Essential Navigation & Seamanship – Classroom

Key Course Details

Duration: 2 days

Time: 9am to 5pm

Group Size: 6 or 8

Min Age: From 14

Price: £190 to £200

General

RYA_Essential_Navigation_and_Seamanship

The RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Theory course aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of subjects like charts, tides, navigation and areas like safety and distress alerting. It is aimed at those boating close inshore/to their home port and is perfect for those who have just taken RYA Powerboat Level 2 or are thinking of doing so.

Course Duration

The course lasts two days and runs from 9am to roughly 5pm each day.

Instructor – student ratio

Typically there will be a maximum of 4 students on the course.

Prior experience

No prior boating experience is necessary and it is a great way for those new or interested in the pastime to get a thorough grounding in many aspects of boating.

Minimum Age

We are happy for a child over 12 to undertake the course and they tend to have great fun taking it – and assisting the adults they are doing it alongside!!

Course cost

The course costs £200.
Each 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 do I get with the course

You get a full RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Theory Course pack which includes course notes and RYA Training Charts. You also get a plotter/dividers pack and course completion certificate.


Is there an end of course assessment?

No. The Instructor runs through each of the modules of the course ensuring that you understand each as you progress.

What’s best – doing the course online or in the classroom?

Whereas with many courses that we offer both online and in the classroom we tend to recommend the classroom version if it is feasible, with this course we actually suggest the online version is best for most people.

Our rationale is simply that the RYA have done such a great job with the online version and that the subjects covered are pretty straightforward so it is just a matter of working through the various modules.

Of course if you would prefer to undertake the course in the classroom this is no problem at all and we’d be delighted to welcome you to Poole or Lymington to do so.

As most people prefer to undertake the online course most of the classroom courses we run do so when 2 or more people say they want to do the course in which case we put on a specific date just for them.

I’m a sailor – is this course valid for me too?

Absolutely. The RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Theory course has been written to be completely relevant to both powerboats and those boating under sail.

Why choose Powerboat Training UK for your RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Theory course?

The simple answer is our instructors. Our instructors have current, real hands on experience of helming fast and slower power driven vessels and vessels on passage under sail all over the world and their experience of using the navigation techniques that this course covers is a key component of what makes this a great course for everyone who gets afloat.

As a professional full time school our classrooms are well equipped and dedicated to the running of these courses so have all of the materials expected so that we can run first rate courses.

The Course

Over the duration of the course, course participants gain a thorough understanding of a variety of subject areas. The duration of the course affords far more time to cover and understand the subject matter than is possible in a course that includes practical work too – like Powerboat Level 2.

The course is really valuable for those who want to build on Powerboat Level 2 or the Motor Cruising Helmsman’s course and is a perfect way to prepare for the Intermediate Powerboat Course.

The way that the course is structured allows you to learn about a subject then consolidates what you have learnt through mini quizzes at the end of each module. The use of the RYA Training charts and Almanac make the course very real and ensure that when you start to put the skills you have learnt into practice in the ‘real world’ you are really well placed to do so.

The syllabus covers:

  • Charts and publications
  • Safety
  • Engine checks
  • Buoyage
  • Tidal awareness
  • Visual and electronic navigation
  • Pilotage
  • Rules of the road
  • Anchoring
  • Weather forecasts
  • Passage planning

No prior experience is required to attend the course.

This course is aimed at

The RYA Essential navigation and Seamanship Theory course appeals to a wide variety of individuals, these include

  • Those who have just completed a course like Powerboat Level 2 or Motor Cruising Helmsman who want to develop their knowledge on to the next level. The basic level practical courses spend the majority of their time afloat so time spent on theory is by necessity quite limited. The Essential Navigation & Seamanship course perfectly compliments them.
  • Those keen to refresh their knowledge as they have become a bit ‘rusty’ as they may not have used their charts, tides, navigation skills for a while.
  • Those starting out boating (whether sail or power)

The course is relevant whether you have your own boat or don’t ever intend owning your own craft.

Syllabus

Aim: To develop navigation and seamanship skills both in those starting out in boating or those who consider themselves a bit ‘rusty’.

Charts, publications and terms:

Basic terms; Chart overview; Introduction to chart datum and depths

Buoyage:

Lateral buoys; Cardinal buoys; Where to find information

Navigation:

Plotting a position; Measuring distance and bearing; Position fix; Heading

Safety:

Personal and boat safety equipment; Safety procedures and briefing; Communications; Engine checks; Rescue procedures

Anchoring:

Where to anchor; How to anchor

Tides:

Tidal streams; Tidal heights

Electronic navigation:

GPS terms; GPS use; Using waypoints

Rules of the road:

Risk of collision; Who gives way

Weather forecasts:

Sources of forecast; Terms used in forecasts

Pilotage:

Harbour information; Transits; Pilotage plan

Passage planning:

SOLAS V requirements; Pre planning; Chart choice

Reviews

Whatever we may think of our courses what really counts is what others think, below are a selection of comments taken directly from the Feedback Forms that we ask are filled in at the end of each course.

A great course. I was a bit unsure whether the course would build on the Level 2 that I completed last weekend but I was really pleasantly surprised. I found that the course consolidated what I had learnt by doing the Level 2 but also took me onto that next level. I feel far happier about my charts, tides and buoyage now – thanks. John who has just undertaken Level 2 on our RIBs

Level 2 was a great course but I was really keen to learn that bit more about charts and tides for when I go out fishing. It was a really good course and I learnt loads Rupert

Essential Navigation & Seamanship – Classroom - Enquire

Thank you for your interest in this course.

We don’t always schedule course dates for this course so if you are keen to consider this course please either give us a call to chat through possible dates or fill in the form below and we will make contact with you. Alternatively you can email us at courses@powerboattraininguk.co.uk

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