Looking for school recommendation in Solent

[949072]

Hello,

I am looking for recommendation for schools in the Solent to do the RYA Competent Crew and Day Skipper.

I have searched the forum and some of the recommendations are very old that are 5+ years old.
I want to make sure the recommendations are still valid.
In reading past posts, there were mention of schools that use freelance instructors so the quality of teaching can't be guaranteed or schools that have poorly maintained and uses old boats or students that are herded through the course and are not up to par.
I want to avoid these schools.

I am from overseas and actually don't know the area well, but read that the Solent is a great place to learn due to tides, wind, traffic, etc.
Is Sep/Oct a good time to learn to sail in the Solent?

Alternatively, I am also considering learning to sail in Faro or Ayamonte in Nov and December during their low season.

 

[PhillM]

While they do get a lot of stick on here, there is nothing wrong with Sunsail courses.

 

[SiteSurfer]

I have used Commodore Yachting. They are based in Gosport.

 

[laika]

In reading past posts, there were mention of schools that use freelance instructors so the quality of teaching can't be guaranteed or schools that have poorly maintained and uses old boats or students that are herded through the course and are not up to par.
I want to avoid these schools.

Use of freelancers and old boats is not in itself a problem. At the organisation I did training with, the best instructors were freelancers and the worst one I encountered was a full time employee. "It depends who you get" is probably applicable to all types of instructor everywhere although doubtless some schools do quality control and maybe pay more than others (someone with industry knowledge here could perhaps comment). Old boats aren't necessarily poorly maintained boats. The school I trained with was notorious for using old boats but that wouldn't feature in why I wouldn't recommend them.

The solent is a marvellous place to learn to sail and September (after school starts fo the autumn term) / October is ideal. Less crowded than high summer but often still warm

 

[capnsensible]

I reckon the best recommend will always be from personal experiences on here. So its a good place to ask. There are just so many schools to choose from.

The Solent as ^^ is indeed a great place to learn. Its got everything.

All boats, new or old are subject to annual inspections. School boats work hard so will inevitably be scruffier. Should not be a problem. Most R most are well maintained between inspections and if they have loadsa fenders thats a sure sign of yachts that students get lots of hands on time.

Instructor quality? Worth remembering they have worked hard to get where they are and have been examined in depth on not just sailing ability but personality and teaching ability too .Five year reassesment required also.

And you are only as good as the last course you teach! Any significant error and your ticket goes with your job. Plus not everyone will get on with, well, everyone.

Quality control is part of the school principal and chief instructor, same person in small schools. They too are subject to annual inspection and must have a feedback and complaints procedure to protect the paying customers.

So, a bit of background of the business. Personally its a long time since I taught in the Solent so cant recommend anyone in particular. But good luck with whoever you choose, at least you know there are required standards the schools must achieve!

 

[Daedelus]

Nothing wrong with old boats as such, One training centre used to choose them as this allowed the students to bash them into the pontoon etc. without recriminations.

An instructor I know who used to work for them told me of the time he went up the Medina River on the Isle of Wight to Newport. They dried the yacht out and left it leaning against the harbour wall, tied onto something to hold it there but when they got back from a meal ashore it had fallen over.

He rather reluctantly phoned the principal to confess his mistake and was greeted with an enthusiastic response of "great, did you get any pictures? They'd do for an article I'm writing".

 

[richardbrennan]

I have no personal experience of it, but the UKSA on the IoW seems generally well thought of locally.

 

[Uricanejack]

The Solent certainly is a well renowned area for learning to sail.

I noticed you are from Canada. Where?
Just curiosity on my part. I’m also Canadian.

There are a couple of RYA schools popping up here. I’ve no idea what there reputations are.

One other question. Where do you intend to sail after you have learned?


As for older boats. The sailing school I used to work with. Was associated with a charter company. Most of the boats were owned privately and the charter company was an agent.
The owners of the new boats often preferred the more lucrative returns from charters and wanted to avoid the scuffs and scrapes which come with learning.
The older boats were usually used for the sailing school activities.

Just my opinion. To learn the basic fundamentals of sailing.
A rather basic smaller boat is easier to learn the basics on.

On the other hand, learning to sail on a sailing holiday on a nice newish biggish boat with hot running water and central heating has its appeal.

 

[Skylark]

While they do get a lot of stick on here, there is nothing wrong with Sunsail courses.

........and they have announced that they are introducing a new fleet of yachts over this and next year.

Sept/Oct would be as good a time as any.

The Solent is indeed a good place to train.

 

[949072]

I noticed you are from Canada. Where?
Just curiosity on my part. I’m also Canadian.

There are a couple of RYA schools popping up here. I’ve no idea what there reputations are.

One other question. Where do you intend to sail after you have learned?

I am from Toronto area.
The closest RYA school is in Kingston.

Not sure how the condition is like sailing the Thousand Islands, but the main reason why I want to learn somewhere a bit more challenging is that I learned my basic in the Caribbean while my sailing club members learned on the lake. A few of us recently took a sailing trip in the Caribbean and I was definitely more comfortable with the waves and wind condition as I have experienced similar before.
Tho Kingston would be the cheapest for me to learn as I would save on the plane ticket.

