Day Skipper, helmsman, etc

[powerskipper]

people who have done the Day skipper course, did you find it was what you needed?

If you did it over 4 days, was it enough time to take in all the info.


Did you do the theory course first?

There is talk of changing some things and I am interested and so will others be on your feelings about the courses on offer.

so have a think, there is no right or wrong, just asking for your input.

 

[Bassplayer]

I'm in the middle of a Yachtmaster 3 day theory course. Damn hard work, but very usefull. It would seem that its either day skipper or yatchmaster these days and no coastal. I think in hindsight I would have preferred the 5 day course - but this is the first serious study I have done in 30+ years!

 

[Solitaire]

I'm in the middle of a Yachtmaster 3 day theory course. Damn hard work, but very usefull. It would seem that its either day skipper or yatchmaster these days and no coastal. I think in hindsight I would have preferred the 5 day course - but this is the first serious study I have done in 30+ years!

I'd be very interested to know what qualification you are getting after a "Yachtmaster 3 day theory course". The RYA Coastal/YM theory course is 6 days. There is far too much work to do in 3 days. The weather section alone is a 6 hour session. Plus there are 3 exams which are a couple of hours each. No wonder you are finding it hard work!

 

[hlb]

I did the theory at night skool, 26 weeks of hell. Absolutely hated it and feared Monday nights coming. Did I pass, well yes. But only because he wanted me to do some stuff again and I said I'd rather wring his neck. So I passed.

He'd go on about his sailing exploits, then just as you went to sleep, swap to course stuff. So when you woke up, you had not a clue about what he was on about.

There was nowt in the course that I found any use anyway. Who needs to know about secondary ports, you just look it up in the book don't you?

I'm not saying training is not a good idea or that there's not stuff that is not very important to know. Just that I found it a bad experience. Don't think we ever got told about over falls or wind over tide. Only academic sort of stuff like reading isobars,where as it's a dam sight easier to look at a weather forecast from an expert, that still wont get it right.

It seemed more like an obstacle course to me than actually teaching some thing useful.

 

[whisper]

Nice to see you're still on form Hadyn!!

I did Day Skipper over 4 days and "Coastal Skipper" over 5. Both were fine but there was only 4 people on the 4 day course, 5 on the other. This ensured that the time available for each person was about the same.

 

[strakeryrius]

people who have done the Day skipper course, did you find it was what you needed?

If you did it over 4 days, was it enough time to take in all the info.

Did you do the theory course first?

There is talk of changing some things and I am interested and so will others be on your feelings about the courses on offer. so have a think, there is no right or wrong, just asking for your input.

I did my DS practical with a very well known South Coast-based Training School a while ago. I'd already done the Theory course one-on-one at a local sailing school nearer home.

The practical course only had two of us on it, but my problem was the disparity of experience and knowledge between us. My fellow student had virtually no sea time, hadn't done the theory and no prep for the course either. I spent the entire course with the feeling that he was hanging off my coat tails as I ended up answering all the questions the examiner/instructor had on lights and shapes etc, as well as most of the Nav stuff. He also spent far longer letting him practice his close quarter boat handling than he gave to me. Yet at the end of it all we both walked away with the same certificate/accreditation despite all of this. It just didn't feel right somehow.