RYA- Learn to sail holiday Caribbean

[Bubu delaMancha]

Hi guys,

both me and my wife are very passionate about sailing. We love reading cruisersforum and love learning about sailing, design, lifestyle, pretty much anything related to sailing.

We would like to accomplish RYA certification for a day skipper in Caribbean region later on this year. We are beginners (located in London) and would like 1 week on board sailing yacht with instructor for competent crew and the other week for a day skipper. Could you please recommend us some sailing schools in the region that you know of that are doing this type oh holiday? We have done our homework and researched them online, but I always prefer someone elses recommendations.

Thanks a lot for your help guys.

[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by Bubu delaMancha

Hi guys,

both me and my wife are very passionate about sailing. We love reading cruisersforum and love learning about sailing, design, lifestyle, pretty much anything related to sailing.

We would like to accomplish RYA certification for a day skipper in Caribbean region later on this year. We are beginners (located in London) and would like 1 week on board sailing yacht with instructor for competent crew and the other week for a day skipper. Could you please recommend us some sailing schools in the region that you know of that are doing this type oh holiday? We have done our homework and researched them online, but I always prefer someone elses recommendations.

Thanks a lot for your help guys.

You could certainly save yourselfs a boatload of money
by doing this in the UK. Cheaper Tuition, No Airfare and you would
get Tidal endorsement to boot. You could perhaps save enough money
to do a nice charter in the Caribbean.
I recommend the Shearwater Sailing School in Woolverstone
They do theory courses in the winter
Great bunch of instructors
Cheers
Neil

[Bubu delaMancha]

Hi Neil

and thanks a lot for your reply. When we actually compared learn to sail holidays (with RYA certification) to just RYA courses here in the Uk, learn to sail is far more attractive. You pay approximately +/-10% the same, but with learn to sail, you are in a lovely location and you live on board of the boat, while with RYA courses here int he Uk, you do not. Also most of the times you would have some meals included in the price with learn to sail.
Cheers,
Martin

[chris mac]

Check out Ltd sail, he's a member here. I didn't end up using him, we went local, but he was easy to talk with and seemed knowledgeable.
Edit. His name is Chris, and based in Grenada.

[Time2Go]

Hi Martin,
When I did my certifications in the UK it was
Live On Board with meals included.
Mark at Sheerwater is a great guy and I'm sure
he could put together whatever type of program you want.
Agree 100% Caribbean beats the English Channel weather wise
but if you can sail the channel, you're good to go anywhere.
It's how the British built an Empire, they figured out how to
get the first 50 miles away and then back.
Cheers
Neil

[Symphony]

Contact Capt Mark Thompson mark@ yachting education dot com
He is an Aussie, RYA yacht Master and USCG captain with decades of experience running charters and teaching for RYA. He does Caribbean teaching weeks onboard all the time. I have sailed with him many times, and he is a fantastic leader and hands-on teacher. Also a good cook. You and your wife can complete all the practice and exams for Competent Crew and Day Skipper.
My wife became much more relaxed on the water after completing her Competent Crew with Mark, because we had so many Man Overboard drills it became second nature to grab things out of the water in a few minutes. He also convinced her to do engine checks daily, something she now loves to do.

[s/v Moondancer]

Providing the Caribbean school is RYA approved to grant RYA certificated you will get good basic training to sail boats. However, as Neil points out you will have zero tidal experience which will not matter in Greece but on the Solent you are likely to make a complete fool of yourself and in the Alderney Race's 7-9 knot currents kill yourself!

Learn properly on the Solent and then take a Caribbean holiday. Or visa versa!

[Bubu delaMancha]

Originally Posted by chris mac

Check out Ltd sail, he's a member here. I didn't end up using him, we went local, but he was easy to talk with and seemed knowledgeable.
Edit. His name is Chris, and based in Grenada.

Thank you Chris, will surely check him out

[pippatheskippa]

You could try us! Miramar Sailing School - Antigua - Meals included! Check our website & our feedback - plenty of recommendations from people like yourself! Hope to meet you one day ��

[pippatheskippa]

The RYA no longer differentiates between tidal & non tidal certification at Day Skipper level. The students do need to study tides at Theory level before doing their Practical course.
PippatheSkippa (RYA YMI)

[Bubu delaMancha]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

Hi Martin,
When I did my certifications in the UK it was
Live On Board with meals included.
Mark at Sheerwater is a great guy and I'm sure
he could put together whatever type of program you want.
Agree 100% Caribbean beats the English Channel weather wise
but if you can sail the channel, you're good to go anywhere.
It's how the British built an Empire, they figured out how to
get the first 50 miles away and then back.
Cheers
Neil

I will check his website again. I surely appreciate and understand that sailing is a bit like the saying, Hard on practice ground, easy on battlefield. To certain degree of course.

[Bubu delaMancha]

Originally Posted by pippatheskippa

You could try us! Miramar Sailing School - Antigua - Meals included! Check our website & our feedback - plenty of recommendations from people like yourself! Hope to meet you one day ��

Hi Pippa and thank you for your reply. I believe my wife received an email for your good yourself just now

[Symphony]

here's a good idea if you plan to sail in tidal areas: when my wife did the course with Yachting Education we started in the ICW in the Carolinas, moving south in the ICW with two overnight hops also outside. then crossed the Stream to the Bahamas to cruise the Abaco Sea. it was a great mixture of tidal, river, bridges, Atlantic inlets, fog, sun, Florida, fishing, anchoring, marinas, fuel docks, Customs, etc. My wife and I had cruised a monohull for decades but the RYA instructor was a much better experience for learning - she would listen to him!!!
heh
what's the saying: I have a bad knee and a good wife; both flare up occasionally.

anyway, I like the RYA system giving the hands-on practicum as well as the theory. the theory was easy to learn because she applied it to the cruise immediately. Once you get to Day Skipper you exceed the licensing requirement for the EU charter world, heck - any charter company would rent to you.

I have my Coastal Skipper from RYA. I heartily recommend the course work.

[snippet]

OK, I'll offer this recommendation:

I'm sure that Sail Grenadines offers excellent RYA training in the Caribbean. I was ICC certified by Katie in Greece. She now runs the operation on Bequia.

Sail Grenadines is a small charter company on Bequia (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) run by a UK family who also operate Sail Ionian in Greece. I've chartered with them twice in Greece and have a charter scheduled with them out of Bequia this spring.

My experience is that they take excellent care of their quality boats and provide a high standard of service. I've been fortunate enough to charter more than a dozen times around the world; this family has the best operation of all of them. (Well, there was the guy in NZ....pretty good too).

Good luck, have fun.

[daugs]

did my day skipper (without competent crew beforehand) in one week having just sailed with friends previously. Was back in 2001, Solent UK.

For me the really useful bits were dealing with tides and unhelpful wind etc when mooring and doing man overboard etc as well. When we had one day (and night for night sale) of bad weather (force 8), I probably learnt more of what was possible, the number of reefs etc and it getting steadily worse.

In my view the more challenging, the more you can learn that will help in the future, the idea of the course is that afterwards, YOU are in charge of others and a vessel at sea when things may get challenging. Even simple things like mooring become more difficult when the elements combine against you.

I've only sailed in UK / French waters so cannot comment on merits of abroad, but what is the main purpose of the week or two, to learn some stuff in a nice environment or as much as possible where ever.