UK Instructors

[Adibe]

Im seriously considering getting a yacht, however I have no big sailing experience. I do have some dinghy experience, an RYA day skipper ticket on power and years ago plenty of time on canals and rivers on small canal boats.

I'm thinking about getting the boat then spending a week at a time sailing with an instructor and learning on a one to one basis whilst cruising around the UK with the view to getting some qualifications along the way.

Is this something that is achievable? Where do I find the right instructor?

Thanks

[ChrisJHC]

Pretty much any sailing school will set this up for you.

Just contact one that is convenient and gets okay reviews.

I’d recommend an RYA school as their instructors have gone through a pretty rigorous training program.

[boatman61]

There are a couple of ways to do this.. one is what you are considering..
The other is what I did.. I enrolled in 3 RYA Theory evening courses, Coastal Skipper, Offshore and Ocean. I then bought a 24ft boat and spent a year+ refitting her before taking her out and learning by trial and error with the help of Glenans Sailing Manual for tips and techniques, a year after launching I booked an instructor/examiner from a Poole RYA school and did my Coastal Skipper practical as a solo sailor in and around Poole Harbour.
I find I learn better on my own rather than being told how to do practical things and sailing is very much an individual sport to my mind, instructors are often too rigid in their thinking.
Just choose what suits your personality best.
https://www.technical-recreational-c...evening-class/

[Adibe]

Thanks for the answers.

One of the reasons for getting qualified is as much as anything because I thought it might make insurance cheaper? It would also be a good idea to get a refresher anyhow since its been 3 years since I did any big boating and that was in the Med. anyhow and with no sails!

I guess I just want my hand holding initially but I just don't really want to spend a week in a full boat and as I will be probably sailing alone or with one other its probably best to learn that way.

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by Adibe

One of the reasons for getting qualified is as much as anything because I thought it might make insurance cheaper?

Don't bank on it. I was late into boat ownership, having a yachtmaster plus a fair bit of commercial delivery experience. Best I could do was haggle an initial no claims but no official reduction for qualifications.

Getting a refresher is definitely a good idea if you did dayskipper 3 years ago and nothing since: it's so easy to forget things that aren't pummelled into you by experience after initial learning.

Most schools will do "own boat tuition" but you are best off if you can get a personal recommendation for a freelance instructor. They frequently work for schools for a pittance and the school will put a big markup on their time. Hire someone directly and you can pay them more, still be in pocket and you know who you're getting rather than the school assigning a random instructor to you.

You'll get far more out of any practical instruction if you first do the online theory course per boatman61's post above but note that I believe coastal/offshore yachtmaster is one and the same theory course and you really don't need ocean at this point