Experience Sailing
Experience Sailing
Based in Gosport near Portsmouth Experience Sailing covers The Solent and beyond including Southampton, Weymouth, Poole, Chichester, Lymington and the Isle of Wight with Cowes, Yarmouth and the Newtown Creek.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our web site.
I am Edward Crosby, the Principal of 'Experience Sailing', a fully recognised RYA Training Centre.
Choosing the right school, course or experience may feel a little hit and miss but it needn't be and the following may help in making the next step into yachting.
Firstly, all RYA recognised schools have to meet a minimum standard and the vessels they use have to meet certain requirements laid down by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Because RYA recognised schools are inspected annually you should rest assured they meet the high standards laid down by the RYA and this should be true whichever school you finally decide to go with.
All RYA Instructors have to be qualified as RYA Yachtmasters and carry an additional commercial certification. There are two types of Instructors: Cruising Instructors who teach up to Day Skipper level and Yachtmaster Instructors who teach up to Yachtmaster level. All instructors have to have passed the relevant RYA Instructor's course.
The RYA permits a maximum of five pupils to one instructor.
If you plan on taking children with you choose a school that has a 'children's policy'.
If you are planning to charter a boat it may be appropriate to choose a school that has a boat with similar characteristics to the boat you are chartering.
If the booking is for an 'offshore' experience you may want to pick a school where the boat is more suited to an 'offshore' passage.
If it's racing you're after check the boat is going to come equipped with the extra racing equipment. i.e. Spinnaker
For some the cost of the course will be the deciding factor and the best discounts can be had by booking at boat shows. For others, factors such as quality of food onboard will be important but all schools will make provision for dietary needs if told in advance.
Some schools may have an all inclusive price where the fee includes the boat, instructor, meals onboard, mooring fees etc whilst other schools will charge extra for the use of waterproofs, sleeping bags, cleaning etc.
The content of the courses are laid down by the RYA. Some schools may offer extended courses (i.e. 7 days instead of 5) and this is usually where the course is included as part of a holiday.
On your course you may find some pupils doing a different syllabus to yourself. Some courses go well when mixed with others but others can be difficult to get the balance right. Check what your fellow crewmates will be doing.
Some locations have different advantages. A course in the Mediterranean should be a good holiday experience but won't give you a 'tidal' certificate.
A course in the Solent has many nearby destinations making for a great range of training opportunities in both open and sheltered locations but the scenery in the West Country is considered better than most.
If you are bringing your partner along it may be better for your long term success to look at the vessel first. Different people have different expectations and not everybody is happy to share a confined space with strangers.
In short, doing some research now can improve your experience. Choose your school carefully and make sure it's right for you.
