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LittleWing77 · 04-09-2019, 13:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saxoncross

I took a couple of RYA courses earlier this year from a "company" certified by the RYA. This was my experience:
No structure = extremely poor interaction.
Racing boat not suitable for training.
Engine malfunctioning on a number of occasions to the point of loosing control of the boat and crashing into the dock.
Provided bedding was a sleeping bag from a bargain basement shop.
A total con and ripoff.

Sorry, Saxoncross, that does rather sound like a nightmare.

Unfortunately, you were had. No way was that school certified by the RYA. As others have responded, I can assure you that at a true RYA-certified school, every single course from Competent Crew to Day Skipper to Ocean Yachtmaster has a strictly delineated curriculum (I taught up to Coastal Skipper at Hamble Scool of Yachting) which must be followed to the letter, otherwise the instructor can't sign off on the student's completion - the knock-on consequence for me would've been that my own Yachtmaster certification could have been revoked. Also, using a dilapidated racing boat to teach such sailing curriculum is not on. (Strike 2)

I'll never forget one group of Competent Crew students who I had out for - a week or weekend, I forget which. Anyway, it was blowing a hoolie - no way I was taking a bunch of newbies out in that crap. So we ducked into Portsmouth Harbour and spent a good portion of one day rowing around in the blow-up dinghy - since that was one of the components we could complete while stuck in harbour on a no-sail day.

Good luck with any future courses. I echo the advice of one poster who recommended that you might do a bit of homework before handing over your hard-earned money to a company such as what-sounds-like a bunch of shysters.

A reputable RYA school would have offered a refund or credit for another course so you could re-do - without engine trouble, etc.

Best wishes,
LittleWing77

p.s. We never provided bedding to our students, just listed in "What to Bring": "sleeping bag or your own bedding".

Mithril Bham · 05-09-2019, 02:18

I find the report on RYA very disappointing and surprising. I feel that might be a serious exception to the rule.
The problem is, to my knowledge, RYA is not available in the US. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Look at US Sailing as well.

LittleWing77 · 05-09-2019, 02:45

You're right, generally, Mithril.

Royal Yachting Association is just that: a UK-based association that teaches and certifies generally around the UK. In my example, I did all of my certifications in the Solent and along the South Coast of England.

There are a few teachers who run RYA courses in North America - for instance, a sole instructor who runs offshore stuff (Coastal and Yachtmaster up) out of Halifax, Nova Scotia (?), I believe. But then, you'd have to have done all the basic courses somewhere else.

As another poster above has already noted, that's why ASA is the default for North America = because you don't have to travel long distances to do a course.

A corollary note, and also a reason why the RYA commercial cert is so highly regarded: it's the only captain's license where your final exam involves a Yachmaster Offshore Instructor coming on board and examining you for 3 days straight - 24-hours around the clock. Night sailing, day sailing, navigation, weather forecasting, VHF protocol, sailing on and off mooring buoys, fog navigation, safety procedures, man overboards under both engine and sail, a number of "someone one your crew has just yelled fire" emergency scenarios, every kind of docking... and on and on. I remember when my group finished and we came alongside on that Sunday evening. We were all bleary-eyed with exhaustion, but felt as if we really had accomplished something. Over the years, I've had that bourne out to me repeatedly.

You can't fake that.

Warmly,
LittleWing

davefromoregon · 05-09-2019, 16:00

Asa is very forthcoming about what goes into the standard for each course. https://asa.com/certifications/asa-1...stal-cruising/

I’ve been able to find the pre-reqs for RYA: https://www.jollyparrot.co.uk/blog/t...re-examination

However, I can’t find anything for RYA that resembles the ASA Standards. Am I just not looking in the right places?

LittleWing77 · 06-09-2019, 02:55

If you go under the Sailing Cruising page on the RYA website, they have a page for each course, with pre-requisites as well as course curriculum.

