JackClark

Anyone taken this course? I start on Friday and could do with some tips.

Jerome

Not tips for the course itself but may come in useful...

Don't call a rope a rope. Call it a sheet/halyard etc.

Watch your head when you come about.

Put sunscreen on and take sunglasses even if it isn't sunny.

Take waterproofs even if it is sunny.

Don't have a curry and eight pints of Guiness the night before.

Get some boat shoes. Don't turn up in shoes that have soles that could mark the boat.

Do as the skipper says. Don't be offended if he/she is a bit short with you.

At the risk of stating the obvious, get yourself a competent crew book and study.

Franx

Done that. What were you wanting to know?
It's not a difficult course. All it is, is the basic safety stuff, and a few bits of sailing technique for being a crew aboard the yacht. Stuff like hoisting the sails, man overboard, maybe a spot of chartwork etc.....

Just hope the weather's not too bad. I did mine with the Navy, in Plymouth Harbour, in a force 9. Far more interesting if it's like that It does tend to mean that people are either too sick to care, or they're out having the time of their lives, whilst everyone else is over the side.... Once you've done it though, it's a lot more fun on the boat, as it's no fun at all being a passenger.

Where are you doing the course anyway?

Aye, and one thing, you're garanteed to smash your head on either the ceiling , the boom or the hatchway down to the cabin at least 5 times... I've been there...

Non-marking shoes - deck shoes are worth the money by the way - ridiculous amounts of grip, and they're comfy as well, as long as you get gooduns. I still have my old Timberlands, which I bought about 5 years ago, and took right around Britain, on various crafts..

Have a glance at the book as well. It won't tell you the whole course, but it's good for a start, as it does tell you which way is which, and a bit about what not to do etc...

Have fun

Taff107

It's pretty easy. Learning the terminology was about the hardest thing. Listen to Jerome - good advice!

Franx

True enough...
A lot of it's not hugely logical either, but if the instructor's any good, he won't bombard you with terminology anyway, as is the RYA's manner these days. I'm not convinced you need a lot of it anyway.

Daryl

I did the RYA Coastal Skipper examination and asked the instructor if anyone had ever failed - he replied "a few people have only just scraped through". What does that tell you?!

Just enjoy it, I'm sure the instructor will make sure you pass

jasey

Things must have changed since I did it - tie a couple of knots, pull on all sorts of ROPE , lower bollards (or whatever they're called) on the side to prevent damage when coming in to dock & make the Tea.

(oh - and get pissed at the end of it all )

Making the Tea was the hardest part .

ps It's a very good tip to keep your head down when you hear someone shout "Ready About" - otherwise you could be taking the "crash first aid course for non-competent crew"

pps Take plenty of deoderant !!!

JackClark

Thanks guys. I have a good pair of deck shoes, weather's looking good - although I like a bit of rough - no one could deliver the book on time though so I'm going in with the power of Scoobynet and Google! Course is based at Port Solent. I'm going out today to try to get some ear plugs.

Should be crossing the Atlantic 2005/6 anyone care to lend me a Yacht or a few grand?

jasey

"I'm going out today to try to get some ear plugs"


Get some sea legs too

Franx

That's one I plan on doing in the not too distant future as well... I was going to try the BT Challenge yachts - I have the brochure, but I haven't really thought about it properly yet...

Port Solent's nice for doing Comp crew in. It'd be a bit of a b@stard for day skipper etc, as there's a huge nuimber of shipping lanes, sandbanks and boats around the place I sailed quite a bit around there in my cadet days, powerboated as well. You'll probably end up in Cowes. Nice place that

Faire D'Income

If you're talking about Port Solent, then I presume you mean Sunsail which is where I did my Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper courses. It's pretty easy to get in and out of provided that you make damn sure you've checked what the tides are doing - just follow the trots all the way out to the Solent and you're there. The guy who I did my Day Skipper was called Jeremy (can't remember his surname) who ended up skippering one of the BT yachts and he was pretty easy going and very informative. If you fancy a blast across the Atlantic, then get in touch with ARC and you may even pick up a birth without having to pay for it and it's much more relaxed than any of the races.

As for tips I'd suggest you nip into the chandlery opposite Sunsail and pick up the Day Skipper Syllabus published by the RYA which has most of the terms in it and is a mine of information.

Remember the following:

Left = Port. "The Bishop left his port..."
Right = Starboard.
Tack = the bow of the boat is steered through the wind so that the wind is at least 40 degrees off the bow.
Gybe - the wind is coming off the aft (behind) so you are taking the stern through the wind as above.

