RYA Competent Crew Course
The RYA Competent Crew course is an ideal course for beginners or anyone with limited experience wanting to learn to sail. You will be taught basic seamanship and helmsmanship in the sheltered waters of The Solent. During the 5 day Competent Crew course you will get a chance to steer, handle sails, be part of the crew and gain hands on practical sailing experience! Our RYA instructors are very experienced and will ensure you learn in a safe environment as well as ensuring your time on the water is as enjoyable as possible. After the course you will have a taste to do more sailing and further your skills and experience and should have become a useful crew member on board a sailing yacht. Read feedback from students who have taken their Competent Crew course with us below.
The Competent Crew course is ideal for dinghy sailors wishing to learn to sail a cruising yacht and for those who have already done some sailing but want to learn a bit more about crewing safely and using the correct techniques. The course is designed to help you become a safe and proficient crew member whilst having fun out on the water and ashore.
You can take the RYA Competent Crew course as a 5 day course or over 3 weekends. We also offer a 2 and 3 day weekend option to make up the 5 days.
You can choose any 3 weekends from our programme to complete your course. You will receive 6 days tuition with the extra day free of charge compared with taking the course over 2 weekends.
You will be awarded a Competent Crew course certificate for completing this course.
After completing the RYA Competent Crew course you will then be able to progress on to the RYA Day Skipper theory and RYA Day Skipper practical courses.
Course Information
| Duration | 5 days | Maximum students: instructor | 5:1 |
| Location | Solent | Minimum age | All ages although under 18s must be accompanied by an adult |
| What’s included | Accommodation on board one of our Bavaria yachts Breakfast, lunch, evening meal * and drinks on board, berthing fees, free hire of wet weather gear. | Extras | Evening meal ashore on joining evening or weekend courses, log book if required £5.50 |
| When | Friday evening 1900hrs to Wednesday afternoon 1600hrs or Sunday evening 1900hrs to Friday afternoon 1600hrs. Also 3 weekends. All year round | Don’t forget | Anything you cannot travel without as we cannot cater for everyone’s special favourites! |
| Let us know about | Any special dietary requirements and needs. Please note, we will do our best to cater for vegetarian diets or food allergies but not general food fads! Please call the office if in doubt. | Cost | October – March £425.00- £555.00 April – September £525.00 - £595.00 |
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Feedback
FEEDBACK - Competent Crew Student Reviews
Having found my land legs, can now email you !!Attended your `Competent Crew` course 21st Oct – 26th Oct 2013.Totally surpassed my expectations. Was truly a wonderful experience and now totally sold my soul to sailing !!Neil was a fantastic instructor. Great guidance and knowledge, coupled with a brill sense of humour. Thankfully, didn’t have to taste his culinary skills !!Looking now to book for Skipper course in New Year with Commodore.
Michael - Competent Crew October 2012
Would recommend Commodore to anyone who wants sailing in their blood. Neil was an excellent instructor, calm, knowledgeable and patient – really impressed AND he has helped me fall in love with sailing!!!
Bev - Competent Crew, August 2012
Brilliant Course. Skipper pitched all tuition at the right level. Varying crew levels worked well.
Ian - Competent Crew, July 2012
What made the course for me was Stuart’s friendly and precise delivery. He has a real knack to getting his points across and making you feel that you had a positive experience. Great course, thank you!
Kevin - Competent Crew, March 2012
Friendly, relaxed, good tuition. Hope to do Day Skipper shortly – will give you a call!
Richard - Competent Crew, March 2012
Recommended reading
The RYA Competent Crew book is the official course notebook for the RYA Competent Crew Course but it isalso essential reading for anyone who has limited yachting experience.
It gives advice on basic crewing techniques an seamanship and is designed to help you make sense of your first few days on board a yacht.
Publisher: RYA · Format: Paperback · Pages: 76 · Dimensions: 210 x 145mm · Edition: 2002 (reprinted: 2012) · ISBN: 9780901501875
Syllabus
The RYA Competent Crew course introduces the complete beginner to cruising and teaches personal safety, seamanship and helmsmanship to the level required to be a useful member of crew of a cruising yacht.
- 1. 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 boat.
- 2. Sail Handling
- Bending on, setting, reefing and handling of sails
- Use of sheets and halyards and their associated winches
- 3. Ropework
- 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
- Awareness of the hazards of fire and the precautions necessary to prevent fireb. Knowledge of the action to be taken in the event of fire
- 5. Personal safety equipment
- Understands and complies with rules for the wearing of safety harnesses, lifejackets and personal buoyancy aids
- 6. Man overboard
- Understands the action to be taken to recover a man overboard
- 7. Emergency equipment
- Can operate distress flares and knows when they should be used
- Understands how to launch and board a liferaft
- 8. Manners and customs
- Understands accepted practice with regard to: use of burgees and ensigns, prevention of unnecessary noise or disturbance in harbour including courtesies to other craft berthed
- Aware of the responsibility of yacht skippers to protect the environment
- 9. Rules of the road
- Is able to keep and efficient lookout at sea
- 10. Dinghies
- Understands and complies with the loading rules. Is able to handle a dinghy under oars
- 11. Meteorology
- Awareness of forecasting services and knowledge of the Beaufort scale
- 12. Seasickness
- Working efficiency is unaffected/partially affected/severely affected by seasickness
- 13. Helmsmanship and sailing
- Understands the basic principles of sailing and can steer and trim sails on all points of sailing
- Can steer a compass course, under sail and power
- 14. General duties
- Has carried out general duties satisfactorily on deck and below decks in connection with the daily routine of the vessel
* Evening meals taken ashore on weekend courses.
