if i was to start boating what would be your advise on the best qualification to do first?

[The Q]

Been sailing 45 years, no qualifications, however did start a a dinghy course back then but it wasn't completed due to gales.

What do you want to do?

Sailing find your local club, volunteer as crew, if you like it, then learn to helm, your skipper will probably start teaching you on the way in and out of races ..

If you must go on a course ,
Consider your objectives..
Motorboat or sailing?
Little boats, big boats?
In shore, off shore?

 

[srm]

My first non dinghy trip was in a beat up old something down the coast and back the next tide……how simple life was…..1966…..I pier jumped

Mine was an afternoon race out of Scarborough on a rather nice yacht. Again a young lad spending too much time on the pier watching the boats being offered a trip out. The owner's next three boat were called "Prospect of Whitby" (may mean something to those of us of Wansworth's generation).

 

[Wansworth]

Mine was an afternoon race out of Scarborough on a rather nice yacht. Again a young lad spending too much time on the pier watching the boats being offered a trip out. The owner's next three boat were called "Prospect of Whitby" (may mean something to those of us of Wansworth's generation).

Wow

 

[john_morris_uk]

Wow

Wow indeed. A famous boat.

 

[justanothersailboat]

If crewing: liver workouts. If planning to own: Masters in Boat Maintenance. You may as well get good at what you're going to be doing.

 

[boomerangben]

Any qualification that allows you to retire young and rich . Failing that a dinghy course or perhaps a dinghy course whatever the finances.

 

[Mistroma]

Do the Flat Earth Society navigation course.

That's why I thought an RYA theory course covering things like Great Circle Sailing or Sun, Star and other Sights might be a small problem. I'm not certain use of PPS is covered as the mathematics isn't really well understood. The rather niche GPS is used instead and gives an unfair advantage to proponents of Global rather than Planar systems.