Luxury Yacht Calypso
Competent Crew - Sail training
Learn to sail in comfort and style on a stunning yacht in a spectacular location. The course is designed for novice sailors who would like to become useful and active crew members.
Dates: 29 Jul - 2 Aug 2019 or 5 - 9 Aug 2019 Embark: 10:00 AM | Disembark: 05:00 PM Route: Sydney to Hamilton Island Price: $2,995.00 per person incl. GST
The week will be broken into short passages and skills and drills.
You will learn essential boat handling skills, how to steer and trim the sails and how to manage safety and seamanship issues on board.
By the end of the week you will be a confident crew member ready to join a crew on a short passage.
Course content
Knowledge of sea terms, parts of the boat etc
Sail handling (bend on, set, reef, trim, flake)
The use of winches, clutches and halyards
Ropework (coiling, stowing, use of cleats, knots)
The points of sailing, upwind and tacking, downwind and gybing.
The five essentials of sailing.
Helming and sail trim on all points
Steering to a compass under power and sail.
Crew duties during mooring, berthing, and anchoring.
Personal safety, man overboard and other emergency situations
Rules of the road, basic meteorology and chartwork.
Cooking and living on board
Location and sailing conditions
The sailing area in the Whitsunday islands is world class. The scenery and anchorages are magnificent and the weather is generally excellent for sailing. You can expect to see dolphins, whales and flying fish!
The yacht and the instructor
This course will be run on board our luxury yacht Calypso by an accredited RYA Instructor. You live on board with your fellow students and take part in all aspects of running the boat.
Private charter
If you book this course as a private charter for a crew of five you pay for only four places.
Sailing Qualifications
Sailing licenses are becoming increasingly indispensable for international bareboat yacht charters. The charter industry is growing at a fast rate, and as a result there have been some unfortunate incidents where inexperienced skippers have put property and lives at risk. Therefore the need for a suitable qualification is being enforced on operators by insurance companies and foreign governments. It is impossible to imagine that a car hire company would hire a vehicle to a driver without a license!
If you are an experienced sailor but do not hold any formal qualification, the best solution is to obtain the International Certificate of Competence. This is universally recognized throughout the yacht charter industry and is now attainable in Australia by taking a practical assessment at a RYA Training Centre. The assessment lasts approximately half a day and can be taken on your own boat or one provided by a sailing school. The test includes questions on safety, collision avoidance, navigation and piloting in coastal waters. We recommend that you obtain a copy of the ICC Handbook from our friends at Boat Books because it sets out exactly what you need to know.
The assessment is not an exam and there is opportunity for some coaching during the assessment. If an applicant fails the assessment it will then be necessary to complete the (RYA) Day Skipper Certificate Course. This is a comprehensive five day course – prices and details are available from accredited training centres below.
Alternatively, the International Yacht Training course (IYT) for the International Bareboat Skipper Certificate is widely accepted throughout the world of chartering.
A Marine Radio Operators VHF Certificate of Proficiency (MROVCP) or higher is also required in most charter destinations but is a very useful ticket to have even if it is not called for – this is especially so in emergency situations. ABC Online offer this certificate course and the website for enrolment is www.vhfradioonline.com. Otherwise the VHF course can be taken with most sailing schools, Coast Guard or TAFE.
What's included?
- Tuition, certification and logbook (if required).
- Life-jackets and safety harnesses are provided. Wet weather clothing if required is available on request.
- Accommodation: Single sex, shared cabin accommodation is provided. There are 3 bathrooms on board.
- Catering: Food on board from lunch on the first day to lunch on the last day. (Crew take it in turns to cook) * We do our best to cater for both vegetarians and meat eaters. You should expect to eat, at your own cost ashore, for one night.
- Qualifications and experience
- 1,000 sea miles logged
- Yachtmaster qualifying passages
- Watch keeping experience
Book a private cabin
Enjoy the privacy of a private cabin for a surcharge of $2000
Flights are not included
Before you start
No experience is needed. This course is designed for beginners.
Qualifications
150 sea miles logged
RYA Competent Crew
What next?
At the end of the course your instructor will give you feedback on your sailing and skippering ability and make recommendations for your future training and experience.
