Intensive Yachtmaster Training

[Memphis_Chung]

I have just been granted a 6 month sabbatical from work and am seriously thinking about doing a 17 week intensive yachtmaster course. I have my competent crew and intend to retun to work unless something else comes along. I have heard of courses at Sail UK, BOSS, Hamble Sailing, Flying Fish?, UKSA and Ocean Sailing in South Africa . I want to learn, but have fun doing it, so I would be interested in anyone's opinion on these school's courses and anyothers. Particularly interested in pass rates, drop out rates, school culture, value for money, quality of the instructors etc etc.

Any thoughts/advice appreciated!

Tim

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[Jeremy_W]

I know two people who went through UKSA and praise its training programme, facilities, range of yachts etc. to the skies. Both were mature career changers. But neither of them got jobs afterwards.

Even with a YM Pro ticket the first steps on the sailing job ladder are very poorly paid - I've heard £12K or less - and pretty menial. That's why they're the bottom rung. It depends just how much you hate your job! A friend finished Clipper 2000 an excellent sailor. She costed the career path to YM and decided she couldn't take the 50%+ pay cut and returned to teaching.

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[Birdseye]

you will likely get lots of replies saying that you cant become a competent yachtmaster in as short as 17 weeks, and i would agree. it needs much more real life experience. but you have to be a better sailor after the 17 weeks than without it. so look on it as an interesting thing to do, but keep the day job.

there are so many people trying to make their sailing hobby into a full time job that they (and often their boats) are ridiculously cheap to hire.

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[c_roff]

I recently did the YM practical course with Southern Sailing and then took and passed the exam at the end of the week. Despite having been sailing almost since I could walk and clocked up many thousands of miles in a huge variety of yachts and locations I found the exam to be a humbling experience. It demonstrated very clearly to me just how much I'm still not very good at and don't know!! I was also struck by how much the exam doesn't test - how can it possibly test more than the basics in only a weekend? The art of boats and sailing is a MASSIVE subject that covers enormous breadth. Go and do an intensive course by all means but be aware that even after 17 weeks of near continuous sailing, even if you pass your YM, you will still only have scratched the surface, and almost certainly won't have the subconcious skill and experience that only comes with experience over a prolonged period of time- many years.

By the way I found Southern Sailing to be excellent - workmanlike boats about which they aren't too precious and excellent instruction.

Chris Roff.


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[Memphis_Chung]

Thanks. I am not really expecting a career out of this - what I do want however is to drastically increase my sailing experience and have fun doing it. I have heard that some schools are quite militaristic and impersonal - i gather they tend to be the ones that take more pupils - and others take you through what is a hard course but have a bit of fun doing it. Any specifics on the schools that runethese courses would be much appreciated. £8000 is alotta dosh!

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[Viking]

Hi
My son has just completed the course at Hamble School of Yachting. He said he had a great time. The instructors took time out to help him. You can do it under 17 weeks if you have some sea mileage under your belt and have some skipper experence.
Go for it!

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[sailbadthesinner]

i nthink the militaristic comes from some of them offering the zero to hero option. some of these companys have recruitment depts to find you work. then for some people it is a serious business of an important career change and is coslty too. these clients are not in it for the fun and the companies feel they have to deliver.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>I can't walk on water, but I do run on Guinness</font color=red>