Ropes can be sheets (for controlling sails), lines (for securing the boat alongside), warps (coiled up lines) or halyards (lines for controlling sails and for hoisting) which can get confusing but you'll soon work it out.

If it is Sunsail you're going with then they use Sunfast 36s which are a reasonable boat, steered by tiller (a stick that is your steering wheel) with a standard Bermudan rig (mainsail and foresail which is a genoa on these boats, plus kite/spinnaker).

Bag the aft (rear) cabin if you can, failing that one of the foredeck cabins unless you like sleeping with other people who will stink after a days sailing - not fun!

I don't know the course content but I guess it's the basics like tying on fenders/man overboard/setting sails and trimming plus some basic manouevering skills. Man overboard is dead simple provided you follow some very basic rules:

First thing to do is to appoint someone to keep a watch on the body. Get them to stand on an elevated position, behind the skipper and they are to do nothing else but keep an eye on the position of the body by using their right arm and continuously pointing at the position of the body.

Secondly, get the engine on immediately. The purists will tell you (and on more advanced courses you have to retrieve the MOB without power) that this should not be done but in an emergency use the power to allow greater manoueverability, whilst instructing others to haul in the main and genoa. Personally, I prefer to approach the MOB from windward bleeding off any excess speed well before so that the wind drives you toward the MOB (without running him over) and make sure you've got two people with a boat hook to drag the MOB aft and bring him onboard from the stern. Make sure you've got the engine in neutral first using the morse (throttle) in the middle position. Another tip is to get used to the morse as they can be awkward buggers sometimes.

Attaching fenders, warps and lines is fairly straightforward and you'll soon pick up the various points of sail as you go along. From what I can see the wind looks fairly crap so you'll have plenty of time to go through things. Lastly, if you do feel seasick then pick out a non-moving object such as land and really concentrate on it for 5 minutes and that will be the end of it.

Enjoy yourself.

Faire D'Income

I forgot to add that as soon as anyone goes overboard, chuck a lifejacket in after them.

jasey

Fenders - that's the chap

Daryl

Cadet? Not at Warsash?

mattstant

Learn to tie a Bowline the most useful not in the world

and probably a round turn and two half hitches as you will probably be fetching in and putting out fenders for the first two days

MAtt (just about to finish his Yachtmasters so yah boo sucks to the day skipper plebs )

JackClark

How long has it taken you to get to Yachtmaster Matt?

Daryl

I think a slippery clove hitch is much better for fenders

And I've got the Yachtmasters certificate!

AND an Advanced Powerboat Instructor's certificate

Franx

Certainly not

Liverpool, more like

Another thing....
When you've thrown the lifebelt at the person overboard, get someone to point at them. Feels bloody stupid, but you'll lose sight of them in the swell otherwise. And press the MOB button on the GPS, as it marks their position, making it easier to find them if you haven't done the above

I wasn't at Sunsail, but I think I know where you mean. I did mine out of Jupiter Point, the RN sailing ctr. Is there not a sunsail in Plymouth Harbour as well?

The most fun to be had on yachts, is on either the biggest, or the smallest boat possible. I recommend the Nicholson 55 for a first purchase. Sailed all over the place on Her Majesty's fleet of those boats. They'll go through anything. Quite reassuring really
Otherwise, I'd probably have one of the Mini-Transat boats. 21 ft yacht, to sail accross the Atlantic..... I know someone who has one as well.

Franx

Ooooh
Very good

I have a dinghy instructor certificate....so there

What's the Powerboat Instructor course like? I'm thinking of doing that over the summer, when I get around to it. Have you a sailing instructor ticket as well? Easier/harder etc?

I've not yet got around to doing the Yachtmaster cert. I think I'm probably at the level, but I no longer have access to a boat that I'd trust to do such an assessment in, and I've not sailed yachts for a while, so I'll probably leave it for now.

Franx

How was it then?

Rough?

JackClark

Just about everything was fantastic! Couldn't have asked for better weather, I picked up a good sun tan and we managed plenty of miles under sail - 140nm total. I now know a few new knots, can tell a halyard from a wasp, port from starboard, tacking from gybing, and am expert at packing sails and tying fenders. Our skipper Geoff was a mine of information and a brilliant teacher, also knew how much I like a pint and didn't mind joining me. The earplugs were invaluable as I shared the saloon with a human fog horn for 3 nights, luckily for me - or him - the couple in the aft cabin left the course early. Everyone one in the boat was easy to get on with, including the young, unattached and rather attractive female dentist

I'll be booking Day Skipper theory and practical ASAP. Spent the whole drive home wondering what was wrong with my cars handling until I stopped and the strange rolling movement carried on

P.S. If anyone needs crew, I'm available, up for it and licensed to do as told.