Unique situation-- RYA Yachmaster in exotic location?

[coolrunnings]

Hi guys

I have a rather unique and incredible opportunity, and I’d love some advice.

First, some background: I’m 24 and started lake sailing with my parents when I was 11. 5 years ago I did a 1 week course with friends and obtained my ASA 104 (bareboat chartering), which I have heard is roughly equivalent to Day Skipper. I have probably covered close to 300 miles, but I have spent so many random days lake sailing that it is hard to say.

My situation: I am starting a highly stressful finance job in mid July and have May and June to do whatever I like with my sign-on bonus before I start slaving away and working 90 hour weeks. I also have $1000 in flight vouchers—so effectively a free flight anywhere in the world (compensation for being screwed around by Delta last Christmas). I have considered travelling around South America and chilling on the beach for a month, but I’d rather do something constructive in that time as well.

A few options I’ve been considering:

1. I would love to cross the Atlantic, and I would love to get my RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (or Ocean) certification. SailIonian.com offers the Antigua to Gibraltar trip over a month for not much money. After this, I’d have enough miles for the certification, but am not sure I’d have enough passages (just one very large passage...would this count?). Do the examiners check your miles/passages rigorously? How would they know? I’m not trying to cheat the system or anything, just curious!

2. You can jump into a lot of these “zero to hero” Yachtmaster fast track courses at a later stage if you have some experience. Would this be a good option? Can someone recommend a good course, and preferably one in a cool/exotic location and not the solent?

3. Where else are there solid RYA schools in exotic locations? If there was one in South Africa, for example, I could do some milebuilding around there and do the Yachtmaster after. I would be able to get in plenty of passages tailored to exactly what I would need.

I think I will do all of the navigation/theory courses via distance learning before I embark, so all that will be left is practical.

Thanks, any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[alant]

Hi guys

I have a rather unique and incredible opportunity, and I’d love some advice.

First, some background: I’m 24 and started lake sailing with my parents when I was 11. 5 years ago I did a 1 week course with friends and obtained my ASA 104 (bareboat chartering), which I have heard is roughly equivalent to Day Skipper. I have probably covered close to 300 miles, but I have spent so many random days lake sailing that it is hard to say.

My situation: I am starting a highly stressful finance job in mid July and have May and June to do whatever I like with my sign-on bonus before I start slaving away and working 90 hour weeks. I also have $1000 in flight vouchers—so effectively a free flight anywhere in the world (compensation for being screwed around by Delta last Christmas). I have considered travelling around South America and chilling on the beach for a month, but I’d rather do something constructive in that time as well.

A few options I’ve been considering:

1. I would love to cross the Atlantic, and I would love to get my RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (or Ocean) certification. SailIonian.com offers the Antigua to Gibraltar trip over a month for not much money. After this, I’d have enough miles for the certification, but am not sure I’d have enough passages (just one very large passage...would this count?). Do the examiners check your miles/passages rigorously? How would they know? I’m not trying to cheat the system or anything, just curious!

2. You can jump into a lot of these “zero to hero” Yachtmaster fast track courses at a later stage if you have some experience. Would this be a good option? Can someone recommend a good course, and preferably one in a cool/exotic location and not the solent?

3. Where else are there solid RYA schools in exotic locations? If there was one in South Africa, for example, I could do some milebuilding around there and do the Yachtmaster after. I would be able to get in plenty of passages tailored to exactly what I would need.

I think I will do all of the navigation/theory courses via distance learning before I embark, so all that will be left is practical.

Thanks, any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Try Gibraltar, it's tidal & with its proximity to Spain & North Africa, is reasonably exotic.

 

[coolrunnings]

Thanks for the suggestion. Forgot to say-- I am based in the UK. I asked some friends about Gibraltar and all seemed to agree they wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of days there! I have noticed a lot of sailing schools there though...I suppose I will have to give it a closer look.

Thanks

 

[Tranona]

Canary Islands is another possible. Why don't you go on the RYA site and get all the information - they have a database of all centres and what they offer.

 

[nimbusgb]

I heard, and you can take that for what it's worth, that at least one 'RYA' school in South Africa was diddling the books and wasn't actually RYA accredited or wasn't using RYA instructors.

Before attending any offshore training facility I'd take the time to make sure that the RYA recognises the facility by giving the office a ring.

 

[alant]

Thanks for the suggestion. Forgot to say-- I am based in the UK. I asked some friends about Gibraltar and all seemed to agree they wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of days there! I have noticed a lot of sailing schools there though...I suppose I will have to give it a closer look.

