fast track yachtmaster training part 2

[georgeo]

Its like poking a fire isn't it! have just read all the replies from my previous post, and clearly, strong views are held by some! Can I just say that a) I agree with much of what has been posted and b) The purpose of me setting up this thread was that those people who may be interested can see what is involved, how much is achieved at each stage, and what benefits accrue in a forum where I would hope to illustrate both the many good points as well as some of the not so good points, free from editorial challenge (!) or the need to make good copy.
So, on with my tale. This part covers day 27-day 50, the middle part of the course. This was all based in Cowes and under the direct auspice of Flying Fish, with directly employed FF instructors (rather than freelance). What a difference! All the FF staff were highly professional, friendly and competent. The 2 bosses of the company, one of whom I crewed for in Cowes week were approachable and really wanted to see their clients do well and learn a lot.
The first week was taken up with YM theory, nuff said. Competently taught, lots of homework, we all passed.
Second week, race training in preparation for Cowes. We were split into crews, on X332s and drilled in all the various arts of racing sailing. Several 'newbies' had joined us for the racing fortnight, and we quickly settled into our crews and our allotted roles. main lesson I think was the importance of team work, I quickly realised that any one member of a crew, by cocking up, could lose any advantage gained by the crew as a whole. For me that was best illustrated by me dropping the kite too fast, and us ending up with a gigantic drogue anchor hindering progress whilst we drifted towards a lee shore! The only time I saw our skipper get a bit excitable! Anyway, no harm done and kite recovered undamaged, and lesson learnt.
Week 3, Cowes itself, 2003, hottest summer for years. What a spectacle. I loved every minute of it. But, I was fortunate, our crew bedded down well, despite disparity of ages and experiences and we were soon doing everything together, on and off the boat. On the other 2 boats, things appeared not nearly so settled with some clashes. No surprise then in our 'mini regatta' we came out tops, and indeed out of the class, came 8/23. pretty good really.
So what had been achieved? by day 50 of the course, from absolute novice, i had passed Comp crew, DS theory and practical, YM theory, and crewed on a relatively successful boat without cocking up (again), and had enjoyed myself thoroughly. Our belgian friend, of mature years, kept us all amused with his lothario antics. He was onto wife no 3, his current mistress kept him company for his YM theory course, and his wife for the racing! 'I loove then both so much I can't decide what to do' (!!). And kept us constantly amused on the boat by giving us tips for a successful love life, Belgian style. And also, he was jolly good as a tactitian, used to racing melges back home. Entry in my diary says 'must get on to a race boat when i get home eventually!' But much of this was due to our particular crew gelling well together under the auspices of a very good skipper. The experiences of some of the others on other boats was not so good. guess I was lucky.
So, about to start the third part. Some course members, after their Cowes experience, wondered whether they really had anythng more to learn. Australia was to prove that indeed they did, big time.....

 

[douglas_family]

These accounts are great reading i wish i had made the time to do it when i had more time!

It may be as some suggest that cramming it all in at once limits the experience which prehaps should go with the qualification but not many ppl get an oportunity to train as part of a race boat.

Sounds Great Fun

 

[Sailfree]

I skipped reading Part 1 but after reading this one now have to go back and read it!

Great stuff and should be enlightening for some with prejudiced views.

I do wonder though that while someone with your mature approach can appreciated what is taught, what you have learnt and what you don't know but can others do the course and think they know everything.

We all make mistakes apart from a few on here that insist they never do and hence never need a bowthruster! My own charter boat was stuck on the putty in Lymington last weekend and that was with a professional skipper in charge on a corporate event! Don't know all the facts, he may have been diverted by a customer but after events like that I wonder why I paid for the radar/chartplotters at chart table and repeater at the helm!!

 

[georgeo]

Hope you stick with the thread. part 3 I hope will be rivetting. At the end will do some reflections. For instance, how useful is race training as part of a YM course? a la prochain

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
but can others do the course and think they know everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

presumably "others can do the course and think they know everything"

and herein lies the only really constructive general criticism of the fast track courses.

perhaps at the end of the course there should be some examples of just what they dont know, or havent experienced .... e.g. heavy weather, wind over tide, crowded anchorages, anchoring in F5+, mooring stern to in a cross wind, or a wind from ahead .... or whatever.... just to bring it home to those who dont appreciate that, having fast tracked, they have only had a reasonably big step up a big learning curve.

Richard

 

[captainslarty]

Richard
And therein lies the root of the whole fsym problems etc
The name. YACHT MASTER.

Perhaps it should be called something else....??

Novice Skipper ?,

Possibly Qualified but depends on what was encountered Skipper?,

aGAIN - The term Yacht MASTER is the big big problem. not the course, its the way the rya schools and examiners give away certificates unless the candidate is Really BAD (imho - OF COURSE !)

The big problem is what do you do about it, ? a difficult one. at least its a start.

BTW, the poster shows a seriously mature and sensible approach, I mean this post as no reflection at all on him personally and thank him for his openess.

Joe. ICC cos I need to have one.

 

[georgeo]

Richard and captainslarty. Your points are well taken and I intend to address these in my 'reflections' bit at the end

 

[alant]

"This was all based in Cowes and under the direct auspice of Flying Fish, with directly employed FF instructors (rather than freelance). What a difference!"

They are 'directly employed', simply because FF are unable to pay anyone as a 'self-employed freelance' instructor, due to a 'problem' they had with HM Revenue. They can now only 'employ' freelance instructors on a PAYE basis, technically becoming non-freelanced employees.

This is no reflection on their capability of course.

 

[Sailfree]

i don't understanding why only FF have this problem. The IR tried that on the Charter Co my boat is with and they pointed out that PAYE is just not possible with itinerant skippers that may be in the UK for only a few weeks before taking on a delivery job in the MED then 6 months work in the Carribean.

For once the IR were sensible and accepted the impractibility of running a business, needing professional skippers and the impossibility of engaginmg them as PAYE employees if they only work for you for a weekend or a week!

 

[alant]

"they pointed out that PAYE is just not possible with itinerant skippers"

Agreed!

I was asked to instruct for FF & they would only deal with pay on a PAYE basis, not on invoice.

The nett was not considerable, so had to say no thank you!