When you learn to sail choosing the right course for you is vital in getting the best out of your learning experience. First Class Sailing offers courses across multiple skill levels. From the newest of beginners to seasoned sailors. For those who want to have a bit of fun with friends and family, to those aiming to sail the biggest yachts across the world. But with the wide selection of courses First Class Sailing has on offer, it can be daunting to know where to start among the terminology, technical jargon, job roles, and acronyms. But don’t fret. This blog will guide you through the first steps of your sailing adventure.
Find Your Level
Your first port of call will be the course selection tool which you can find in the link below. Here you will answer two questions, one about your prior sailing experience, and the second about why you want to learn to sail. However there may be further questions based on your answers, but we’ll match you to the best level courses for your skills and goals. The course selection tool will find the best option First Class Sailing offers for you.
firstclasssailing.com/product-wizard
Your First Steps As Beginner
If you have absolutely no sailing experience at all, and you just want to do it for fun or to see what it’s like, the course selection tool should suggest two courses to get you started. Both the RYA Competent Crew Practical Course and RYA Day Skipper Theory Course are the perfect jumping-off points.
RYA Competent Crew Practical Course
The RYA Competent Crew practical course is a perfect introduction to sailing for beginners. Over five days you’ll sleep and eat on the yacht while our seasoned and professional instructors will teach you everything you need to know to become a useful and functional crew member. You can book courses for just yourself, or attend with friends, family, or partner. You’d be eating and sleeping on board while you aim to visit a different marina, harbour, or anchorage each evening. The RYA Competent Crew Practical Course has absolutely no perquisites, you don’t need any prior sailing experience. It’s a great first step when you learn to sail. But after completion, you’ll not only have gained basic seamanship and helmsmanship skills but you will now also be a useful member of any crew.
www.firstclasssailing.com/rya-courses/competent-crew
RYA Day Skipper Theory
The Day Skipper shore-based course is aimed at novices with little or no actual navigation experience. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot of sailing experience or are a complete beginner. The course includes lots of navigation, meteorology, collision regulations, and safety procedures. What is great about the RYA Day Skipper Course First Class Sailing offers is its flexibility. You can complete the course over 8 weeks (1 evening a week) plus one weekend, 2 and a half weekends, or five consecutive days all in our Shamrock Quay classrooms and across various locations in London. You can also opt for hybrid classroom/online learning if that better suits your schedule. The RYA Day Skipper Theory Course is a perfect starting point for beginners. While having some sailing experience would be helpful, this course is designed to be accessible for first timers.
firstclasssailing.com/rya-courses/day-skipper-theory-course
While it is handy to have completed the RYA Competent Crew Practical Course before the RYA Day Skipper Course both courses can be taken in any order.
What is the RYA?
RYA stands for Royal Yachting Association. Their Schemes run across 2400 RYA recognised training centres across the UK and 58 other countries. The RYA has a global reputation for quality and works with organizations and governments worldwide to ensure a high level of training. Having an RYA accredited qualification is recognized around the world.
What If I’m Unsure If Sailing Is For Me?
While the competent crew and day skipper courses are the first entry-level qualifications for beginners we offer at First Class Sailing, we also offer taster sessions to help give you a taste of sailing before you commit to a course. If you develop a taste for sailing from these courses and want to learn to sail, The RYA Day Skipper and Competent Crew courses will take your learning further.
Start Yachting Practical Course
This is a quick two-day course on a yacht intended to give you a very basic introduction to the world of sailing. While we don’t often run this taster course we do occasionally. Please contact [email protected] for more information and availability.
RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Theory Course
This is an online course that covers basic navigation and safety for RIB Drivers, Sea Anglers, Divers, and Dingy Sailors. This course is perfect for you if you are unsure about doing the RYA Day Skippers Course. You can find out more about this course here.
firstclasssailing.com/rya-courses/rya-essential-navigation-and-seamanship-online-theory-course
Where can I learn to sail?
First Class Sailing has been offering sailing lessons since 2000. We offer practical sailing lessons from our head office in Shamrock Quay, Southampton. However we also offer onshore theory courses in locations across London.
Shamrock Quay
Shamrock Quay is not only the location of First Class Sailing’s head office but where our yachts are moored and the location of our classrooms. Located right in the middle of the south coast it provides great access to The Solent, a fantastic environment to learn to sail. Southampton has accessible rail and road links and is only a 2-hour drive from London.
London
We run some of the shore-based navigation courses such as Day Skipper Theory at the Cruising Association and various other locations across London. However we can accommodate going into offices around the city to run evening classes. These courses can also be run at the weekend, so you can learn to sail when it best suits you.
Do I need Equipment to learn to Sail?
When starting any new hobby the list of items you need to get started can be quite daunting. However, it doesn’t need to be as complicated as it seems. We provide you with state of the art Waterproofs free of charge alongside safety equipment such as lifejackets and harnesses. You can find a full list of other equipment you may need for your course on each course information page. Items range from simple such as clothing, sleeping bags, and pillows. To more specialist equipment such as Non-slip/non-marking waterproof sailing boots.
Want to get started?
So you now have all the information you need to start your sailing adventure. To enquire about course availability please email [email protected] or call 0203 006 3717
Useful Information and links
For more information about sailing the channel to France post Brexit, see this helpful blog breaking down all you need to know.
www.firstclasssailing.com/blog/sailing-to-france-post-brexit
You can see what course we have on offer for beginners to seasoned sailors.
www.firstclasssailing.com/southampton-sailing-courses-on-the-solent
For direct enquiries please email [email protected]
