Knowing nothing to solo sailing ?

I'm NW based so I'll offer an opinion, doubtless someone will be along soon to contradict me :)

For CC, I'd say that you have 2 options, both National Water Sports Centres; Plas Menai and Cumbrae.

Plas Menai is near Caernarfon, North Wales and Cumbrae is Largs. SW Scotland.

The objective of CC is to convert you from a landlubber to a worthy crew member. Hence you'll "learn the ropes". I don't think that sea area makes a significant difference on this course.

Progressing from CC, DS is a big step as it aims to equip you to skipper a boat, by day, in familiar waters. This introduces a lot more responsibility. If you're planning to progress to DS, I'd recommend any of the many schools based within Lake Solent.

The Solent can expose you to a wealth of experiences that you're unlikely to see in other sea area. For example, shallow water, military port control, commercial shipping port control, passenger ferries, precautionary areas, narrow channels, a million other yachts. There's lots of pilotage examples, lots of col-reg applications, lights, shapes, sounds etc.

I've sailed more than 20 years in north Wales and west coast Scotland and don't recall ever hearing a vessel sounding 5 blasts. It's very commonly heard within Lake Solent (I wonder why that is :)). You'll also experience vessels giving manoeuvring sounds.

You haven't mentioned shorebased training. I'd encourage you to do DS, probably as soon as you've completed CC practical. There are a lot of places around the NW to do this, many specialise in 1-to-1, too (I'm associated with one such establishment myself :))
 
Thanks that's useful and detailed advice. (I did try searching but the results came up with dozens of just sailing clubs - and the RYA's filters don't work on the mapview.)
 
Minn said:
+1.
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Now I really disagree with that.

If you can sail instinctively then you are way ahead of the game. And for solo sailing a yacht this is liberating as you then free up effort to have fun.

Sailing and managing a yacht is a lot different than a dingy, and the actual sailing is only one aspect of doing so, and as we see in many of these types of threads it’s placed as secondary importance, Which imho is a mistake as it leads to inefficient skippers who fail to get the most from their boats....

Sailing a dingy builds instinctive skills which transfer into larger boats easily and which makes the skippers job easier, less stressful, and in the end brings greater enjoyment for everyone.


In the end we recommend courses like cc, ds, etc... and the student never really gets to learn if they actually get a kick from the sailing itself... from the constant challenge of the individual working with his environment to accomplish something... and if you don’t sail well, or get a kick from that... imho you would be happier with a Caravan.
 
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Wansworth said:
I learnt about anchourIng,getting off a lee shore,reefing coastal navigation all manner of stuff sailing my old dinghy
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And that’s exactly it.... a yacht is in the first instance a sail boat.... so we should be entirely competent and happy to handle it in all normal circumstances under sail. It’s really only our good sense in marinas that should see us under the auxiliary motor, but that ability and confidence can only come from being a good sailor in the first instance.... imho if your NOT, you shouldn’t be a skipper.

Harsh maybe....
 
photodog said:
Harsh maybe...
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I reckon there's a lot of self-reliance and skill to be gained from not treating the auxiliary as an ever-ready problem solver. But that doesn't mean that one can only learn resourcefulness in a dinghy, which doesn't have an engine.

At a stage when I'd like to begin cruising (and learning how to do the many non-domestic things which cruising involves aside from just the sailing) having a dinghy instead of a mini-cruiser, is a frustrating restriction.

I could solve that with a few hefty payments, and I hope I will soon. I don't kid myself that there's much more skill or reward to be gained, still back-and-forthing in a dayboat that wasn't meant for anything but inshore drip-dry thrill-seeking.

If the OP would like to be cruising, then modest ventures in his own small cruiser, reading then practicing, would be his best way ahead (and by far the most fun and least bother).

There is a vast store of knowledge and experience on this forum, from sincere people who know it all, whether or not they are certificated. I wouldn't think of paying for sail-training, unless I had definite hire/employment plans which required it.
 
