RYA theory

finestgreen

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Hi; hope this is an appropriate forum for this question - I'm new to sailing and looking to progress up to completing the Coastal Skipper course reasonably quickly, and I have some questions specifically about RYA theory training.

I'm pretty confident about studying theory from books in general, would prefer to spend money on getting out on the water than sitting in the classroom, but on the other hand I can see the benefits of getting the validation of classroom training to avoid potentially falling short when committed to practical training.

So, I'm thinking of following this sequence (with some experience building interspersed as necessary)
1. Competent Crew
2. Independent self study Day Skipper theory material from books
3. Classroom course Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Coastal theory
4. Day Skipper Practical
5. Coastal Skipper Practical

Assuming I'd sufficiently grasped the Day Skipper theory, would it be difficult to do the Coastal Skipper classroom course with only Competent Crew level practical experience?

I'm aware there (probably!) isn't going to be a definitive answer here, just interested in your opinions and experiences. Thanks,
 

capnsensible

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Hiya. Mebbe you could consider swapping around your day skipper practical and doing that before coastal theory? You would probably get to grips with that course much better with a bit more background. It's quite a jump in knowledge ......in my opinion!
 

finestgreen

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Thanks - my worry is getting to the Day Skipper Practical and finding that my assumptions about how well I've learnt from the books turns out to be pure hubris :) Does that make sense? All else being equal I'd rather flub a classroom course than a week of sailing!
 

mbroom

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If you are at the level of Competent Crew, then do it and reconsider. Much better to get some experience, then look at DS
Hi; hope this is an appropriate forum for this question - I'm new to sailing and looking to progress up to completing the Coastal Skipper course reasonably quickly, and I have some questions specifically about RYA theory training.

I'm pretty confident about studying theory from books in general, would prefer to spend money on getting out on the water than sitting in the classroom, but on the other hand I can see the benefits of getting the validation of classroom training to avoid potentially falling short when committed to practical training.

So, I'm thinking of following this sequence (with some experience building interspersed as necessary)
1. Competent Crew
2. Independent self study Day Skipper theory material from books
3. Classroom course Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Coastal theory
4. Day Skipper Practical
5. Coastal Skipper Practical

Assuming I'd sufficiently grasped the Day Skipper theory, would it be difficult to do the Coastal Skipper classroom course with only Competent Crew level practical experience?

I'm aware there (probably!) isn't going to be a definitive answer here, just interested in your opinions and experiences. Thanks,
Get some experience first, then decide. I personally would forget competent crew.
 

capnsensible

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Mmm. For people new to sailing, I've always found the competent crew course a great way of introduction to it all. Living on a boat with a few other people. Cooking, cleaning, not being seasick is just as important, I think, as knots, tacking and parts of a boat.
A n instructor is paid to help people, get them to gain confidence and see if they actually like it. I reckon that's a good first step.
 

laika

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I'm pretty confident about studying theory from books in general

If the above is the case I'd say your plan is fine. Dayskipper theory is only "Yachtmaster theory Lite". Different people find different aspects of sailing easier than others. The book learnin' bits which some people struggle with I found easy whereas I'm sure there were plenty of practical aspects of sailing which others grasped more readily than me. There is of course a vast difference between knowing the theory and effectively applying the theory. The latter requires experience but you can learn the theory without much experience. You may not need to know secondary port calculations or the fishing lights in annex II for your dayskipper, but I don't see a downside to knowing it.
 

mbroom

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Mmm. For people new to sailing, I've always found the competent crew course a great way of introduction to it all. Living on a boat with a few other people. Cooking, cleaning, not being seasick is just as important, I think, as knots, tacking and parts of a boat.
A n instructor is paid to help people, get them to gain confidence and see if they actually like it. I reckon that's a good first step.
I’ve always thought of competent crew to be suitable for previously non-sailing spouses or someone just dipping their toes into sailing. Someone who wanted to do CS would presumably be able to bypass this easily and save some cash.
 

Caer Urfa

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As an RYA instructor the one course you have not mentioned which I would recommend is the RYA 'Essential Navigation & Seamanship' course which you do in class or you can buy on line , its very user/interactive friendly which you can do over time to suit yourself at home with a test Certificate (if you pass) at the end.
For the levels you are looking at you must first understand basic navigation including IRPCS rules ext to progress through other more advanced courses
Good Luck :) Essential Navigation & Seamanship course | Navigation & Seamanship Theory | Courses | Courses & Training | RYA - Royal Yachting Association
 

mbroom

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As an RYA instructor the one course you have not mentioned which I would recommend is the RYA 'Essential Navigation & Seamanship' course which you do in class or you can buy on line , its very user/interactive friendly which you can do over time to suit yourself at home with a test Certificate (if you pass) at the end.
For the levels you are looking at you must first understand basic navigation including IRPCS rules ext to progress through other more advanced courses
Good Luck :) Essential Navigation & Seamanship course | Navigation & Seamanship Theory | Courses | Courses & Training | RYA - Royal Yachting Association
I confess that I have never heard of this course. Does DS theory duplicate it?
 

