as a skipper in a climate that does not require
you to wear thermals and a woolly hat!
Suggested minimum previous experience: 15 days sea time (2 days as skipper), 300 miles, 8 night hours; navigation to
Coastal Skipper Shorebased standard & sailing to Day Skipper Practical standard.
Cost: € 600
£ 480
We will give you the confidence to face the examiner for this much sought after qualification. Guiding you through
complex sailing skills and encouraging you to deal with tough decisions when working under pressure. You will gain
from our experience. It is assumed that candidates will have a good knowledge of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Shorebased
course and the content of practical courses. The suggested requirements are: 50 days sea time, 5 days as skipper, 2500 miles,
5 passages over 60miles including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper. Candidates should also hold the First Aid Certificate and
the Restricted (VHF only) Radio Operator's Certificate.
Cost € 700 (plus costs of examiner)
£ 560
This is required by many European countries (not U.K.) as evidence of basic competence. You will need the theory level
of Day Skipper and some previous boathandling experience. Contact us to discuss your needs.
There is no such thing as an 'RYA Ocean Practical Course', but rather an Ocean Qualifying Passage. To this end we offer
the five day Yachtmaster Ocean theory course in our classroom in beautiful Puerto Mogan, followed by a qualifying passage.
This will enable you to submit your sights and course paperwork to an examining board such as the RYA for an Ocean Yachtmaster
Navigation Certificate. Prior to the course you will be expected to have navigation skills to Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster
Shorebased standard and have extensive sailing experience both coastal and offshore.
Cost € 1600
£ 1280
This course can be tailored to suit all levels of competence, you tell us what you want to learn and we will customize
it to your requirements. Perhaps you already know the basics or you've done a theory course and wish to gain sea miles
and time without the responsibility of being the skipper - welcome aboard! You can learn the techniques to enable you
to skipper a yacht on short passages between the islands by day and night. You will visit different marinas and acquire
a variety of pilotage and berthing skills.
Duration: 5 days
Cost: € 600
£ 480
Just bought a yacht? If you prefer, we can provide tuition at all levels for you on your own boat. Please telephone/email
for details.
Cost € 150 per day
£ 120
Theory Courses
Theory courses are all Shorebased. We will be happy to supply information regarding accommodation when you make your booking.
RYA Day Skipper Theory Course
Designed to give the sailor enough knowledge to navigate around familiar waters by day and including a basic knowledge of
lights, this course is classroom-based and is suitable both for power and sail boat. It is an invaluable introduction for
those wishing to become skippers, and teaches how to make decisions safely while afloat.
The course assumes no previous knowledge and gives a firm foundation to those wishing to go on to do I.C.C. Day Skipper
Practical or Advanced Power Boating practical courses.
The course content includes: the basics of coastal navigation, pilotage, chart work, position fixing, plotting a course
to steer, weather forecasting & meteorology, knowledge of tides and currents, electronic charts and the "rules of the
road". Included are the basics of seamanship and how to react in a distress situation.
The course ends with a formal assessment, and on successful completion, a certificate will be awarded.
We prefer to have no more than five students on each course so that each gains the maximum benefit from the tuition. In total
there are 40 hours of instruction and these may be taken in three different ways:
- Five day course
- Over 3 weekends
- 2 nights per week over 10 weeks
Cost: € 500 per person (£ 400)
The cost includes: RYA pack containing practice charts, Day Skipper notes and a chart plotter simulator CD-ROM.
Practise Navigation tables, Collision Regulations and plotting equipment will be made available for use by all students.
Please telephone or email the office for details of available dates - we try to be as flexible as possible in order to
accommodate your needs.
RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory
An advanced course for the more experienced sailor. Either a brush up on existing skills and/or an improvement, building on
your Day Skipper level. This course is classroom based and is suitable for both power and sail boat skippers who wish to do
Coastal and/or Offshore passages. We will assume you have some prior theoretical and practical knowledge of navigation and
seamanship before starting this course.
The course covers advanced navigation techniques: traditional and electronic. Advanced meteorology, including the interpretation
of weather forecasts; weather systems and interpretation of weather forecasts and predictions. Stability, sailing abroad and
skippers responsibilities. The collision regulations will be dealt with and responsibilities. The collision regulations will
be dealt with in depth and should be learned in advance.
The course ends with a formal assessment. On successful completion, a certificate will be awarded.
We prefer to have no more than five students on each course so that each gains the maximum benefit from the tuition.