One of the member of my sail club says he can help me look for boat deliveries opportunities if I am interested.
His connections are mostly in the Caribbean or East Coast so if I do take up his offer, I may get the opportunity to sail around those area.

The probability of me sailing in the Solent afterwards would be low.

 

[Uricanejack]

I’m not sure about the cost in Kingston. Here on the west coast the RYA course is quite expensive and even with air fare I would probably break even going to the UK.
If you have already done Basic. CYA or Sail Canada? Along with a few sailing trips. You have already completed the competent crew syllabus and probably most of the Day Skipper.
With Basic the intent is you should be able to Skipper a small sailing vessel in familiar waters. I think Day Skipper is aimed at a similar level.

The RYA is better known and you can get an ICC if planning to sail in the Med.
I usually recommend learn to sail where you intend to sail. It’s good to be familiar with the area when you head out on your own. You are ahead of this sailing multiple areas already.

A sailing course in the UK will be a nice sailing holiday. Interesting because it’s a new area, so certainly worth doing.
A few significant differences, buoyage is system A, The tide books are different. Canadian charts and British Admiralty are very similar. While the American ones are quite different. Last time I was on the Lakes they were still using statute miles along with fathoms.

The Solent is very popular, I sailed there once, it was a good place to visit, very busy. There is a couple of good sailing schools on the Clyde, a beautiful area to sail. a Day Skipper course would be good experience and wider experience.

Have you contemplated a YM coastal? It would take you to a more advanced level.m
You might meet the prerequisite. You need to have logged some mileage and a couple of longer passages 60 miles. The prep course may include cross channel to Channel Islands or France. It would be a bit more of a challenge.

 

[scrambledegg]

The thing about the Solent ...... you're sure to have your knowledge of the Col Regs exercised every few seconds ?.

 

[Babylon]

If you can stretch to the longer flight etc, and even if you never sail North West European waters again, you'd learn a terrific amount in a week on the Solent. September should be more pleasant than October (but maybe book later in the month to avoid any leftover big weather up from the Caribbean like last year?).

The best schools? Difficult to say, as most of us on here will have done RYA courses a long time ago and things could have changed. But you could try either of these two based on the Hamble, which is central Solent and relatively easy to get to by train etc.

https://www.hamble.co.uk/rya-training-ladder-learn-to-sail (once did a day-long shore-based Radar and also a 1st Aid refresher course with them, often see them training newbies on the river and out on the Solent, smart boats generally)

RYA Sailing Courses | Competent Crew to Oceanmaster

I'm not sure how much basic experience you've actually got, but if you already know a few ropes and how to pee at sea you might be able to skip the Comp Crew bit and spend the time and money on instead doing the combined Day Skipper Theory and then Practical - you'd gain so much more from this and would pick up any missing bits from the CC syllabus as you go along. Email the two schools for their advice.

Finally, these RYA publications, succinct and some of the best-illustrated training material I've ever come across, are very well worth their 2nd hand prices (and I prefer them to the later horrible digitally-illustrated versions):

Competent Crew

Day Skipper Theory

Day Skipper Practical

Yacht Master Theory

PS If you do choose to do the DS Theory first, then inexpensive accommodation can be had at either the RAFYC or the Royal Southern YC, both in Hamble village.

 

[949072]

If you have already done Basic. CYA or Sail Canada? Along with a few sailing trips. You have already completed the competent crew syllabus and probably most of the Day Skipper.
With Basic the intent is you should be able to Skipper a small sailing vessel in familiar waters. I think Day Skipper is aimed at a similar level.

So Sail Canada Basic is more in line with RYA Day Skipper?
I tried searching for how RYA and Sail Canada compares but can't find anything.
But I looked at the ICC and you can get the ICC after Sail Canada Intermediate and after RYA Day Skipper, so I used the ICC to compare and thought Day Skipper is equal to the Intermediate.

I'm not sure how much basic experience you've actually got, but if you already know a few ropes and how to pee at sea you might be able to skip the Comp Crew bit and spend the time and money on instead doing the combined Day Skipper Theory and then Practical - you'd gain so much more from this and would pick up any missing bits from the CC syllabus as you go along. Email the two schools for their advice.

Finally, these RYA publications, succinct and some of the best-illustrated training material I've ever come across, are very well worth their 2nd hand prices (and I prefer them to the later horrible digitally-illustrated versions):

Competent Crew
Day Skipper Theory
Day Skipper Practical
Yacht Master Theory

PS If you do choose to do the DS Theory first, then inexpensive accommodation can be had at either the RAFYC or the Royal Southern YC, both in Hamble village.

Thanks Babylon for the information.
Very helpful and I will look into that.

 

[BenMurphy]

Just did my Day Skipper in the Solent with BOSS sailing. Highly recommended. Great boats but set up quite basic so you really learn from the bottom up. Can’t recommend them enough.

