Teenagers - RYA Competent Crew Course

The Youth RYA Competent Crew Practical Course

Thank you for your interest in our 5 day Youth courses. Bookings are now open for 2024!

This is the entry level cruising course for teenagers. This course is aimed at those aged under 18 years old, with little or no previous sailing experience, or for those looking to move from dinghy sailing on to cruising yachts. It's all about learning by experience and having fun. During the 5 day course you will be taught everything you need to know, to become a useful member of crew on board a cruising yacht. From using winches safely, helming and changing sails to reefing and tying knots. By the end of the course you will be a Competent Crew!

For the duration of the course you will be living on-board a yacht, whilst exploring the length and breadth of the Solent. Full participation is expected, we don't carry passengers! Everyone joins in with preparing meals and with keeping the yacht shipshape. One evening during the course, you will experience the delights of night sailing! You will have the opportunity to go ashore and stretch your legs with your fellow crew members most evenings. One night during the course, weather permitting, you might choose to beach BBQ at some where like Lulworth cove, or Yarmouth. Alternatively a trip to the cinema and a bite to eat in Gunwharf Quays, in Portsmouth may be an option. One thing is for certain, it will be a busy week!

Teenagers Competent Crew course fees include:

• Food on board (from lunch time on the first day)
• All safety equipment
• BBQ ashore
• Mooring fees
• RYA Certificate

All you need to bring with you for an enjoyable week, is your personal kit, a bit of spending money and lots of enthusiasm!

Duke of Edinburgh's Award - Residential Opportunity

ENQUIRE ABOUT THIS COURSE

Youth Sailing RYA

Availability & Dates

Itinerary

Teenagers Competent Crew Course - Example Itinerary

Day 1

10:00 Arive at BOSS - check in at reception, meet your instructor and fellow crew
10:30 Stowage of kit on-board, bunk allocation & safety brief
11:15 Deck brief and prepare the yacht for sea
12:00 Practice leaving and coming along side pontoons and the use of warps and fenders for tying up a yacht
12:30 Lunch on-board
13:30 Depart for Solent sailing, practise helming, changing sails and reefing
18:00 Arrive at a harbour for the night
18:30 Stow sails, deck tidy up and debrief
19:00 Dinner on-board
20:00 Discuss the days events & knot practise

Day 2

07:00 Weather forecast, showers and breakfast
08:00 Prepare the yacht of sea
09:00 Set off on short passage, Man overboard practise
12:00 Anchor for lunch. Whilst at anchor - Keeping a proper look out
13:30 Depart anchorage - practise steering a compass course under power and sail
14:00 Arrive in port for a short stay. A few hours at leisure
18:30 Supper on-board
20:00 Depart on night sail (weather permitting)
23:50 Arrive in port for the night

Day 3

09:00 Breakfast. Passage planning
10:00 Depart to sail on passage.
During the day : points of sail, helming and crewing practice, Discussion of emergency situations.
Lunch under way
17:00 Arrive in harbour, dinghy drills.
18:00 Dinner & cinema
20:00 Spare evening for night sail (if required)

Day 4

07:00 Weather forecast, showers and breakfast
08:00 Prepare the yacht of sea
09:00 Depart for Solent sailing
12:00 Enter harbour for lunch. Ice creams ashore
13:00 Depart for afternoon sailing
17:00 Arrive in port
18:30 Set up BBQ

Day 5

07:00 Weather forecast, showers and breakfast
08:00 Prepare the yacht of sea
09:00 Depart for Solent sailing
12:00 Short stop for lunch
12:30 Depart for afternoon sailing
15:00 Arrive back at Hamble Point, remove kit, clean yacht and fill out logbooks
16:00 RYA Competent Crew certificates awarded and depart

Course Syllabus

The RYA Competent Crew course aims to introduce the complete beginner to cruising and to teach personal safety, seamanship and helmsmanship to the level required to be a useful member of the crew of a cruising yacht.

1. Knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat, her rigging and sails

Sufficient knowledge to understand orders given concerning the sailing and day-to-day running of the boat.

2. Sail handling

Bending on, setting, reefing and handling of sails

Use of sheets and halyards and their associated winches

3. Rope work

Handling ropes, including coiling, stowing, securing to cleats and single and double bollards

Handling warps.

Ability to tie the following knots and to know their correct use: figure-of-eight, clove hitch, rolling hitch, bowline, round turn and two half hitches, single and double sheet bend, reef knot

4. Fire precautions and fighting

Awareness of the hazards of fire and the precautions necessary to prevent fire

Knowledge of the action to be taken in event of fire

5. Personal safety equipment

Understands and complies with rules for the wearing of safety harnesses, lifejackets and personal buoyancy aids

6. Man overboard

Understands the action to be taken to recover a man overboard

7. Emergency equipment

Can operate distress flares and knows when they should be used.

Understands how to launch and board a liferaft

In addition to the above syllabus items, the instructor may cover other methods of sending a distress signal including the use of the VHF radio to send a Mayday call.

8. Manners and customs

RYA Competent Crew should understand the accepted practice with regard to: use of burgees and ensigns, prevention of unnecessary noise or disturbances harbour including courtesies to other craft berthed alongside.

Quite often yachts will be in close proximity with each other in harbour and it is therefore important for skippers and crew to show consideration to others especially at night. One of the main causes for complaint is people that play music and speak loudly in the cockpit well into the night. Sound will travel a long way in a harbour or marina at night thus disturbing the sleep of others.

Aware of the responsibility of yacht skippers to protect the environment.

During the course, the instructor will explain the law regarding the disposal of rubbish at sea and the use of heads in harbour.

9. Rules of the road

Is able to keep an efficient lookout at sea

10. Dinghies

Understands and complies with the loading rules

Is able to handle a dinghy under oars

11. Meteorology

Awareness of forecasting services and knowledge of the Beaufort scale

12. Seasickness

Working efficiency is unaffected/partially affected/severely affected by seasickness. (Delete as applicable)

This is an assessment which will be made by the instructor. If a student is seasick during a course but can still function as a useful crew member the log book will usually be marked up as unaffected by the instructor.

13. Helmsmanship and sailing

Understands the basic principles of sailing and can steer and trim sails on all points of sailing

Can steer a compass course, under sail and power.

14. General duties

Has carried out general duties satisfactorily on deck and below decks in connection with the daily routine of the vessel

This is where you can potentially fail the course if you do not clean the boat at the end of the course or carry out your share of the domestic duties during the course!