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ross84 said:
Thanks all - I'm based in Liverpool atm.
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There's a sailing club at Crosby I think. You can learn the wind and sailing on small dingy sailing boats no problem. Owning a small yacht will increase you're learning curve massively. But sailing from Liverpool marina is not easy. The tides are epic and the cruising area very limited. My business is in Liverpool and I return there every few months. I also had my boat there for the winter for 2017/18. Ive since sailed south to the Canary Islands but went to Norway first. Like you I have not Kids or commitments as yet.

Next time I'm in Liverpool I'd be happy to meet and help with any advice.
 
Cumbria near Largs has a pretty good rep. Relatively easy to get to from Liverpool. Popular and fully booked up last time I checked. So book early.
 
Boo2 said:
What is the requirement on eyesight, may I ask ?

Boo2
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Can’t swear to this as fact I’m not a Doctor.
Just did my medical again this year, Doctor told me I passed just. 20 40 unaided vision. Said I should see an optician before my next one. To simplify the paperwork when I fail.
Getting old is very annoying.
 
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Quiddle said:
No, the commercial endorsement costs more with Sea Survival, PPR and medical on top, after which you will be, at best, a very mediocre yacht skipper. Racking up most of your 2500 miles sailing to the Canaries and back whilst playing at being skipper for a day or two (with an instructor on hand when it all goes pyriform) is pretty worthless. Zero to hero is a good way to get the certificate to satisfy the requirements for super yacht employment but don't think for one minute that the course will make you comfortable skippering a 35 foot yacht into a foreign harbour in the dark with 30 knots of wind and crew of limited ability. It most definitely won't.
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Much as I hate to disagree, I do with just about every point you make and wonder what first hand experience of these courses you have.

A quick google will show that UKSA's zero to YM offshore course includes the additional courses required for commercial endorsement and costs £9k. The courses I've looked at all include everything required for commercial endorsement except the medical

I'll agree that a single ocean voyage doesn't give the experience of going in and out of port, docking and leaving a berth every day. Which is probably why the zero to hero courses do the latter. The mileage on the one I did 15 years ago was accumulated over 4 months with only a couple of passages being over 150nm.

Yes there's stuff you don't learn until there's no instructor there. Which is why if you take a look at the syllabuses for UKSA etc. you'll see that towards the end of the course they take the instructors away and give the students a boat to criss cross the channel, taking turns to skipper.

Yes you'll end up with gaps in your knowledge but your last statement is a poor example. Do a course in winter going out almost every day and conditions most folks here wouldn't poke their nose out in become "normal". With the proviso that yes, your crew will be as skilled as you and not novices I would doubt winter-time channel-based zero-to-heroes in their final stages would even blink at skippering an 11m yacht into a foreign harbour in the dark in a F7.

Now anchoring at east head on a summer bank holiday afternoon, that would be a different matter...
 
ross84 said:
Thanks that's useful and detailed advice. (I did try searching but the results came up with dozens of just sailing clubs - and the RYA's filters don't work on the mapview.)
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I'd go along with DavidJackson's advice. I'd add to it to say that you should do each practical course/exam in a different area as they'll all teach you different aspects of sailing & navigation to a greater or lesser extent.

I'd describe the Solent as a boating lake too, but it is unfair as it has a lot of challenges and learning experiences of its own, as outline in his post. The Clyde is a different type of boating lake - and might be better for a CC course as there's likely to be much more variety of anchorages/moorings/pontoons that the Solent - but it's a bit too easy for navigating. And so on. Lots of more challenging areas for your YM, but I'm sure you can start a thread on that some other time.

I think Sailing Schools turn over quite a bit, so your best bet is a web search of your chosen area. The RYA website lists all training establishments even pretty minor ones hence trying to find a needle in a haystack.
 
My vote is to start with dinghy sailing. You learn to appreciate the effect of sail and boat trim in a dinghy in a way that you will never do in a yacht. You feel the effect instantly. Club racing is fun too and a good way to develop skills. A yacht is only a big whale of a dinghy that doesnt tip over. Then do a day skipper course or private instruction and off you go.
 
Thanks all - this thread has been super informative.

I did my first Dinghy lesson yesterday. It was a revelation! Can't wait for the next lesson!
 
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