 

[BenMurphy]

Also, don’t be so quick to dismiss “old boats”. If you can learn to sail on a 70s / 80s boat without a stack pack, furling sail etc then it will prepare you to sail anything in the future!

 

[Uricanejack]

So Sail Canada Basic is more in line with RYA Day Skipper?
I tried searching for how RYA and Sail Canada compares but can't find anything.
But I looked at the ICC and you can get the ICC after Sail Canada Intermediate and after RYA Day Skipper, so I used the ICC to compare and thought Day Skipper is equal to the Intermediate.




Thanks Babylon for the information.
Very helpful and I will look into that.

I won’t argue with your logic.

For me personally, I go on a course for a number of reasons. I get sent on some by work, so I go because I have to.
When I get sent on a course, which is new and interesting I enjoy it.
When I get sent to go over stuff I already know or have done before, I have a tendency to fall asleep after lunch, I’ve been accused of snoring through several conference presentations. And lots of managerial course,

For course I organize myself, I like to something new or go some where new, which I will find interesting.
I always enjoy sailing. Even so, I like something new. I like a challenge. Or visit a new place.

I used to instruct the CYA basic level for a very reputable sailing school on the west coast. I did take the CYA intermediate course many many years ago. It’s was just a two day weekend, quite enjoyable, beyond being required to prepare a meal and use a cruising Shute. I can’t recall much about it. It wasn’t a big seller for the sailing school.
For me it was a box ticking experience. CYA had rush of blood to the head and required basic cruising instructors to have a CYA intermediated course stamp in thier log books. I got a free weekend sailing.

The CYA advanced course was a full week on the west of Vancouver Island and a much more valuable experience, again very few students, it was a small market. I took the course because it was a chance to sail the west coast of Vancouver Island for a very reasonable cost if you ever get the opportunity it was well worth it. A side benefit, the course was actually very good.

I don’t have any first hand knowledge of any of the RYA courses, Just reputation, comments on here from participants. Mostly from having read the requirements, course description and the particularly the Day Skipper syllabus.
The course are of similar length,
My understanding. The RYA being a governing body doesn’t actually teach the course. The RYA sets the requirements for the individual sailing schools to develop their course. Which meets the requirement.
A good instructor with a good program from a good sailing school will teach you what is required to Skipper a small sail boat on a day sail with the time allowed and provide the stamp of approval from whichever organization it accredited by.

I came to the conclusion there was a similarity between the Basic level and Day Skipper.

A significant differeance.
The CYA has or had a separate coastal navigation course. A class room chartwork course. Which is not part of the basic level. The CYA basic level had a little bit of navigation.
Most Charter companies including the one I worked for would require a Skipper Chartering a boat to have both the Basic Level and the Coastal Navigation level. Or the Power Squadron coastal navigation course.

The Day Skipper prep course appears to have more coastal navigation. Than CYA basic level did. I can’t remember for sure. I think CYA coastal Nav. May have been a prerequisite for intermediate level.
It was an exam I challenged as a pre requisite to become an instructor.

My opinion the CYA coastal navigation course was quite comprehensive, probably closer to the theory requirements for YM coastal rather than DS.

My opinion, you are probably well ahead of an introductory competent crew course,
A Day Skipper Course in the Solent or anywhere else will be fun, interesting and worth while. It will cover a lot of ground you have already seen

The various levels of YM is where the RYA really appears to exceed other sailing standards. Separating the RYA from the rest.

Which ever course you choose, it will be fun. And includes the chance to sail in one of the worlds best known sailing areas, which you will not regret,

Enjoy.

 

[Bellacruiser]

You mentioned Ayamonte, we are booked with Go 'N Sail to do Day Skipper as a family group in April . So far comms and recommendations have been great, max 3 students and your own cabin which appears not to be a given elsewhere!

Also, some sailors I follow because they have the same boat as us did their RYA courses in Vancouver with Sea to Sky sailing. No idea how easy internal flights are for you!

 

[949072]

My opinion, you are probably well ahead of an introductory competent crew course,
A Day Skipper Course in the Solent or anywhere else will be fun, interesting and worth while. It will cover a lot of ground you have already seen

Thanks for your detailed response.
I have read more into the Sail Canada class and RYA class. My new thought is to go for the Day Skipper instead.

One other aim with my initial thought of doing CC and Day Skipper together was to get two weeks of sailing.
So now I am looking at doing Day Skipper and pair that with an extra week of more leisure sailing. Some school offer mileage building week, so maybe that would be a good option for me to learn more.

 

[949072]

You mentioned Ayamonte, we are booked with Go 'N Sail to do Day Skipper as a family group in April . So far comms and recommendations have been great, max 3 students and your own cabin which appears not to be a given elsewhere!

Also, some sailors I follow because they have the same boat as us did their RYA courses in Vancouver with Sea to Sky sailing. No idea how easy internal flights are for you!

Thanks for the suggestion.

I have been to Vancouver before.
Doing a course in the UK or Ayamonte/Faro allows me to explore somewhere new before/after the course.

Also an RYA course price is quite high in Canada. Factoring airplane ticket, it would be cheaper to learn in UK or Ayamonte/Faro.