RYA TUITION – PRACTICAL COURSES

“This course is for the newcomer to sailing or for someone who has a little dinghy sailing but no cruising experience.”

Competent Crew syllabus (from RYA G15/12 book):

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

1. • Sufficient knowledge to understand orders given concerning the sailing and day-to-day running of the boat

2.     Sail handling

1. • Bending on, setting, reefing and handling of sails
   • Use of sheets and halyards and their associated winches

3.     Ropework

1. • Use sheets and halyards and their associated winches
   • Handling ropes, including coiling, stowing, securing to cleats and single and double bollards
   • Handling warps
   • Ability to tie the following knots and to know their correct use: figure of eight, clove hitch, rolling hitch, bowline, round turn and two half hitches, single and double sheet bend, reef knot

4.     Fire precautions and fighting

1. • Awareness of the hazards of fire and the precautions necessary to prevent fire
   • Knowledge of the action to be taken in event of fire

5.     Personal safety equipment

1. • Understand and complies with rules for the wearing of safety harness, life jackets and personal buoyancy aids

6.     Man overboard

1. • Understand the action to be taken to recover a man overboard
   • How cold-water shock can affect a casualty in the water

7.     Emergency equipment

1. • Can operate distress flares and knows when they should be used
   • Understand how to launch and board a liferaft

8.     Manners and customs

1. • Understand accepted practice with regard to: use of burgees and ensigns, prevention of unnecessary noise or disturbance in harbor including courtesies to other berthed craft
   • Aware of the responsibility of yacht skippers to protect the environment

9.     Rules of the road

1. • Is able to keep an efficient lookout at sea

10.    Dinghies

1. • Understand and complies with the loading loads
   • The use and importance of a kill cord
   • Safety equipment for tenders
   • Is able to handle a dinghy under oars

11.    Meteorology

1. • The Beaufort scale
   • The forecasting services and where to obtain a forecast

12.    Seasickness

1. • Working efficiency is unaffected/partially affected/severely affected by seasickness (Delete as applicable)

13.    Helmsmanship and Sailing

1. • The basic principles of sailing
   • Can steer and trim sails on all points of sailing
   • Can steer a compass course, under sail and power

14.    General Duties

1. • Can carry out general duties satisfactorily on deck and below decks in connection with the daily routine of the vessel

“This is a beginner’s skippering course which does for skippers what the Competent Crew does for crew. It concentrates on the three most difficult aspects of skippering a yacht for the beginner: pilotage, navigation and boat handling. Teach up to the standard required to skipper a small cruising yacht safely by day in familiar tidal waters.”

Day Skipper Tidal syllabus (from RYA G15/12 book):

1.     Preparation for sea

1. • Knowledge of basic stability and buoyancy for small vessels
   • Is able to prepare a yacht for sea, including engine checks, selection of sails, securing and stowing of all gear on deck and bellow

2.     Deck work

1. • Can reef, shake out reefs and change sails to suit prevailing conditions
   • Can prepare an anchor, mooring warps and take charge on deck when mooring alongside, coming to a buoy, anchoring, weighing anchor and slipping from a buoy or an alongside berth

3.     Navigation

1. • Is proficient in chartwork and routine navigational duties on passage including:
   • Taking and plotting visual fixes
   • Use of electronic navigational equipment for position fixing
   • Use secondary means of position fixing
   • Use of waypoints and routes
   • Working up Dead Reckoning (DR) and Estimated Position (EP)
   • Estimated tidal heights and tidal streams
   • Working out course to steer to allow for tidal stream, leeway and drift
   • Knowledge of IALA buoyage
   • Maintenance of navigational records
   • Use of echo sounder and lead line
   • Knowledge of the uses and limitations of AIS

4.     Pilotage

1. • Can prepare and execute a pilotage plan for entry into, or departure from, harbour
   • Understand the use of leading and clearing lines
   • Use of transits and soundings as aids to pilotage

5.     Meteorology

1. • Knows sources of forecast information
   • Can interpret shipping forecasts and use a barometer as a forecasting aid

6.     Rule of the road

1. • Has a working knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

7.     Maintenance and repair work

1. • Understand and is able to carry out maintenance tasks
   • Knows the properties and uses of common synthetic fibre ropes

