Course Details – RYA Competent Crew

This a 5 Days/Nights RYA Sail Cruising Course with the RYA Photo-ID Licence-Card Certificate those wanting to gain the confidence, skills & knowledge to charter or flotilla worldwide, including in places like Greece, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Spain, BVI, Thailand and others. It’s an enjoyable and continually-assessed sail cruising course week.

The course runs with multiple yachts, every week from the 5-Gold-Anchor Largs Yacht Haven on Scotland’s West Coast. Each yacht runs with 4/5 on-board, with mixed abilities on our flexible-learning basis. Couples, Individuals & Family Groups join us every week and can do different levels together – Check-In/Arrival is from 1830hrs on Sundays, you stay with us from the time you arrive and each day/night is spent at different islands/ports/marinas.

You will be visiting different ports, islands or marinas with the opportunity to explore the local area when you’re not sailing – whilst all on-board meals, snacks and drinks are included – most of those joining us want this to be an enjoyable cruising experience-week also, and groups may wish to form a kitty to eat or drink ashore at a local restaurants or pubs aswell, or visit some of the attractions at the places they visit.

All on-board meals, snacks and drinks are included, fuel & gas, all safety equipment and RYA Certification & Registration – as well as free access to our RYA Day Skipper / Yachtmaster Video Lesson Suite (whilst available!). Free Secure Parking is available on-site, as well as EV Charging.

RYA Competent Crew is attended by those that don’t necessarily have a lot of prior sailing experience – any past sailing experience throughout your life is helpful, and the course can be preceded by the RYA Start Yachting Course or a Level 2 Dinghy Sailing Course – you don’t need to have done these courses or have any certificates, but basic sailing ability is important, with 5 Days / 100 Miles / 4 Night-Hours as a good pre-course minimum, as well as navigation / theory knowledge to the RYA Day Skipper level – gained either through personal experience, an online or classroom course or self-study to that level –

Nobody coming on this course is an expert by any means, and most are either ‘very rusty’ or have no experience at all! – you can come along and talk with your RYA Instructor and see how many of the 14-sections of Competent Crew you can sign-off – or even move between RYA Competent Crew and RYA Day Skipper depending on how you get on!

Amazon – Pass Your Day Skipper >

RYA.org.uk – Competent Crew Details >

THE COURSE SYLLBUS INCLUDES: Knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat, her rigging and sails, sail handling, ropework, fire precautions and fighting, personal safety equipment, man overboard, emergency equipment, meteorology, seasickness, helmsmanship, general duties, manners. Also get involved with Preparation for sea, yacht handling under power, yacht handling under sail, passage making, night cruising (you will do at least 4 night-hours actually on the course!) – some marina berthing can be an element of the course to help you build confidence towards a RYA Day Skipper certificate in future!

YOU NEED TO BRING: A sleeping bag or bedding, a range of clothing for on-board and ashore, hat, sunglasses, two pairs of shoes and/or pair of wellies, some pocket or spending money, toiletries & a towel, phone-charger and cable, a medium-sized holdall-style bag (avoid suitcases!) You don’t need to buy any specialist clothing, but if you have an outdoor jacket and pair of waterproof overtrousers you can bring them – or you can hire Sailing Waterproof Jacket or Trousers on arrival, without pre-booking, from just £3/day.

TYPICAL CRUISING DESTINATIONS: Tarbert, Portavadie, Lochranza, Isle of Arran, Lamlash, Isle of Bute, Kyles of Bute, Rothesay, Port Bannatyne, Troon, Ardrossan, Campbeltown, Holy Loch, Inverkip, Rhu, Great Cumbrae Island, Colintraive – EXPLORE THE SAILING DESTINATIONS HERE! >

DURATION & TRAVEL: The course is 5-Days/Nights Sun-Fri from 1830 on the Sunday at ScotSail, Largs Yacht Haven – you’ll can expect to be able to get away from around c.1230-1530 on the Friday of return. There is free secure parking at Largs Yacht Haven Marina. There are direct transfers from Glasgow Airport and Glasgow Central Train Station (about 45-minutes). As a driving guide, it’s about 2-Hours from Edinburgh, 4-Hours from Preston or 6-Hours from Birmingham. Map >

HOW TO BOOK: You can find a date and book securely online 24/7 by Clicking Here – it’s just £49pp deposit to reserve a date, and you can cancel for a full refund of anything paid or change your date or add/remove people at any time up to 28-Days Prior to Departure with no penalty or charges. If you need to cancel or change your date within 28-Days we have an easy online system to request this, and we will let someone else book your space from our website and waiting list, thereby allowing you to move your start-date for free if they do. If you have to cancel at short notice, we even have a Sailing Standby List, letting people who couldn’t attend come sailing for free whenever we have free places on-board! READ ON BELOW TO SEE DATES.