Hi Guys,
I am looking to get in to yachting and just seeking some advice as to the best courses to do. I have a lot of dinghy sailing experience so not a complete novice, but limited experience on yachts. The ultimate aim is to be able to charter yachts for a holiday etc. I know some places you don't require an official qualification but for my own peace of mind I would like to develop some competency beforehand. I guess in the long run I would like to work towards a yacht master certificate.
Can you go straight in to an RYA Day Skipper Course? Or do you have to do a course like RYA Competent Crew first?
Any advice would be much appreciated, Thanks!
Hi greav89,
if all you want a qual for is to charter a bareboat, a Competent Crew is all you'll need. The few bareboat operators Imhave used didnt even require that. They just took you out for half an hour to assess your skills.
As for a Yacht Masters certificate, I would start at the day skipper and work up (I've been looking at doing the same and this is the decision I have come up with). Not being a novice either I have not sailed in nearly 10 years (power boats in that time), so I would use it as a refresher.
the third option is what someone else said on another post recently. Just go to a club on a weekend and ask to crew for races. Or buy a boat and just do it....
Buy a cheap little yacht, fix whatever needs fixing and take it sailing.
This is the most comprehensive sailing course you can ever do.
If you buy a Top Hat, you cannot go wrong. 
She will look after you and they are [wrongly I might add] cheap at the moment.
I've been through the RYA day and coastal skipper courses. When finishing my day skipper I was given the ICC paperwork to apply which I've been told is required for most European bare boat charters.
I enjoyed both courses with the emphasis on navigation and berthing maneuvers. Gave me the confidence from basic sailing skills to skippering. I would imagine it could make for a more enjoyable less stressful holiday
I think competent crew is more for people who haven't set foot on a sailing vessel what so ever.
I am in the process of organizing five people to do a Day Skipper course with Flying Fish at MHYC. If we manage 5 heads, there is a 20% discount so each of us would save $280 which is not too shabby.
If any of you guys or gals would be interested, your inquiries would be most welcome ! I own a yacht, we could go out on that for training, without any cost to participants. BYO food and drink.
Send me a pm! We need a few more heads.