8.     Engines

1. • Has a working knowlegde of the prevention of common engine faults and is competent in the following areas:
   • The need for periodic maintenance checks on engines and electrical installations
   • Requirements for tool kits, spares and lubricants
   • The location of filters and bleed points for fuel
   • The tension of drive belts and how to adjust or replace them
   • Can carry out checks before starting, while running and after stopping
   • Clean water filters and knows the location of impellors
   • Estimate fuel consumption at various speeds and knows the effects of fouling
   • Basic troubleshooting

9.     Victualling

1. • Understand how to victual a yacht appropriately for the planned passage

10.    Emergency situations

1. • Is able to take correct action as skipper for recovery of a man overboard
   • Understand distress flares and how to use a liferaft
   • Can operate a radiotelephone in a emergency and send a distress message
   • Understand how to secure a tow
   • Understand rescue procedures including helicopter rescue
   • The effects of cold-water shock on a casualty in the water
   • The aftercare requirements of a casualty who has been in the water

11.    Yacht handling under power

1. • Knowlegde of effects of waves on boat handling and crew comfort
   • Understands differing styles of hull and propulsion systems
   • Understands how to moor and leave a bow/stern-to mooring (practical experience where possible)
   • Can carry out the following manoeuvres under power in various wind and tide conditions:
     • Steer a straight course
     • Turn in a confined space
     • Anchor at a pre-determined position
     • Berth alongside
     • Leave an alongside berth
     • Pick up a mooring buoy
     • Be aware of other water users
   • Can bring a boat safely to and from an alongside berth, bow/stern-to mooring, mooring buoy and anchor under various conditions of wind and tide

12.    Yacht handling under sail

1. • Understand the characteristics of different types of keel
   • Can bring a boat safely to and from a mooring buoy and anchor under various conditions of wind and tide
   • Can steer and trim sails effectively on all points of sailing

13.    Passage making

1. • Knowlegde of marina locks
   • Understand the practical benefits and limitations of a chart plotter or GNSS
   • Can plan and make a coastal passage, taking account of relevant navigational hazards, local weather patterns and limitations imposed by the type of boat and the strength of the crew

14.    Night cruising

1. • Has experienced sail cruising at night, including leaving and entering harbour.
   • Understand the special consideration for pilotage plans, keeping a lookout and identifying marks by night

“Advanced skippering techniques for yachtsmen and women with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation, wanting to undertake coastal passages by day and night.”

Coastal Skipper syllabus (from RYA G15/12 book):

1.     Passage planning

1. • The effects of fouling on boat speed and fuel consumption
   • Fuel consumption at different speeds and can calculate fuel required for a passage including reserve
   • Customs procedures
   • Stability
   • Can plan a coastal passage including a consideration of the capability of the yacht, navigation, victualling, weather, ports of refuge, tidal heights and tidal streams, publications required and strategy

2.     Preparation for sea

1. • Is aware of safety equipment required for offshore passages
   • Can prepare a yacht for sea including stowage, safety briefing, watch keeping, delegating responsibilities and equipment and engine checks

3.     Pilotage

1. • Can prepare a pilotage plan, with consideration of soundings, transits, clearing bearings, buoyage, port or harbour regulations and tidal considerations
   • Can pilot a yacht by day and night

4.     Passage making and ability as skipper

1. • Understands the practical uses of integrated electronic aids to navigation, including AIS, radar, electronic navigational charts (ENCs) and raster navigational charts (RNCs)
   • Can take charge of a yacht and direct the crew.
   • Can organise the navigation, clockwork and domestic duties of a yacht on passage
   • Is aware of the significance of meteorological trends
   • Is aware of crew welfare on passage
   • Can use electronic navigational equipment for planning and undertaking a passage, including the use of waypoints and routes

5.     Yacht handling under power

1. • Can control the yacht effectively in a confined space under power
   • All berthing and unberthing situations in various conditions of wind and tide
   • Avoid excessive use of power

6.     Yacht handling under sail

1. • Can use the sails to control the yacht in a confined space
   • Anchoring and mooring in various conditions of wind and tide
   • Can sail efficiently on all points of sailing, including downwind techniques

7.     Adverse weather conditions

1. • How to handle a cruising vessel in strong winds
   • General conduct in restricted visibility
   • Preparation for heavy weather and yacht handling in strong winds
   • Navigation and general conduct in restricted visibility

8.     Emergency situations

1. • Recovery of man overboard under power and sail
   • How to carry out the aftercare requirements on a casualty who has been in the water
   • Can describe to a crew member the effects of cold-water shock on a casualty who has been in the water
   • Understands action to be taken when abandoning to the liferaft and during helicopter and lifeboat rescues