RYA Start Yachting Course
" Being allowed to make mistakes and learning from them, being part of Eve’s crew. I felt very proud sailing into Fowey under a full press of sail! Dinner times and stories… the list goes on! " Tom Grahame.
Not everybody can find the time for a 5-6 day Competent Crew course, so the RYA have introduced a slimmed down version that can fit into a long weekend, the RYA Start Yachting Course. The aim is to provide a short introduction to sailing for novices or dinghy sailors. This is a ‘hands on’ course where you are the crew under the guidance and training of the skipper. You will live aboard ‘Eve of St Mawes’ in Cornwall sailing to a different destination each night and experiencing as wide a range of sailing as we can squeeze into 3 days. By the end of the RYA Start Yachting course participants will have experienced steering a yacht, sail handling, rope-work and be aware of safety on board.
Holders of a Start Yachting certificate can obtain a full Competent Crew certificate by completing the additional aspects of the longer syllabus on any sailing voyage on Eve of St Mawes (3 days or more).
Start Yachting Course Syllabus
1 The Yacht: Basic Knowledge of sea terms and parts of the boat, her rigging and sails.
2 Rope-work: Ability to tie the following knots and know their correct use: figure of eight, bowline, round turn and two half hitches, use of winches and jamming cleats, securing a rope to cleats
3 Underway: Has experienced sailing a yacht on all points of sail. Can steer a yacht under sail and power.
4 Rules of the Road: Can keep an efficient lookout at sea.
5 Meteorology: Knows where to obtain a weather forecast
6 Man overboard: Understands the action to be taken to recover a man overboard.
7 Clothing and Equipment: Understands rules for wearing of safety harnesses and lifejackets.
8 Emergency Equipment and precautions Aware of the hazards on board and action to be taken in emergency.
