fast-Track Courses.

[neb122]

I have just completed a degree in Outdoor lesuire management. Whilst at uni i became interested in sailing and i am considering that as a career. The thought of working in an office does not appeal to me. I do not have a great deal of sailing experinace i have been racing on a friends yacht for the past year and taken my dayskipper practical, before that i did some dighy sailing but nothing serious. The best option i can see open to me is a fast-track course. There a a few questions maybe someone can help me with.

1. What are the opinions in the sailing industry about Fast-track courses?
2. What kind of earning potential is there in the industry? i.e typical job prospects.
3. What are the reputations of centers like UKSA or Flying fish for example?

Any information about this would be appricated. Thanks

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[ubuysa]

Questions like this have been asked before so a search of the archives would probably be useful. I understand that YM is probably the basic minimum entry-level qualification for employment, but you'll probably be up against a multitude of other prospective employees given the huge popularity of these courses. Having said that, if you can afford it (both in time and money) it's probably the most convenient way of geting the YM ticket. Hope that helps some.......?

Tony C.

<hr width=100% size=1>Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.......

 

[John_Lana]

If you want to look for work on board a yacht, the most important certificate to have is the STCW95 certificate. In theory, every professional crew member on a "Red Flag" yacht has to be STCW95 certified as a minimum.
It is a 5 day course and covers:-
Basic Elements of Shipboard Safety
Basic Marine Fire Fighting
First Aid
Sea Survival and
Personal Safety and Social Responsibility
The next step on the ladder would indeed be the Yachtmaster, but the STCW95 cert should probably come first.

John

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.john-lana.com>http://www.john-lana.com</A> Mainly about boats, but also a bit about my other toy, my Caterham 7

 

[William_H]

I would suggest if you are looking foir a career in sailing that money would have to be your lowest priority. In fact you might have to accept a life of poverty unless you are very lucky. Best become "an insurance salesman" thats code for any job not enjoyable but done for the money, then enjoy your boating at weekends. You see the problem is that any young man can enjoy sailing and many hope to earn a living at it because it is fun so the competition becomes fierce and the wages low. I also reckon that the problems of earning money for the business while sailing would negate much of the enjoyment. If you can accept that in sailing money goes out not in and forget the money side you can really enjoy the sailing. If you try to make money it spoils all the fun.
I have a young friend here in Oz who has made that comittment to sailing as a career and is working his way through the Master tickets in sailing which is rare. He has seem to have got jobs on the various square riggers used for sail/youth training but it is seasonal ( including sailing the Dyfken 16 century reproduction Dutch ship about 25 metres long Oz to Holland) He has had to become more of a people manager teacher than a sailor and certainly has not made much money in 10 years at it. These jobs are very rare so go for it if you must but beware and good luck will

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[tcm]

1) fastrack course opinions: I think that the integrity of the rya Yachtmaster is high. So, like a maths a-level, having got YM (or maths a-level) it doesn't mean you are incredible seaman (or mathematician) but you can't have "winged" it - there are independent examiners, always, so if you're good enough, you pass.

2) as others say, sailing as a career is not a way to make money. In fact, choosing sailing as a career wiould almost guarantee that you'll never have a significant boat yourself - would n';t earn enough and/or wouldn't have the time - because you'll be working whilst others are on holiday. Note that lots of people will do deliveries and a bit of instruction for almost no money, just as a leisure activity - hence salaries are (generally) not high. BUT of course, lots of people have a great time .

3) On the YW website, there is an ongoing report from someone doing a fastrack YM. Not used UKSA or Flying fish. I hear some facilities are a bit basic - but then sailing can be a bit basic too, cold and wet and cramped as well as warm and sunny at other times. Again, if you did YM with either or any, they have to use independet examiners whom you won't have met before. The RYA can and do chuck out any teaching establishments that aren't up to scratch, so they are either in or out. Nobody says yeah, but exactly WHERE did you get your YM???

You wd have an advantage (imho) with a degree in leisure management: lots of sailing instructors, skippers, charter orgainsations know about sailing boats and that's that. Whereas in fact, a good deal of the sailing induistry is only partly about sailing - it's a part of the leisure industry.

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[aod]

I would encourage anyone to obtain their yachtmaster in whatever way they choose the rational being any learning is better than no learning.

However every one else is absolutely right in that as a yacht skipper you are destined to a life of near poverty.

I have been in this game for a long time now and I can tell you that it's little fun waking up on a freezing winter morning when it's blowing a gale and looking at a load of aprehensive but expectant novices for £70 pay per day. It's hard money and there is a very short pleasure span before skippering becomes a low paid chore.

Do yourself a huge favour and get a better paid job, obtain your yachtmaster and then sail for pleasure when you like, where you like for as long as you like with a bunch of good mates.

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