Tammany
Well-Known Member
Most insurance companies will only do 3rd party cover if you have no qualifications. If anyone has reasonbly priced comprehensive cover and no qualifications then please let me know the insurer.
Inland dinghy sailor straight to Day Skipper ?
- Thread starter Pikor
- Start date
Lucky Duck
Well-Known Member
The following have provided me with full cover without any qualifications...
Y Yacht
GJW
Bishop Skinner
I am sure there would be others.
Y Yacht
GJW
Bishop Skinner
I am sure there would be others.
NormanB
Well-Known Member
To the OP, there is no need for you to do competent crew course first, although training schools recommend it. You are wind aware and hopefully having worked through the theory side you would present yourself well prepared for Day Skippers - I am not sure how you will satisfy the night hours side to be awarded a pass though unless you clock it up on the course.
Seajet
...
That is nonsense.
I'm qualified and experienced but I bet I get very little difference from a newbie; I'm with the lot who used to be Haven, it changes so often I can't keep up but been with their forebears over 50 years.
I am sure it's the same with GJW, Bishop Skinner, Y and the rest.
Topcat47
Well-Known Member
My DS course was 5 Days (four nights) and we did just over 140 miles around the Solent, you'd be surprised how the miles add up.
Jungle Jim
Well-Known Member
Welcome Pikor. I can't work out if you have done the theory course or just read the theory material, but either way if you will be fine. I dinghy sailed and did the day skipper theory before I set foot on a yacht. Getting out on a yacht as crew taught me more than a competent crew course would so try and get out as crew with someone before your course and you will be fine.
I advise crewing because although you will be well aware of the wind and sails bit of sailing there are some things that can come as a bit of a surprise to a dinghy sailor (fixing fenders, where, what height, what knot for a simple example). They are mainly small things learned in minutes but you can feel a bit inadequate if you are on a course with others that have covered all the basic bits.
I advise crewing because although you will be well aware of the wind and sails bit of sailing there are some things that can come as a bit of a surprise to a dinghy sailor (fixing fenders, where, what height, what knot for a simple example). They are mainly small things learned in minutes but you can feel a bit inadequate if you are on a course with others that have covered all the basic bits.
Pikor
Member
@Jungle Jim, I have done the theory material CC, DS, Rules of the road (Seaman's Guide) and RYA Navigational exercises. Read Tom's Cunliffe books and many others. I am preparing for a long time now. I do not think that theory will be a problem. I have an opportunity for DS very shortly, there will be no time for crewing. But I understand it is a good advice.
Elbows
Well-Known Member
Navigators & General
A few thoughts..
No licence or certificate of competence is earned by doing a Day Skipper course.
It is not a qualification. You will be issued with a course completion certificate, which just shows that you were on board, did certain actions and covered certain miles etc. according to the syllabus.
You don't 'pass' like you can with a driving test, for example.
Though you won't be able to complete the course if the wind drops to absolutely zero or something like that. (Happened to me years ago, I was issued with a Watch Leader Certificate because I could tie a bowline..)
However, DS is routinely treated as a qualification.
I'm sure you'll get a lot out of it; as said above, you can already sail...but yachts are a weird environment, and a bit of formal instruction goes a long way.
Expert private sailors may well not also be patient instructors.. or even nice people..
There is a little booklet called RYA Notes for Instructors and Examiners which will give you a different viewpoint, you can probably get it for a quid on Amazon.
I have a few old DS books I can post free, if you make an RNLI donation.
Another tip, if you have one available, do the course on a gaff cutter, there are a few about doing courses, the sailing will be more interesting and the instructors will be more knowledgable and interested in all things nautical, almost by definition.
No licence or certificate of competence is earned by doing a Day Skipper course.
It is not a qualification. You will be issued with a course completion certificate, which just shows that you were on board, did certain actions and covered certain miles etc. according to the syllabus.
You don't 'pass' like you can with a driving test, for example.
Though you won't be able to complete the course if the wind drops to absolutely zero or something like that. (Happened to me years ago, I was issued with a Watch Leader Certificate because I could tie a bowline..)
However, DS is routinely treated as a qualification.
I'm sure you'll get a lot out of it; as said above, you can already sail...but yachts are a weird environment, and a bit of formal instruction goes a long way.
Expert private sailors may well not also be patient instructors.. or even nice people..
