Cruising Instructor - General
Becoming a RYA Cruising Instructor is a great way to share the passion that you have for motor cruising with others. To become a Cruising Instructor you need to be a very competent boat handler with a very good level of theory knowledge and a pleasant manner. For entry to the course you must be a Yachtmaster Offshore (Power) with an in date Commercial Endorsement.
Course Aim
To develop the skills necessary for a Yachtmaster Offshore to become a Cruising Instructor able to teach within the RYA Yachtmaster Scheme.
Course Duration
4 days
Course Dates
Cruising Instructor courses are run occasionally during the year from Poole.
Timings
The Cruising Instructor course is 4 full days from 9-5 plus one night will entail a nightex. You should expect to do some evening homework too though – so no wild nights!
Minimum Age
18
Structure of the course
When you took your Yachtmaster Offshore exam you will have of demonstrated a high level of competence, to become an Instructor you will need to demonstrate this same level of competence on a repeated basis as you undertake demonstrations and instruct/coach students to improve their boating ability.
You should be up to date with all aspects of the syllabus of the Dayskipper, Helmsmans and Start Motor Cruising courses and have a level of knowledge above the level at which you need to teach. We structure these courses as follows:
Day 1 ~ Teaching styles, boat handling assessment and ‘brush up’, theory knowledge assessment and ‘brush up’. On water sessions focussing on demonstrations and structuring sessions.
Days 2 & 3 ~ Practice teaching with other course students. Detailed discussion of course structure and the key issues with teaching each of the courses and its constituent parts. Discussion of the RYA Motor Cruising Scheme and courses.
Day 4 ~ Moderation by another RYA Cruising Instructor Trainer. The moderation is an opportunity to learn from a second Trainer who’s job is to i) Assess the job that the primary Trainer has done ensuring that all of the key areas have bene covered properly ii) Give additional input to the course iii) Give an objective second opinion on the candidates. Moderation though is very much run as just another day of the course giving further opportunity to practice teaching and share experiences of teaching with the Trainers.
Pre-entry requirements for the course
- Hold a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore (Power) Certificate of Competence – with all associated certification in date
- Hold a valid first aid qualification which is accepted by the RYA (see RYA website for accepted certificates)
- Enrol on and pass the RYA Cruising Instructor theory test (incorporating teaching theory and RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Theory) – we set this up for you and this is included in the course fee.
What can a Cruising Instructor teach?
A Cruising Instructor can run the Start Motor Cruising, Helmsmans and Day Skipper practical courses when working at a RYA Training Centre.
Validity
The qualification is valid for five years. After 5 years the RYA Cruising Instructor must either be re-tested, or preferably take a RYA Yachtmaster Instructor Course.
Why choose Powerboat Training UK for your RYA Cruising Instructor course?
The key thing that we can bring to a course is our considerable experience of training Instructors across the world plus practical hands on experience of regularly teaching the courses we are teaching you to teach. The Trainers that run our courses (usually led by Paul Glatzel – author of the RYA Powerboat Handbook & RYA Advanced Powerboat Handbook) run a considerable number of instructor courses each year and are 100% on top of what is recommended as ‘best practice’ ensuring that those they train are really well placed to then run courses once qualified. As a busy commercial centre we can Usually also offer the chance to come in ahead of a course and sit in with our instructor team on a Dayskipper Practical course (no charge) which is really beneficial if you can do so – subject to availability of suitable courses.
We also promise every instructor that trains with us that they can come and work alongside our experienced instructors so that you can get some experience delivering their first course.
We have also forged a niche welcoming potential instructors from around the world and also travelling far afield to train individuals and teams to become RYA instructors.
Our craft ~ Our main training vessel is a Rodman twin shaft motor cruiser fitted with a host of electronics
Our location and teaching facilities ~ Poole Harbour is a truly amazing teaching location – so much so that the RNLI and the Royal Marines base their training operations here.
Likewise our base in Lymington at Aquasafe Powerboat School is at Lymington Yacht Haven which like Cobbs Quay is a large marina with a huge range of craft. Our classrooms are well resourced, clean and professional.
Our Cruising Instructor Trainers ~ The RYA Cruising Instructor Trainers that we work with are highly experienced and deliver many instructor courses each year. They stay 100% in line with current best practice so we can be sure that our Instructor courses are amongst the best there are.
Our history ~ We started the school over twenty years ago and have grown a reputation for delivering on our promises. Our clients range from individuals with their own craft to organisations such as Sunseeker and the RNLI.