Thanks

Gibraltar itself is the pits, but you shouldn't be spending any sailing time there.
Also, every direction/destination is 'foreign'.

try Hercules Sailing - www.gibraltarsailingschool.com

 

[DownWest]

Tend to agree, Gib is the pits (expect incoming from VO5) but for a sailing course it has been recommended often.
You might also look at some in the Algarve. Nicer on land and has tidal waters. Med is not tidal, so causes probs with needed calculations for YM (Our replacement skipper needed a YM for insurance purposes, sent him to UK for a quick course. As his experience was mostly Med. he flunked the the tidal stuff and got a downgraded YM (coastal?) But it was enough for the Ins. (he had transat-ed twice tho And his first trip with us was Algarve/USA.)

 

[cimota]

I've got my eye on Allabroad in Gibraltar - because you only spend a couple of days in port. The rest is at sea.

Learn2Sail is down the Algarve, mate

 

[Steve G]

You could try martin Northmore out of Lagos, Algarve http://www.theiberianseaschool.com altho all nights are spent in marinas, except the night sail Details on his website, and Martin has a host of really useful articles. Check out the requirements of the exam on the RYA website. My experience of Martin can be seen online http://www.pbase.com/croftcroyne/yachtmaster Good luck!

 

[Ubergeekian]

Tend to agree, Gib is the pits (expect incoming from VO5)...

Handy for the rest of Spain, though

 

[Doug_Stormforce]

1. I would love to cross the Atlantic, and I would love to get my RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (or Ocean) certification. SailIonian.com offers the Antigua to Gibraltar trip over a month for not much money. After this, I’d have enough miles for the certification, but am not sure I’d have enough passages (just one very large passage...would this count?). Do the examiners check your miles/passages rigorously? How would they know? I’m not trying to cheat the system or anything, just curious!

Your right you would not have enough passages, a trans Atlantic would not give you the kind of experience required for the YM Offshore. To be honest with you most schools would not let you book onto the prep week with this kind of experience as you would not be ready. As useful as the long passage would be, you would need more time on coastal sailing, night pilotage, boat handling, close quarter handling etc.

As an examiner I can tell that its blindingly obvious when candidates do not have the necessary experience, you can tell it from the minute you ask them to take charge of the boat.

If you want to achieve the YM Offshore my advice would be to get some coastal and inshore sailing in with some coastal and offshore passages of 30-120 miles, you need some skippering experience and then lots of short passages- remember it’s the take offs and landings that you need to practice. I know you said your not interested in the Solent but there is a reason that there is such a high concentration of sailing school and professional yachtsmen here- it is one of the best training grounds in the world and for YM candidates the English Channel provides a good cruising ground.

2. You can jump into a lot of these “zero to hero” Yachtmaster fast track courses at a later stage if you have some experience. Would this be a good option?

Yes it makes sense but you need to discuss with the school exactly how you are going to fit/jump in, you don’t want to spend all your time playing catch up with the guys who started the course at week 1

I think I will do all of the navigation/theory courses via distance learning before I embark, so all that will be left is practical.

While the shorebased distance learning makes sense you really need to learn some (Dayskipper shorebased) and then have a go at putting it into practice before moving onto the next stage (Coastal skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased). Remember many of the shorebased courses cannot be taught as distance learning-

• First Aid
• Medical Courses
• Sea Survival
• STCW Basic Safety
• Diesel,
• 12-volt electrics
• Rigging
• Other Maintenance modules
• ISAF
• school specific Bespoke modules

Others such as radar are quite hard as distance learning. The VHF course still needs to be examined at a school.

Best of luck

 

[Lady Campanula]

 

[Talbot]

There are RYA schools in other locations / such as Australia. Your biggest problem with an advanced certificate is the miles and nightwatch hour requirements / one of the reasons for the length of the zero to hero course.

 

[Richard10002]

I did my YM prep, theory course and exams, and practical exam, with Rob and Jules at www.rusailing.com in Lagos, (SWMBO did Comp Crew at the same time), and I cant recommend them highly enough, and you wont be able to help becoming a friend of theirs.

Anyway... apart from recommending them, I could guess that you might be able to join them for 6 or 8 weeks, perhaps flitting between their 2 boats and instructors, and they might put together a package which took you from zero as far as they could get you in that period. They are extremely flexible, and seem able to put together packages to suit the customer, rather than specifying a particular course in a particular week.

They even have a flat to rent on the marina which you could rent for some R & R, and some theory training and exams.

How far you get might boil down to how many miles you can do in the period.

Well worth an email to see what they could do.