Sail Cruising & Keelboating


Our yachting courses fall into three distinct categories. The table below outlines the differences.

 

  Keelboat Courses Sail Cruising Courses Offshore Cruising
 
Length of yacht Under 10m Generally over 10m Over 10m
Style of yacht Open boat or with a small cabin Cruiser with sleeping & cooking facilities Cruiser with sleeping & cooking facilities
Type of yacht Cork 1720, GK24, J/80 or your keelboat Sunfast 37, Sun Odyssey 37, First 40.7 or your yacht Sunfast 37, First 40.7 or your yacht
Course Duration 2 days or 4 evenings 2, 3, 5 or 7 days 3, 5, 7 or more days
Hours Daysail 0900 to 1700, return to Shamrock Quay each day Eat and sleep aboard during the course, includes a night excercise some evenings Eat and sleep aboard during the course, sail on watch patterns through the whole night
Course Content Concentrate on sailing skills Cover navigation, pilotage, sailing, power handling and skippering Concentrate on offshore sailing, position fixing, crossing shipping lanes, watch patterns and foreign customs
Training Ground Sail in Southampton Water Make use of the entire Solent and the central English Channel Visit France, Channel Islands, Belgium or Ireland
Average mileage 10 to 15 miles a day 25 miles a day 60 miles a day
Certification RYA Keelboat Certification RYA Sail Cruising Certification No certification
Beginner Course Titles
  • RYA Keelboat Level 1
  • RYA Keelboat Level 2
  • RYA Start Yachting
  • RYA Competent Crew
  • Offshore Cruising Week
  • Cross Channel Weekender
Intermediate Course Titles
  • RYA Keelboat Level 3
  • RYA Keelboat Seamanship
  • RYA Keelboat Spinnakers
  • RYA Start Keelboat Racing
  • RYA Dayskipper Sail
  • Dayskipper Combined
  • Art of Power Handling
  • Offshore Cruising Week
  • Cross Channel Weekender
  • Ocean Passage
  • ARC Trans Atlantic
Advanced Course Titles
  • RYA Performance Keelboat Sailing
  • Intermediate Keelboat Racing
  • RYA Advanced Keelboat Racing
  • RYA Coastal Skipper Sail
  • MCA Yachtmaster Coastal
  • MCA Yachtmaster Offshore
  • MCA Yachtmaster Ocean
  • Offshore Cruising Week
  • Cross Channel Weekender
  • Ocean Passage
  • ARC Trans Atlantic
  Keelboat Courses Sail Cruising Courses Offshore Cruising

 

The RYA Sail Cruising Scheme (yachting) is a series of live aboard courses on yachts generally over 10m. Typically sailing yachts will have sleeping and cooking facilities on board and will generally (but not always) be fitted with an auxiliary engine. During these courses, the students and Instructor all eat and sleep on board, visiting different harbours and marinas each day, however crews do spend the odd evening in a watering hole along the way! Most sail cruising courses last five days, they generally start on a Saturday, Monday or Wednesday or can be spread over weekends. In addition to the practical courses there are a number of Shorebased Courses that will help develop your skills and make you safer and self reliant.

 

We have integrated the RYA Sail Cruising Scheme with the RYA keelboat scheme. Keelboats are open sailing yachts under 10m. If they have a cabin down below it will be small and in fact we do not sleep aboard the keelboats. Instead keelboats courses run 0900 to1700 and return to Shamrock Quay each day.

 

As a general rule Sail Cruising courses cover a lot of practical navigation, power handling and skippering skills. Keelboat courses focus a lot more on actual sailing skills.

 

Those wanting to develop as sailors will mix some keelboat training with some of the better known sail cruising courses.

 

Course titles are given below. For further details, dates, prices and to book click on the individual course titles below.

 

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Shamrock Quay Marina, William Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 5QL

Telephone: 02380 231 122
E-mail: [email protected]