We are also very proud to have written the RYA Powerboat Handbook and the RYA Advanced Powerboat Handbook.
Course prices The price quoted in the ‘Key Course Details’ section above is the price per head for 1 person, for 2 persons the per head cost reduces by 2.5% and for three people by 5%. The price shown is inclusive of VAT.
What is included in the course price? ~ when you undertake your Instructor Course on our boats then the price you pay includes fuel and free use of waterproofs/lifejackets. Price includes VAT too.
Does the course price represent good value? ~ remember in life you pretty much get what you pay for. We don’t pretend to be the cheapest but the course will be on well maintained first rate craft, and run by trainers guaranteed to teach current best practice. We have great facilities in a large marina offering a great all-round experience. Check out the other relevant pages on this website to see what we mean.
We also would hope that by attending a course at Powerboat Training UK you will be viewed as an instructor who has trained at one of the centres most respected for delivering high quality career enhancing instructor courses.
Cruising Instructor - Syllabus
Training theory
Teaching and learning theory
How students learn:
- Learning styles
- Stages of learning
Barriers to learning:
- Comfort/stretch/panic
Neurolinguistic programming
Simple coaching models and their uses and limitations
Questioning techniques
Structuring feedback
- Observation skills
- Prioritising feedback – safety/learning/fun
Practical course syllabus
Plan-Do-Review
Plan:
- Structuring a lesson
- Identifying achievable tasks/transferable method
- Identifying key teaching points
- Prerequisite knowledge
- Logical order of delivery
- Location and time management — planning v. opportunism
- Use of teaching aids
Do:
- EDICT(S) as a benchmark to discuss, but not restricted to using this model
Review:
- Self-review
RYA Orientation
- Operating procedures
- Centre policies
- Role of RYA Cruising Instructor/Chief Instructor/Principal
Debriefing/Feedback Skills
- Observation skills
- Feedback
- Prioritising — safety/learning/fun
- Action Plans
Catastrophe Clinic
- Avoiding pitfalls
- Learning from accidents/incidents
Assessment Criteria
Practical courses
Knowledge of:
- Start Motor Cruising
- Helmsman
- Dayskipper Practical
- Dayskipper Theory
Understands:
- RYA programme of courses
- Levels of competence required for award of the above certifcates
Instructional Technique
Can:
- Set up tasks and teaching sessions appropriate to individual students
- Brief clearly
- Ensure tasks are undertaken correctly and safely
- Observe the task and note areas requiring improvement
- Debrief students and agree an achievable plan for improvement
- Demonstrate any part of the Start Motor Cruising, Helmsman, and Dayskipper Practical courses
- Explain the practical application of any part of the Dayskipper Shorebased Course
Interpersonal Skills:
- How to give and receive feedback
Cruising Instructor - Course Books
Make sure that you have the right books for your instructor course. You can buy the books below by clicking the link then buying via the RYA website.
Below we list the books that we feel that you must have and also some other books that we feel are really relevant and useful to have. An option is to have these as a subscription package of eBooks. You choose either the books for the Yachtmaster scheme (in which the motor cruising scheme fits) or all of the books that the RYA produces. This can be a great way to access additional content for courses – AND saves trees!
Subscription to Yachtmaster Scheme eBooks:
eBook Subscription Yachtmaster Scheme
Subscription to all eBooks:
eBook Subscription to all RYA eBooks
Links to individual books in the RYA Shop (eBook or realBook)
RYA Yachtmaster Scheme – Syllabus & Logbook
RYA Yachtmaster Scheme – Instructor Handbook
Other books in the shop worth considering:
Cruising Instructor - Book Now
Thank you for your interest in this course.
Hopefully the dates that we have scheduled work well with your availability. If the dates don’t quite work then we are always keen to be as flexible as possible so please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.
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Don’t forget too that if you are an individual or company/organisation booking a few people onto courses then we may be able to schedule dates around you. Equally, for bookings some time in the future we can usually juggle our course dates if what we have scheduled doesn’t quite work for you.
For information… When you make a booking using this system please be aware that we allocate you the places but the booking is provisional and subject to confirmation. We will review your booking and then you will receive a payment request from us, the payment you make will secure your place. You will receive confirmation from us at the latest during the next business day. For all courses we have a minimum required number for the course to go ahead.
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Date | Duration | Location | Availability | |
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Mon 29 Apr 2024 | 4 days | Poole | Fully booked | |
Mon 11 Nov 2024 | 4 days | Poole | Fully booked |