Module 1: Learn to Skipper – Sail & Powerboat
After this module, candidates will be sufficiently qualified to receive an ICC in both sail and power.
A – RYA Day Skipper Theory Course
This course is designed to give you the full range of theory skills needed to become a Day Skipper, focussing on tides, navigation, buoyage and planning passages.
The course will run Tuesday 31st October, Wednesday 1st, Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd November, 9am-6pm daily from our west pier clubhouse.
An examination will take place on Saturday 4th November from 9am.
B – Competent Crew Course
This 4-day programme covers the RYA Competent Crew syllabus. Even if you’ve previous experience, we’d recommend this course, as the whole programme is designed to iron out bad habits and form new best practice skills.
The course runs from 9am on Monday 6th November to 5pm on Thursday 9th November. There will be one or two late finishes, and while the course is running you’re welcome to live on board.
C – Day Skipper Practical
The training now shifts up a gear – you’re starting to make decisions and take on the skippering role, under the guidance of the instructor. Expect quite a few later finishes, as we build miles, experience and hours.
The course runs from 9am on Monday 13th to 5pm on Friday 17th November. Living on board is recommended for this course.
D – National Powerboat Certificate
This course is designed to give the training required for an ICC Power – a handy cert to have for commercial skippers who are abroad! The 2-day programme runs from 9.30am-5pm on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st November.
E – Intermediate Powerboat Certificate
This course is the next step up – and applies navigation and theory skills from your sail training courses to powerboat passages. An important step along the pathway to the advanced powerboat qualification!
The course runs on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd November.
Module 2: Shorebased & Advanced Powerboating
This module builds on the background skills required to operate a sailing vessel safely and builds powerboating experience.
A – VHF SRC Certificate
The Irish Department of Transport approved course – allowing you to use the qualification domestically for registering your own future boat with a ships radio licence, something the RYA VHF course doesn’t cover!
The course runs on Friday 24th November (6-9pm) and Saturday 25th November (9am-6pm).
B – First Aid
This one-day course meets the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore requirements. Taught by a sailor and paramedic with Dublin Fire Brigade the course is tailored to watersports users and is ideal for the programme.
The course runs Sunday 26th November from 10am-5pm.
C – Sea Survival Course
Required for the commercial endorsement, the course is designed to give you the confidence to cope with emergencies at sea. While the course primarily focusses on what to do when abandoning to a liferaft, there’s also general safety modules. The course runs on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th November, 10am-4pm each day, and includes a practical session conducted in a swimming pool with real liferafts.
D – Advanced Powerboat Certificate
The course pulls together the previous powerboat handling, nighttime sailing and navigation skills. Running Thursday 30th November (9.30am-9pm) and Friday 1st December (10am-4pm) you’ll be put through your paces in our fleet of 7.5m plus RIBS with 150hp, 200hp and 400hp.
Module 3: Better Skippering
Module 3 works on taking a competent skipper with all the background theory and honing skippering skills with a view to commercial work. This takes the form of short passages and marina/harbour pilotage as well as manoeuvring skills.
We also cover the RYA Coastal Skipper course in this module as well as building longer qualifying passages.
A – Day Navigation and Pilotage Week, Mooring and Manoeuvres
This programme runs from 9am on Monday 4th December until 5pm on Friday 8th December. The course will conclude each evening at 5pm, however, you are very welcome to live on board each day.
B – Theory & Navigation to Yachtmaster Level
Over the course of the last month and a half you’ll be applying the navigation and theory skills to Day Skipper level, however, you’ll have been doing plenty of work with your instructor onboard to a higher level. Rather than getting you back in for a full yachtmaster theory course, we’ll be running a week-long programme of training, with lessons in the morning and self-directed exercises and practise in the afternoon. This week we’ll also begin our winter maintenance on the yacht, so you’d be more than welcome to join in on some of the tasks and gain a better understanding of the jobs required to keep a cruising yacht sailing!
The lessons run Monday 11th to Friday 15th December, from 9.30am-12 noon each day.
Christmas Break
There is a 23 day break scheduled from Saturday 16th December to Monday 8th January. During this break, there is an optional sail repair, engine maintenance and boat maintenance workshop as the vessel used on the programme receives an inspection from our maintenance team. Programme participants are welcome to join while this work is carried out, get involved and take some extra skills away. There is no charge for this.
C – RYA Coastal Skipper Course
This course consists of skippering longer passages in a variety of situations. Each trainee will skipper more challenging passages and learn more about passage planning, pilotage by day and night, boat handling, safety and emergency situations.
This course runs from 9am on Monday 8th January 2024 until 5pm on Friday 12th January. This is a residential course, as passage lengths will not allow for return to home port, and indeed some full night sails are included.
Module 4: Further Sailing – Building Experience and Miles
At this point the formal course training has concluded and we’ll be totally focussed on building experience, both during the day and night, as well as sailing much longer passages, to include route planning and all associated skills.
This module starts with a specific focus on sailing at night, mimicking aspects of the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore assessment.
A – Advanced Night Navigation and Pilotage Week
A week where the focus is on passage planning and pilotage skills for night time sailing. During the day we’ll prepare the plans, then execute them. This is a residential week as the boat will be finishing late each night. The programme runs Monday 15th to Friday 19th January 2024.
B – Distance Sail 1 with Instructor – East Coast
A week of sailing – long passages, day and night, practising everything learnt so far. Runs Monday 22nd to Friday 26th January 2024.
C – Distance Sail 2 with Instructor – 7-days
We’ll head somewhere a bit further from home – usually the South Coast. Here you’ll experience passage planning and pilotage in a new environment. This component runs from Monday 29th January to Sunday 4th February.
D – Distance Sail 3 – Self Sail – 4-days
You’ll now be well able to set sail without your instructor, so for this period you’ll set off on a series of passages around the East Coast. Our yachtmaster instructor will help you prepare and will be on hand for questions, however, at the end of this period you should have a new-found confidence in your own skills.
This programme runs from Wednesday 7th February to Saturday 10th February.
Module 5: Yachtmaster Preparation and Assessment
- YM Prep Week: Monday 12th – Friday 16th February 2024
- YM Assessment: Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th February 2024