In total there are 40 hours of instruction which may be taken in three different ways:
- Five day course
- Over 3 weekends
- 2 nights per week over 10 weeks
Cost: € 500 per person (£ 400)
The cost includes: RYA pack containing practice charts, Day Skipper notes and a chart plotter simulator CD-ROM.
Practise Navigation tables, Collision Regulations and plotting equipment will be made available for use by all students.
Please telephone or email the office for details of the available dates-we try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate
your needs.
Yachtmaster Ocean Theory Course
This is a classroom based course and is suitable for both power and sail skippers.
This is an intensive course to give you the confidence to cross an ocean and arrive at your intended destination without
relying on sophisticated electronic equipment. You can do it despite loss of electrical power aboard
(e.g. through lightning strike or loss of charging capability), damaged electrical equipment, or even if some idiot
switched off the satellite system!
- Learn all the theory of astro-navigation including how to do the necessary calculations (from the position of the
sun, moon, stars and planets and only 11 simple sums!) to plot your position on the chart based on the positions of
the moon, stars and planets. By the end of the course you will be able to:
- calculate your E.P.
- use a sextant
- pre-plan your sights
- carry out the necessary calculations
- make plots and fixes
- Learn about the differences between Ocean, World-wide and Coastal meteorology and the better tactics to
adopt in planning an ocean passage.
The course ends with a formal assessment paper. On successful completion, a certificate will be awarded.
In total there are 40 hours of instruction which may be taken in three different ways:
- Five day course
- Over 3 weekends
- 2 nights per week over 10 weeks
Cost: € 500 per person (£ 400)
The cost includes an RYA Resource pack.
We run these courses on a supply and demand basis so please telephone or email the office for details of available
dates - we try to be as flexible as possible in order to accommodate your needs.
DSC/VHF Short Range Certificate
This is a one day course. It is a must for all seafarers at whatever level - replacing the old VHF restricted licence,
it covers the use of VHF radio under the new GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress & Safety System) for routine, distress and
emergency procedures. It is now the qualification required to operate a marine VHF radio. The course incorporates
knowledge and use of DSC (Digital Selective Calling), VHF radio, NAVTEX, EPIRBs and SARTs.
Students require no previous knowledge other than to have learned the phonetic alphabet - we will supply this prior to the course.
We will provide you with a pack of all necessary handouts and can provide you with a list of recommended reading material etc.
You will need to bring a passport size photograph with you on the day. The RYA issue certificates direct to your home address
on successful completion of the course.
Cost: € 150 / £ 120 (Included in the cost is an RYA administration fee)
RYA Short Range Update (VHF)
If you already hold a VHF licence you can take a course to update your knowledge - learning how to use DSC and other
components of the GMDSS. This may be done in one morning or afternoon so can be incorporated within one of our full
day courses. Evening courses will be run according to demand.
We will provide all the necessary handouts and simulators. You will need to bring a passport size photograph on
the day. The RYA issue certificates direct to your home address on successful completion of the course.
N.B. If your VHF knowledge is a little rusty it is advisable to take the full day course or re-learn the contents of the handbook.
Cost: € 90 / £ 70 (Included in the cost is an RYA administration fee)
An introduction to all systems; Morse code, GMDSS, Long Range SSB Radio and Inmarsat.
The rules and regulations, the techniques, the pro's and con's of different systems. Instruction on how to use these
systems and pitfalls to avoid in installation.
Duration: 5 days
Cost: € 500
£ 400
A general look at the many different systems, e.g. weather information systems, chart plotters, GPS, Radar, PC (laptop/notebook).
This is a rapidly changing subject which is almost impossible to keep up with, however, basic principles of operation
can be learned and relied upon, (subject to user error).
We will build these skills for you and discuss what could be applicable to your needs, offering unbiased advice and
answering your questions without a sales pitch. If you have a laptop computer, bring it with you.
Duration: 5 days
Cost: € 500
£ 400
A course where the overall subject of crossing an ocean (East to West and West to East) can be looked at and
discussed. Learn to anticipate problems before they happen and prepare contingency plans for emergency situations
e.g. dismasting, man over board etc.
Thought-provoking on tool kits, spares for engines, electrical equipment, hull, rigging and sails. Consideration of
victualling and storage. The list is endless, so come and talk with people who have done many ocean crossings, and
learn from their experience!
Prevention is better than cure!
Duration: 5 days
Cost: € 500
£ 400
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