Here's the YM page:

https://www.rya.org.uk/courses-train...chtmaster.aspx

Good luck!
LittleWing77

admiralslater · 06-09-2019, 04:08

I did a yacht master coastal with a school n Greneda , I had done 80 hours of online prep 4 twelve hour days of on the water and a 13 hour exam with an independent examiner from England . I was very pleased when I passed (not everyone on our course did).
Some ASA instructor friends of mine just got their RYA cert. because they had a hard time getting delivery jobs with just ASA

belizesailor · 06-09-2019, 06:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mithril Bham

I find the report on RYA very disappointing and surprising. I feel that might be a serious exception to the rule.

The problem is, to my knowledge, RYA is not available in the US. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Look at US Sailing as well.

RYA is availble in the USA, but only at a few locations. You can look them up on the RYA web site. I dont know the nature of these sites RYA affiliation other than they are listed on the RYA web site.

Uricanejack · 07-09-2019, 06:44

Well the RYA certainly have the best marketing and brand recognition.
The trouble I have with the ASA is figuring out what the numbers relate to.
Where offshore yachtmaster kind of sounds like what is in the box.

I live and sail in your area. Bought my boat in Portland and sailed it up to PT Roberts. I have big plans but am happy just bumbling around the SGI or San Juans.
If you can do Astoria to Puget Sound you can sail well enough.

The problem with RYA for us here in this area. I don’t know of any good sailing school with an established track record doing RYA. A couple will do Day skipper.
There is a new one in Vancouver BC which has just started doing YM
At pretty high price.

It’s the quality of the school and instructors which count. The RYA is just a body overseeing them.

If I was going to do RYA I would go to an establishment which had been around for a while probably in the UK. Maybe some sunny spot for the winter.

What I did years ago was an advanced course with a local BC school. Because they are a good sailing school with a good established record. It was CYA which has a similar format to ASA.

So I would recommend a good local sailing school. Picking their more advanced course. Which ASA number it would correspond to I don’t know.

I’d recommend Coopers in Vancouver, but I used to be one of their instructors.
I did their advanced course. Many years ago and I enjoyed it.

carraigdog · 15-09-2019, 03:12

Has anyone completed the RYA day skipper on line course ? Am really struggling with tidal diamonds (was always useless at maths) Im wondering if this is a good way to grasp it ? (assuming I can practice it on line I suppose)

admiralslater · 15-09-2019, 03:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by carraigdog

Has anyone completed the RYA day skipper on line course ? Am really struggling with tidal diamonds (was always useless at maths) Im wondering if this is a good way to grasp it ? (assuming I can practice it on line I suppose)

I signed up for an online course given by a company called navathome. They sent me the work books , purpose made charts dividers and a portsmouth plotter . There online materials were excellent and the feed back was quite good .
It did take time but at home you have it . You will want to get a note book and a mechanical pencil .
The diamonds are used in conjunction with the time of day that you pass through the area .
Using the correct time and day is the key. If I remember!!

**Dockhead** · 15-09-2019, 04:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by belizesailor

RYA is availble in the USA, but only at a few locations. You can look them up on the RYA web site. I dont know the nature of these sites RYA affiliation other than they are listed on the RYA web site.

RYA is the gold standard, and is definitely available in the U.S. Just one example: https://www.yachtingeducation.com/blank-cdmd

jmh2002 · 15-09-2019, 05:18

I posted a comment in another thread a while ago which echos the thoughts of some members in this thread:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2950274

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmh2002

...I think that the RYA instructors in the UK are the best at this stuff.

They do it with wind, they do it with tide, and they do it well. Personally it's not my favourite place to sail, but at least there is normally a good pub at the destination to try and make up for it.

However if you really want to learn or hone skills I couldn't suggest anything better than doing some RYA practical courses in the UK. Preferably in winter when it is additionally unpleasant, cold, wet, and difficult.

Why? Because they focus on real, practical skills. You actually have to do it. Like the video above but with wind and tide. Or hunting down an unlit post on a sand bank through blind DR navigation - you are below navigating, and issuing instructions to the helmsman on deck (Bramble Bank anyone?).

After that type of learning experience most things will seem much easier by comparison.

And I used to give the similar advice to younger deck crew: "If you just want the piece of paper go and do it where it is cheapest and easiest - but if you actually want to learn something, go and do it in the UK".