RYA Courses – Competent Crew, Day Skipper ISAF Offshore Safety

RYA practical courses are available on Wild Spirit and are run via Hayling Sea School. Phil and I are the Instructors and we operate a bit differently from other sea schools as we do less than 10 courses each a year. The logic is simple, we teach sailing because we enjoy it, but running a course properly is really intensive work so if you do too many you go ‘off the boil’ which gives sub standard results. We don’t do ‘sub standard’, whether it is on tuition, food, hidden extras or any other aspect of a RYA course. We will teach you to sail whilst fully completing the RYA course, if you are seeking a fast track/ minimum experience/ scrape through we are not for you. Others may say you can pass Day Skipper in 9 days but the RYA specify 116 hrs continuous for the practical and 37 teaching hours for the theory and to us that adds up to more than 9 days. Day Skipper practical is the basic driving licence that gives you the International Certificate of Competency and lets you charter a Yacht abroad. If it has our name on it then it’s done properly.
What you will get is
1) A committed and really experienced skipper/ instructor
2) Good food and plenty of it, but you will be doing some of the work in the Galley-it’s part of the course
3) Wild Spirit has completed Fastnets and sailed round Britain and Ireland, she meets all the legal requirements and has Radar, AIS and lots of other extras on board as well
4) No hidden extras, Oilskins are included, all marina/mooring fees are included
5) Wild Spirit is 40 foot long and ‘Coded’ for 10 people, we have a maximum of 6 on board and we will only take 4 Day Skippers per course. We prefer a mix of Day Skippers and Competent Crew as our experience is that this combination is best for all the students.
6) Sensible advice before the course, advice on how to get the most out of your chosen path in sailing after completing Competent Crew or passing Day Skipper.

It is clear that Annual Leave is just as much an issue for some as cost so for 2012 we are offering the opportunity to take RYA qualifications during a leg of our cruise round Ireland. So you could learn to sail, obtain your Competent Crew or Day Skipper qualification and have a really great 2 week holiday all at the same time.

Upcoming Courses

Call 01823 433 813 or email info@wildspirit.co.uk for more details.

ID	Join	Likely Finish	Event	Price	Spaces
WS71	20 May 17:00	25 May 17:00	RYA Course	£-	0	Email Wild Spirit
			The cruising weekend starting on 26/4 has been extended so this course is not running.
WS74	4 Jun 00:00	13 Jun 00:00	Bareboat to qualified Skipper	£-	1	Email Wild Spirit
			Wild spirit available bareboat during this period to qualified skippers.
WS78	16 Jul 17:00	21 Jul 09:00	RYA Course – Milford Haven	£550	0	Email Wild Spirit
			5 Day RYA Competent Crew or Day Skipper Practical courses. Only £395 if booked and deposit paid before 1st June Provisionally full.

Scroll down for a full list of RYA Courses on Wild Spirit in 2012

RYA Courses on Wild Spirit

Wild Spirit is fully equipped to run Royal Yachting Association (RYA) courses. Competent Crew & Day Skipper and ISAF Offshore safety courses are run in association with Hayling Sea School a recognised RYA centre and are suitable if you have not sailed before or want to brush up on your crewing skills, or qualify as a Day Skipper.

Why choose Wild Spirit

There are quite a few Sailing Schools and in my opinion not all of them are as open as they should be. So here are some reasons for choosing us and a few examples of small print etc from others.

1) We fully meet RYA requirements. The course has to last a minimum of 116 hours (5 nights on board)–some companies shorten the courses—see examples below. When you pass the Day Skipper course it effectively gives you a basic ‘Yacht Driving Licence’. If it’s got our name on it we are going to do it right—giving someone a Licence to take their family sailing after a non-compliant course is something we will not be part of.

2) We don’t do hidden extras. The price includes plenty of good food, all mooring and other fees, fuel etc. If you want alcoholic drinks ashore in the evening it is up to you, we don’t sell wine but if you want some to drink with your evening meal bring some, the instructor will also bring a couple of bottles—we don’t sponge off students. We do not drink and sail but when we have finished the course work and are safely tied up for the night we often have a beer ashore or glass of wine on board. Arrangements for Ireland are different with more meals out and contributions for Dinners.

3) We include all meals. Often the students decide on one Dinner out but it isn’t compulsory and we are quite happy to have all meals on board. Courses around Ireland will have a kitty for evening meals in ports as we also buy the wine out of it. The course syllabus includes the ability to provision a yacht and cook on board and by the end of the week we will have at least got through the basics.

4) We also include the free loan of Oilskins if you don’t have them—no arriving to find it is an extra £30 for them. We need to know in advance for sizes. We don’t do boots for hygiene reasons.