There is a little booklet called RYA Notes for Instructors and Examiners which will give you a different viewpoint, you can probably get it for a quid on Amazon.
I have a few old DS books I can post free, if you make an RNLI donation.
Another tip, if you have one available, do the course on a gaff cutter, there are a few about doing courses, the sailing will be more interesting and the instructors will be more knowledgable and interested in all things nautical, almost by definition.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
If you’ve any evidence that some of the above is true then I can assure you that the RYA would be very interested to hear of it.
Accreditation is taken very seriously and is withdrawn on occasions.
Pikor
Member
@Ladybirdgaffcutter, I would love to do DS on a junk rigged boat but it could be too easy 
. I've read the book you mentioned and have many others but thank you for the offer. I do agree that a bit of formal instruction can help enormously. That is why I am doing it (and for the ICC added bonus).
. I've read the book you mentioned and have many others but thank you for the offer. I do agree that a bit of formal instruction can help enormously. That is why I am doing it (and for the ICC added bonus).
Seajet
...
I don't for one moment think ' just turning up with a credit card ' will get anyone a pass ticket these days, at least not in the UK.
Sailing schools do vary a lot, there are certain ones in the Solent I would not want to be associated with, but in reality even they have pretty high standards, keeping collisions to a minimum as a general rule
Older instructors are a Good Thing and guide.
If a school is RYA affiliated they should be OK, but try to get customer feedback to find a school which suits ones' taste; I preferred basic accomodation and hard sailing, but others would prefer a bit more comfort and treating it as a holiday - not a bad idea if it's part of ones' limited time off.
Sailing schools do vary a lot, there are certain ones in the Solent I would not want to be associated with, but in reality even they have pretty high standards, keeping collisions to a minimum as a general rule
Older instructors are a Good Thing and guide.
If a school is RYA affiliated they should be OK, but try to get customer feedback to find a school which suits ones' taste; I preferred basic accomodation and hard sailing, but others would prefer a bit more comfort and treating it as a holiday - not a bad idea if it's part of ones' limited time off.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
pvb
Well-Known Member
Mine is with Nautical Insurance, underwritten by Argo Syndicate 1200 at Lloyds.
maby
Well-Known Member
I think you'll find that the requirement for qualifications is very dependent on both the degree of experience of the person taking out the insurance and the size and value of the boat being insured. We came to sailing late in life and were in a hurry to buy a large, expensive and brand new boat. Our first boat, which we kept for about a year, was small and cheap and the insurer was not particularly demanding on either qualifications or experience - they were not risking very much. We then moved up to a brand new, significantly larger and significantly more expensive boat and the insurer was a lot more interested in our qualifications. When all's said and done, your insurer needs to set policy and prices such that they make a profit over all. If you go to them asking for cover for a boat worth £10,000 which is too small and slow to be much of a risk to others on the water, then the premium can be quite low. If, on the other hand, you go along looking for cover on a forty or fifty foot yacht worth over a quarter of a million pounds, then they are going to ask some more searching questions because they are risking a lot more. You holding relevant qualifications will help to get cover at a reasonable price.
lw395
Well-Known Member
So you are saying no RYA endorsed sailing school will ignore this candidate's lack of the required prior experience?
A few years ago I was on a YM Practical preparation week, with a large W Country RYA sailing school.
The other YM student/exam candidate had zero wind awareness, coudn't really sail much or even tie any basic knots, but had been grossly misled that he was ready to do a YM Practical.
I presume he had the minimum miles etc in his personal logbook.
Lovely chap, just been severely lied to. I felt angry on his behalf when they sent him off on the exam which he failed at once of course. So it does happen. Hopefully rarely.
The other YM student/exam candidate had zero wind awareness, coudn't really sail much or even tie any basic knots, but had been grossly misled that he was ready to do a YM Practical.
I presume he had the minimum miles etc in his personal logbook.
Lovely chap, just been severely lied to. I felt angry on his behalf when they sent him off on the exam which he failed at once of course. So it does happen. Hopefully rarely.
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Graham376
Well-Known Member
My guess would be that more candidates tell lies about prior experience, than sea school instructors disregarding lack of displayed experience during the week.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
What I said was that the RYA would be very interested in investigating any Sea School accredited by them if you have any evidence that the rules are being broken.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Is it required or advised? Was it not common practice at one time to run single courses for CC and DS, with candidates up/downgraded mid course if necessary.