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Sailboat

RYA Competent Crew Practical Course

The RYA Competent Crew practical sailing course teaches the basics of sailing and the skills you need to be an effective crew member on a cruising yacht. The course is suitable for beginners with no experience.


The course runs for 5 consecutive days from our base in Ramsgate. It is possible that for operational reasons and to ensure the highest quality of instruction that the course may finish at an alternative destination in which case private transport will be provided back to Ramsgate or to suitable public transport if preferred.


You will learn how to steer the yacht on a compass heading and “to the wind”, how to hoist, lower, set and trim sails, operate winches, tie various sailing knots and how to prepare the yacht to enter or leave harbour. You will learn how to raise and lower the anchor, pick up a mooring buoy and take part in a man overboard recovery drill.


Over the 5 days we will visit a number of different anchorages and/or marinas and you will live on board for 4 nights with the other students and the instructor. There will be an opportunity to experience a few hours night sailing. All meals are provided on board but there will be opportunities to go ashore during some evenings.


The course will begin in Ramsgate at 09.00 on the first day of the course and finish by 17.00 on the last day. The sailing area is likely to be from Ramsgate to the Thames Estuary, the Medway and the Essex and Suffolk coasts.


Pre-Course Requirements

  • Minimum age of 12. All under 18’s to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

  • No sailing experience required.
     

What’s Included?

  • Accomodation onboard

  • All meals (except breakfast on day 1 and dinner on the final day)

  • Tea/Coffee and snacks

  • An allocated bunk

  • Undersheet, pillow and pillowcase

  • All safety equipment including personal issue lifejacket

  • All mooring fees

  • Fuel and gas

  • RYA Certificate/Qualification card


Course Syllabus
By the time you have completed your RYA Competent Crew Course with Ramsgate Sailing
you will have covered the following

  • Knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat, her rigging and sails

  • Sufficient knowledge to understand orders given concerning the sailing and day to

  • day running of the yacht

  • Bending on, setting, reefing and handling of sails

  • Us of sheets and halyards and their associated winches

  • Handling ropes including coiling, stowing, securing to cleats and bollards

  • Handling warps

  • Ability to tie the following knots and to know their correct use; round turn and two half hitches, bowline, figure of eight, clove hitch, single and double sheet bend, rolling hitch and reef knot

  • Fire precautions and fire fighting – fire hazards, prevention, extinguishers and actions to be taken

  • Personal safety equipment – rules and use of safety harnesses and lifejackets.

  • Prevention of man overboard risk.

  • Man overboard – actions to be taken to recover a man overboard

  • Emergency equipment – marine VHF radio, flares, life raft

  • Manners and customs – flags, ensigns and burgees, courtesy to neighbouring yachts in harbour, responsibility to the environment

  • Rules of the road – maintaining an effective lookout at sea, assessing collision risk

  • Dinghies – loading, safety, handling under oars

  • Meteorology – weather forecast and where to get them, the Beaufort wind scale

  • Helmsmanship and sailing skills, the principles of sailing and sail trim, sailing manoeuvres – going about and gybing, points of sail

  • Steering a compass course under sail and power, sailing close-hauled

Navy Wave
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