YM fast-track courses - worth the dollar?

[ross84]

Hi all,

Two questions:

1. So long as you do tidal, would potential employers pay mind to where you sat the course? e.g. he did his YM in the Solent, so we'd hire him over the sailor who did it in the Canaries?

2. Are they worth the cash? FOR someone who not only wants to learn how to sail his own craft, but also seek work in the yacht delivery sector, and potentially as a sailing instructor long-term?

I've already done my DS, so for a modular course, I'd be looking at around 6k (presumably).

Many thanks.

P.S. Context: long-term, I need to spend 6 months a year in Spain to retain my residency - it's the only hope to a way back into the EU, hence I was supposing that if I did my YM in the Canaries, I might be able to find some sort of work there afterwards. Where I did my DS, some of the instructors had doen their YM with the same school and gone on to teach DS/CC.

...I can return to the UK in the low-season and make enough money to cover most of the year. Not sure how realistic this is?

 

[capnsensible]

Hiya. I've been involved in this business for quite a few years. I would say that most fast track students take the course with the plan to work in yachting, somewhere and for those, it's ideal. Hard work, but an awful lot of experience is gained with these intensive training regimes. You will probably find some Recognised Training Centres will, because you have already completed a day skipper course, can adjust you start time which saves a bit. Worth contacting a lot of them before spending big.

The route to instructing is greatly enhanced by having deliveries in your logbook. Some do indeed go straight into a cruising instructor course after fast track. But personally, I always favoured the people who had delivery experience. So if you choose that path, I don't think it matters where you do it.

However, there is always a but! Of all the places I've coached, the Canaries, for fast track, for me is not the best. The sailing and navigation is great. But ......there is simply not enough traffic to learn how to deal with crossing vessels. Busy areas like the Solent or Gib Straits are better.

Good luck with your decision. It's not the easiest of careers to get into, but once you have got your foot in the door, fab!

 

[sailingmartin]

I think the Zero to Hero courses work well and pack in a lot of instruction in a short period. I did the last segment (coastal to Yachtmaster) and found it gave me a lot of confidence. The one caveat is that you go sailing very quickly afterwards before you have had time to forget it all!

 

[[3889]]

When I worked for a charter Co. In Greece I have to say that the zero to hero bunch were pretty carp. Wind awareness was almost non existent away from the instruments. Racking up half of your 2.5k miles by sailing to Coruna and back with a big crew is hardly going to give a broad range of experience. Maybe worthwhile for superyacht crew to get the certificate.

 

[Gary Fox]

When I worked for a charter Co. In Greece I have to say that the zero to hero bunch were pretty carp. Wind awareness was almost non existent away from the instruments. Racking up half of your 2.5k miles by sailing to Coruna and back with a big crew is hardly going to give a broad range of experience.

The two other candidates on my YM Practical were zero-to-heroes, I was amazed that they had zero wind awareness, and were unable to join two lines together to make a long spring, using any knot. Plus, they just knew nothing about any nautical subject at all, and had only ever sailed one kind of sailing school yacht.
They obviously failed the practical; I'm sure they can't have been typical zth's. Hopefully...but I've heard a few similar tales from others..
I suppose their sailing school is to blame, taking large sums of money and pretending they were YM level.

If the OP has done a DS, that's enough to get tons of valuable experience doing expenses-only delivery crewing, you need the variety.

 

[Halcyon Yachts]

Hi Ross,

When employing new yacht delivery skippers we don't really look at where the qualification was gained but more the experiences afterward. We would not employ a newly qualified Yachtmaster (in fact our guys are all Yachtmaster Ocean) without you joining us for a trip as crew first. We would also expect you to have skippering experience outside of the training world.

Flotilla skippering or charter skippering is a great way to get extra experience and they will often take on newly qualified skippers.

I highly recommend that you get the Cruising Instructor ticket as well, this is a very useful extra string to your bow. You can also get work relatively easily teaching Comp Crew and Day Skipper courses.

I'd be happy to have a chat with you anytime if you want to talk it through.

Good luck - it's an amazing industry to be in!

Pete

 

[Uricanejack]

I don’t have any connections to RYA or Fast Tracks. Delivery Skippers and Yacht Charters may think different.
Every year,
I do assessment and training, thumbs up or down. Of new hires.
A graduate of a recognized training program definitely has a leg up. Particularly for entry level positions.
The reputation of the training center matters.
We actively recruit by sending a rep to talk to graduating classes pitching what we can offer.
doesn’t mean we won’t hire others, just it’s advantageous.
certification, and experience, yep we look at this as well. When choosing between applicants the graduate of a recognized traing program has an advantage. Even though there might be years of experience.

The general advice I give. When asked. Take the course.
If the training centre is well reputed, it will have relationships with employers.

One reason I like relatively inexperienced recent graduates of training centres. the majority work out well. Because they come ready and willing to learn. I don’t expect them to know everything.
They don’t all work out, but most do.
We also find, we like hiring. Some more mature folks. Particularly if they have taken a course.

I find some of those who claim lots of general experience, elsewhere, often have learning difficulties.
Wooden head and Wooden listen.

I don’t know any sailing schools in the Canairies or Mediterranean ect. They might be good they might not be.

I did give a big thumbs up to a kid who had been through an RYA course at Warsash. I have heard of Warsash.
The fact he had spent a month or two polishing somebody’s boat in the med. Helped as well. Warsash got his resume hirer up our pile. Even though his certification wasn’t usable. We liked the idea he had spent time at a good training center.
We didn’t actually care if most of what he learned there was irrelevant. Our expectation, he was keen and willing to learn.