chop
New member
Any reccommendations good or bad for South Coast establishments that run practical courses from anyone ?
day.coastal skipper
- Thread starter chop
- Start date
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
billmacfarlane
Active member
I agree with Ken . I did a Coastal Skipper course with them last month. The boat's aren't paticularly brilliant but the tuition is excellent.
G
Guest
Guest
There's Capital Sailing who run shore based courses in London but practicle out of Southampton
http://www.capsail.freeserve.co.uk/index.html
I have only done the day skipper and just starting yachtmaster theory with them so far but teaching staff have been great.
Hope the boats are OK as I have signed up to be crew on their boat for the 2003 Fastnet
http://www.capsail.freeserve.co.uk/index.html
I have only done the day skipper and just starting yachtmaster theory with them so far but teaching staff have been great.
Hope the boats are OK as I have signed up to be crew on their boat for the 2003 Fastnet
Joe_Cole
New member
Yes, Southern Sailing are excellent.
A little more expensive, but worth every penny.
Joe
A little more expensive, but worth every penny.
Joe
rhinorhino
New member
For a different approach, small but flexible try Terry Rowe at Go Sail in Cowes. The e-mail is terry@gosail.co.uk they also have a web-site.
With a bigger school (like Southern) you are largely at the mercy of whichever instructor you get that week, I have had very very good and one of the worst I've ever had from Southern. Quite funny really, Instructor got very upset when he asked one of the students how much he earned, he replied £10K instructor said how can you afford to sail, student replied that's a week! After that big social frost, plus we ran aground a few times and teaching method seemed to be to destroy students confidence.
Avoid Sunsail if you can.
Just a personal view.
With a bigger school (like Southern) you are largely at the mercy of whichever instructor you get that week, I have had very very good and one of the worst I've ever had from Southern. Quite funny really, Instructor got very upset when he asked one of the students how much he earned, he replied £10K instructor said how can you afford to sail, student replied that's a week! After that big social frost, plus we ran aground a few times and teaching method seemed to be to destroy students confidence.
Avoid Sunsail if you can.
Just a personal view.
andyorr
Member
Did Day Skip Prac with Plymouth S.S. Good price as it was all inclusive - no mooring fees, fuel, meals at all - at £350/person not bad. 4 to a boat but my 11 year old came free and did Comp Crew!
chriscallender
Active member
Another question I've been wondering about - is it worth doing the RYA/DoT exam at the end of the coastal skipper practical course, if you have no intention of becoming a professional skipper? For example do charter companies looking at qualifications regard you more highly if you've got the exam pass as well as the coastal skipper course completion certificate? Or should I just concentrate on learning from the course instructor and not worry too much about spending the extra money on the exam fee at the end?
I'm doing the coastal/yachtmaster shorebased course just now, so I'm looking to do the practical next year.
I'm doing the coastal/yachtmaster shorebased course just now, so I'm looking to do the practical next year.
Kathryn
New member
I would recommend Rockley Cruising School now known as saiUK. You can email them at SailUK@aol.com
Happy Sailing
Happy Sailing
tome
New member
Not a fan of Sunsail, but...
My wife did her day skipper with them this year and she had a superb instructor and good company on a brand new boat. She couldn't have wished for better and I was very happy with the result! Her skipper (Sam) has since been selected as skipper of New York Clipper in the Times Clipper race.
Maybe she was just lucky, but my concience couldn't ignore your post
My wife did her day skipper with them this year and she had a superb instructor and good company on a brand new boat. She couldn't have wished for better and I was very happy with the result! Her skipper (Sam) has since been selected as skipper of New York Clipper in the Times Clipper race.
Maybe she was just lucky, but my concience couldn't ignore your post
rhinorhino
New member
You are right, it was wrong of me to tar an entire (and very large) firm with such a broad brush. I am sure they have good instructors, I just seem to have run into (well more literally been run into by) some of their less good ones. Boats may be new but while along side one (location and name withheld for the sake of the skipper) I got the candid view that the deck gear had all been speced down to a price and was not really up to the job.
As I say just a personal view, based on a snapshot of a very big firm.
As I say just a personal view, based on a snapshot of a very big firm.
Mr Cassandra
Well-known member
Was it a instrutor called Nigel ,tall thin guy ,other instrutors said he was hard work . cheers bob t
Bob T
Bob T
bryantee
New member
If you do the exam.and pass you get a DOT certificate of competance.If you fail you have the experience of doing the exam.Which concentrates the mind ,i can tell you.For the extra 30% it worth it.Go for it.
LeonF
Active member
I went to BOSS on the Hamble. Had a great time. Average age of the all male group was 40ish, instructor about 24, but he was confident and fun. I'd done theory some 9 years previous but he was patient as I reminded myself. He allowed us to push our sailing--beating up the Beaulieu river at low water in a Sigma 38. Sent a couple of friends there, nervously, as their expectations were high. They returned saying that they'd had one of their best weeks sailing.
L.A.R.Ferguson
L.A.R.Ferguson
MikeCS
New member
I did my Day and Coastal skipper with Southern. The Day SKip was superb and the Coastal Skipper was vile. Yachtmaster Prep was done elsewhere
My experience has been that it really depends upon the instructor and the students. On the Coastal skipper the students were not at all positive and the instructor highly mediocre ( setting off into a gale without checking the weather etc and the interpersonal skills of a pot plant. Also the boat was in an advanced state of decay as well as being dripping wet. Bad set of combinations. The Day skipper course was exactly the opposite.
It is often down to luck on the day.
cheers
M of Bolero
My experience has been that it really depends upon the instructor and the students. On the Coastal skipper the students were not at all positive and the instructor highly mediocre ( setting off into a gale without checking the weather etc and the interpersonal skills of a pot plant. Also the boat was in an advanced state of decay as well as being dripping wet. Bad set of combinations. The Day skipper course was exactly the opposite.
It is often down to luck on the day.
cheers
M of Bolero
billmacfarlane
Active member
Who was your skipper ? Mine was Ray something-or-other.