TernVI

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It was a long time ago, but I did YM Offshore theory at 17, in evening classes after reading a few books and having been dinghy sailing since I was about 8.
I would suggest considering where you want to be in the long term and how you are going to get there.
For many people that might translate as 'what do I need to get YM Offshore in the next 5 years?'
For others it might be 'I like doing RYA courses they are fun weeks and good value, I will do at least one every year'.
A lot depends on whether/when you intend to buy your own boat.
Do you need the courses to learn to sail, or are you mostly using them as a path to getting the qualification?
What boating do you have access to outside of sailing schools?

I am not knocking RYA courses, far from it, but you don't need to do every step on their ladder if you are gaining experience outside.
I think YM Offshore is a great medium term (5 year plan) goal and your route to it might be different to other people's.
I think the 'tickets' like comp crew, day skipper, are valuable for many people's immediate needs, like chartering.
But it's also possible to look back and see a lot of repetition and wish you'd taken a shorter route to your goal.

OTOH, doing courses can be way cheaper than owning a boat!
 

tony_lavelle

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As an RYA instructor the one course you have not mentioned which I would recommend is the RYA 'Essential Navigation & Seamanship' course which you do in class or you can buy on line , its very user/interactive friendly which you can do over time to suit yourself at home with a test Certificate (if you pass) at the end.
For the levels you are looking at you must first understand basic navigation including IRPCS rules ext to progress through other more advanced courses
Good Luck :) Essential Navigation & Seamanship course | Navigation & Seamanship Theory | Courses | Courses & Training | RYA - Royal Yachting Association
I've never heard of this course either. How does it fit in the sequence of CC/DS/CS/YM?
 

Birdseye

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Assuming I'd sufficiently grasped the Day Skipper theory, would it be difficult to do the Coastal Skipper classroom course with only Competent Crew level practical experience?

I'm aware there (probably!) isn't going to be a definitive answer here, just interested in your opinions and experiences. Thanks,

If you have a reasonable grasp of simple vector maths, then the answer is no. The only part that my students ever found difficult was the plotting work and tides and thats where a basic level of maths comes in. That apart, its rote learning TBH.
 

capnsensible

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If you have a reasonable grasp of simple vector maths, then the answer is no. The only part that my students ever found difficult was the plotting work and tides and thats where a basic level of maths comes in. That apart, its rote learning TBH.
Not reading the question properly always seems to be a problem too!

The coastal theory course has improved enormously a few years ago. Have you been involved with it at all? I haven't taught it in the classroom but it now involves six days including four assesment papers. I've helped out a little and been through the course. I reckon it's quite a step from Day Skipper .

I wonder what the figures are for take up on Essential navigation. I've only ever taught one, ages ago. Our school sold just that one and I happen to know it's not a popular online course. I'm not a fan.
 

dulls

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Hiya. Mebbe you could consider swapping around your day skipper practical and doing that before coastal theory? You would probably get to grips with that course much better with a bit more background. It's quite a jump in knowledge ......in my opinion!
Day skipper theory to my mind is the biggest jump. Yachtmaster theory not so much because you already have the foundations. It is 30 years since i did it so i maybe wrong.
 

capnsensible

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Day skipper theory to my mind is the biggest jump. Yachtmaster theory not so much because you already have the foundations. It is 30 years since i did it so i maybe wrong.
I understand what you are saying. I've had students who have found both courses easy. One or two have really struggled. But I would say for the great majority, the coastal theory makes people work much harder to complete.
Whatever the course though, being voluntary and costing a bit, motivation is the easy part!
 

dulls

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I understand what you are saying. I've had students who have found both courses easy. One or two have really struggled. But I would say for the great majority, the coastal theory makes people work much harder to complete.
Whatever the course though, being voluntary and costing a bit, motivation is the easy part!
I must admit i cannot remember which one I found harder on the theory side at the time. I agree that you get keen students. I was an instructor for commercial tickets in Australia, A marine rescue coxwain instructor as well as commercial coxswain which is the lowest commercial ticket. Having been through the RYA system i often wished our syllabus was based on the RYA syllabus as i could compare both directly. Every Rya course was strong on the subjects that really mattered. The Queensland certification never hit the right points with sufficient strength.
 

JumbleDuck

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The coastal theory course has improved enormously a few years ago. Have you been involved with it at all? I haven't taught it in the classroom but it now involves six days including four assesment papers. I've helped out a little and been through the course. I reckon it's quite a step from Day Skipper .
Thirty years ago I taught Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper in evening classes. The scope of the two was more-or-less the same, just with a bit more depth to the CS. We generally found that most people with some sailing experience could easily start with CS, though DS was good for those who hadn't been in a boat much or whose maths was rocky. Both excellent courses, though I gather they have changed a lot since ... we spent time on Decca and Loran but barely mentioned GPS ...
 

dulls

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Thirty years ago I taught Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper in evening classes. The scope of the two was more-or-less the same, just with a bit more depth to the CS. We generally found that most people with some sailing experience could easily start with CS, though DS was good for those who hadn't been in a boat much or whose maths was rocky. Both excellent courses, though I gather they have changed a lot since ... we spent time on Decca and Loran but barely mentioned GPS ...
What has changed over the years just out of interest?
 

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What has changed over the years just out of interest?
The metrication of charts, this new fangled Cardinal bouyage system, the magic know as GPS, radar sets that you could fit on a small boat and not need a small nuclear power station to generate power, and the way the courses are delivered with the withdrawal of local education funding for adult learning.
 
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