5) Wild Spirit is 40 foot long; she complies with the safety requirements for the Fastnet race as well as all RYA ones. Compare the height of a half pint and a pint glass then think of it as comparing a 36’ yacht with 40’, much more space and comfort on a Yacht that has sailed round Britain and Ireland.

6) We have two regular very experienced Instructors Paul 01823 433813 and Phil 07803 176 977 and you are welcome to call us to ask any questions.

7) We are based at Lymington Yacht Haven with good facilities, rail links and plenty of free parking. Consider arriving early for the course and going for a walk in the New Forest National Park which starts on the edge of the Marina car park.

Examples of competitors—from web search on 13/2/2011
Price Includes:
5 days practical instruction.
4 nights accommodation aboard our yacht.
Pillows and pillow cases. Lifejackets.

Not Included and payable at end of the course:
Contribution to food – breakfasts, lunches and 1 evening meal: approx £5 per person per day (other evening meals are taken ashore Mooring fees:- approx £5 per person per day.
Evening meals are not included, although you may cook aboard if you wish. A proportion of mooring fees (split between those aboard) are you only additional expense.
www.yachting-school.co.uk
Run Monday to Friday this RYA Competent Crew…
lagoon.accessplanit.com
Fortunately there are not all like the above and some like us offer fully compliant courses and no hidden extras. E.g
• First rate professional instructors
• Smart, clean, well-maintained modern yachts
• Heated cabins, GPS, Radar etc
• High quality fresh food always – no junk!
• All meals included from dinner on the night you join
• No hidden extra charges for marinas, compulsory meals ashore etc
• Good breathable wet weather gear hire at just £10

http://www.elitesailing.co.uk/2004/practicalcourses.htm).

Wild Spirit’s price includes really good on board food, all Marina and RYA fees, fuel etc plus free loan of Oilies if you need them. Your only extra costs are if you go ashore to eat or drink. This is unlike some of our competitors where the ‘Kitty’ is only mentioned when you get on board. Competent Crew does not require any theory or previous experience. Running a mix of Comp Crew and Day Skipper works very well–better than all DS or all CC.

I recommend Day Skipper for anyone who wants to go on a Yachting holiday. Many Flotilla companies require it (or the ICC it automatically gives) for their holidays. We also do boat handling courses focussing on mooring etc, ideal if you have the qualifications but not sailed for a while. Don’t expect to go to France! Do expect to visit several Solent Ports and get familiar with them. Hard work and good fun. As the duration of our courses fully meet RYA requirements for a minimum of 116 hrs on board, it also takes off some of the pressure if weather is bad. Our food is much better than most plus we have full heating etc on board which is useful on courses later in the year including the ever popular Boxing Day afternoon to New Years Eve one. Cost is inclusive (oilies, log book, good food, fuel, fees etc)

Anyone completing a standard course with us gets a £50 discount of any normal price cruise or race. These are great for building miles and confidence. Qualifying passages for Yachtmaster are also possible. Courses can be arranged on other dates please give me a call to discuss. . Trips across Channel are ‘Qualifying Passages’ for RYA qualifications.

Wild Spirit has a full diesel fired heating system plus electric heating, hot water, twin heads with showers, integrated Radar/GPS/autohelm etc. She has 8 berths and can take 10 for day work. Max number on most trips is 6 including me, max pupils on RYA course is 5, although we normally only take 4 if they are all doing Day Skipper. Price includes, lots of good food, marina fees, fuel, Oilskins etc. Meals ashore are extra, we will normally have at least one good meal ashore per trip sometimes more, you can stay on board and eat if you wish but no-one ever has. I provide some wine and you are welcome to bring some, but we only drink when tied up safely. If you are comparing us with other schools why not ask to speak to the instructor who will run the course, ask them about it, what extras are there and what the food is like? .

Updated 24/4/12

Wild Spirit RYA Courses – Full Listing up to September 2012

Call 01823 433 813 or email info@wildspirit.co.uk for more details.

ID	Join	Likely Finish	Event	Price	Spaces
WS71	20 May 17:00	25 May 17:00	RYA Course	£-	0	Email Wild Spirit
			The cruising weekend starting on 26/4 has been extended so this course is not running.
WS74	4 Jun 00:00	13 Jun 00:00	Bareboat to qualified Skipper	£-	1	Email Wild Spirit
			Wild spirit available bareboat during this period to qualified skippers.
WS78	16 Jul 17:00	21 Jul 09:00	RYA Course – Milford Haven	£550	0	Email Wild Spirit
			5 Day RYA Competent Crew or Day Skipper Practical courses. Only £395 if booked and deposit paid before 1st June Provisionally full.
WS83	9 Sep 17:00	14 Sep 17:00	RYA Course	£425	3	Email Wild Spirit
			5 Day RYA Competent Crew or Day Skipper Practical courses. Save £100–only £325 if booked before 1st June and paid by BACS or Cheque.