RYA or ASA ?

[alexxx]

hey all !! which of the two is going to offer me the best sailing training? i want to get the best training available, get my boat, circumnavigate, etc.. Which one should i pick? a school approved by the RYA or the ASA?
thanks guys

[Teknav]

RYA (primarily in the UK)...is where the would-be pros go for their seamanship training, and earn credentials to become a professional captain; non military or merchant marine training. ASA (US & Caribbean)...is where most "hobbyists/new at sailing" go; the credentials earned are adequate to charter a bare boat in most popular destinations. Do you want to sail as a hobbyist or for pay? If you intend to sail for pay, consider also following the "USCG six-pack captain license" requirements. Let's know how you're progressing. Good luck!

Mauritz
Going to behave now!

[alexxx]

thanxx Teknav !! hobbyist, but really i want to do something serious, so that once i have my boat i can sail it well, but that a insurance company will easily insure me and my boat after seeing my qualifications and experience. Funny you mention the Carribean, that's actually where i was aiming to go and do my training - there a quite a few RYA certified schools there, but also ASA schools. Do you think the carribean RYA schools will be serious enough? i'd like to avoid training in the UK, the weather is total crap most or the year, as i'm sure you know.....
cheers !

[Teknav]

Find a RYA school in either the USVI or the BVI. Compare the cost and ask around about recommendations from recent grads. It is cheaper to fly to the USVI, and the cost of living is manageable. I do not have any RYA experience. Good luck!

Mauritz
Going to behave now!

[FLLCatsailor]

Bluewater sailing in Grenada...rest guy who does Ryan training

[conachair]

Originally Posted by alexxx

i'd like to avoid training in the UK, the weather is total crap most or the year, as i'm sure you know.....
cheers !

If you want to learn then the UK actually had a lot going for it as a location to do sailing courses, certainly around the channel & south west;
Rapidly changing sometimes nasty weather,
Lots of traffic, big ships , fishing boats etc
Big tides.

You'd get some experience in a challenging place to sail, a lot of the world is easy compared to it.

[alexxx]

good point... for those reasons i was thinking about Gibraltar too... i'll do more research
thanxx !

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by conachair

If you want to learn then the UK actually had a lot going for it as a location to do sailing courses, certainly around the channel & south west;[snip]
You'd get some experience in a challenging place to sail, a lot of the world is easy compared to it.

+1 on that. If you plan to do more than a week of training I suggest you consider the UK. Lots of good schools, demanding instructors and examiners, etc.. When I was living in the US I tried to find the same in the Fort Lauderdale schools there but was not satisfied hence ended up doing more courses/exams (up to Yachtmaster) in the UK.. I have sailed all over the place since then and found everything easy compared to the English Channel! C

[goboatingnow]

be aware that the RYA Yachtmaster ( and Yachtmaster coastal, nee Coastal Skipper) has a mileage and voyage prerequisite

dave

[Tingum]

Schools are one thing,however, they Are Not Experience. Only getting out and making mistakes will give you that.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by alexxx

good point... for those reasons i was thinking about Gibraltar too... i'll do more research
thanxx !

You could do worse, busy and can be windy. But lets be honest, a sailing school will never really teach you how to sail, that comes with experience. Thousands and thousands of miles of having to sort it out yourself when things go wrong. A good school should be able to speed you down the road though.

Good luck

[goboatingnow]

Its important to realise , that once you go beyond RYA Day Skipper, you are no longer being 'taught how to sail', you are merely being examined on your competency to skipper a boat in various conditions at night and day.

There is no specific teaching syllabus for RYA yacht master ( there is for the shorebased navigations classes, but they are not needed). Some schools run 'prep' weeks that bring you up to speed with the exam syllabus, but you would need to be reasonably proficient and a competent skipper before going near RYA YM.

The RYA YM is an examination, its not a taught course, you can do the exam, with the few prerequisites such as mileage without any formal sail training at all. ( well you do need a VHF cert,sea survival cert, and first aid cert ) what you do need to demonstrate is teh ability to skipper the vessel and crew. The examiner in fact does not evaluate your ability to sail very much at all.



dave

[conachair]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

..... ( well you do need a VHF cert,sea survival cert, and first aid cert ) .....

Isn't the sea survival only required for a commercial endorsement afterwards?

[alexxx]

this is all excellent tips guys, i very grateful..... Finding the right school is essential, with the tachers who can make you love it, or hate it. They have that power and i've heard of those situations. I want to get my competent crew out of the way first, then progress quickly. I want a school where teachers have the passion for what they do, not ones who run a b&b for tourists. I'm going to dig deeper into what the RYA have in the BVI's. But, SVLAMOROCHA, you say "lots of good schools" in the uk.. whisper the name of one of those in my ear?
cheers mate!! and thanks everyone, pls keep them coming......
By the way i have a 5d trip to CAPT TOWN next month, i'm just starting to look into what sea outings they do there... There's also the Leopard Catamarans factory there that i'd like to go visit. Any one of you would recommend a good RYA school in or near CAPE TOWN?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by conachair

Isn't the sea survival only required for a commercial endorsement afterwards?

Sorry Yes, relating my personal experience, not the OPs
dave