Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - General
Course Aim: To teach powerboating up to the standard required to complete a short coastal passage by day. In essence this course aims to introduce those boaters who have previously stayed ‘close to home’ to travel that bit further and undertake short coastal passages.
Course Duration
2 days from 9am to 5pm.
Instructor to Student Ratio
The RYA teaching ratio is one Instructor to three students to one boat, our price is the same whether you have one or three people on the course.
Prior Experience Required
Candidates should be competent to the standard of Level 2 (including the coastal endorsement). Whilst the course does include time on developing your boat handling we will not have time to develop basic techniques. It is recommended that attendees acquire a First Aid certificate and VHF operators certificate either before or after attending the course.
Minimum Age
16. Children over 16 can attend the course with you and can a achieve a course certificate for reaching the required standard.
Course Dates
We can schedule an intermediate course on your boat at any time and often at short notice.
Why choose Powerboat Training UK for your Intermediate Powerboat course?
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. Our classrooms are well resourced, professional, clean and tidy.
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 Instructors ~ We ensure that our instructors are teaching 100% ‘Best Practice’ and have a process whereby we constantly review their sessions to ensure that you get the most productive experience from your time with us. All teach because they love boating and we work with them to constantly ‘upskill’ their qualifications and experience.
Our history ~ We started the school over ten 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, the RNLI and we were awarded the RYA Training contract by Dorset Police for the London 2012 Olympic events in Weymouth.
We are also very proud to have written the RYA Powerboat Handbook for the RYA and alsothe RYA Advanced Powerboat Handbook too.
What is included in the course price? ~ When you undertake your Intermediate Course on your boat then the price you pay includes all RYA course materials, free use of waterproofs and other safety gear that you may need and it also includes VAT too – a common extra.
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 run by instructors guaranteed to teach current best practice with real hands on experience of your type of boat. We have great facilities in large marinas offering a great all-round experience. Check out the other relevant pages on this website to see what we mean.
Some of the offers available when buying this course include…..
Special Offer No1!! Book and pay for your VHF Course at the same time as you book the Intermediate course and only pay £75 for the VHF course (including course pack). (Usual cost is £100, you also need to pay the RYA Fee which is £60). You can choose whether to undertake the course in the classroom or online. We run VHF Courses every two weeks so fitting you in will never be an issue – we run these courses in Poole and Lymington.
Special Offer No2!! We also offer the opportunity to book the classroom based and online versions of the RYA Dayskipper Theory Course for significant discounts when booked alongside an Intermediate Powerboat course. The Dayskipper course is a great way to really develop on from the Intermediate course and the fact that you would undertake 5 days of theory rather than the one you get the time for on the Intermediate course explains the difference in depth this can be taught to. You will get a discounted rate of £280 for the online course and £330 for the classroom based course – great deals!
Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - The Course
Reflecting a demand for a course to follow naturally on from Level 2 the RYA launched the Intermediate Powerboat course. This course is taught by Advanced Centres and is a great course for those with their own boat keen to go further afield. The course lasts 2 days and is a very popular course and naturally builds on the basic building blocks of skill created and developed in the Level 2 course.
Your instructor will cover the following topics with you during your time with him/her:
Theory subjects such as:
- Navigation
- Bearing distance
- Charts, symbols & use of charts
- Tides
- Use of almanacs
- Use of marina locks
- Latitude & longitude
- Principals of GPS
- Sources of forecast information & interpretation of them
- Use of plotting instruments
- Buoyage
- IRPCS
- Waypoint navigation
- Emergency situations
Practical subjects including:
- Boat preparation including kit
- Crew preparation
- Stowage
- Boat handling including effect of waves
- Rougher conditions
- Awareness of wind & tide
- Pilotage
- Passage making including application of subjects covered in theory section
- Man overboard recovery techniques
Broadly speaking the course divides into i) developing the core navigation skills to be able to undertake coastal passages ii) Using these skills afloat to undertake a passage/entry to a port safely.
Day one will tend to start with a bit of a recap on the theory side to see where you are relative to the level that we need to achieve during the course. You then go afloat and spend some time practicing and enhancing your close quarter boat handling skills. Once back in the classroom the instructor will look in detail at the areas of passage planning and pilotage so that you have the skills to put it into practice.
Day two will spend lots of time learning new skills such as the ways to use GPS to create effective and rapid position fixes in small open craft. You’ll use the skills developed on day one to plan and execute pilotage plans setting you up well to be able to use these skills where ever you choose to go boating.
When we are training on your boat we can choose a passage to undertake with you. For example if you are in Poole then a passage to Yarmouth is a great trip but whatever passage you choose we will put the skills into practice we’ve covered during the course.
Our Instructors that will deliver the course are all highly experienced Advanced Powerboat Instructors holding current Commercially Endorsed Advanced Powerboat Certificates. These instructors know the areas where we run these courses very well but critically have real first hand experience of making passages so understand the practicalities and limitations of doing so.
Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - This course is aimed at
Whereas Level 2 focuses on introducing boaters to short trips close to shore the Intermediate Course aims to take them further afield. The course perfectly suits:
- Those who are quite new to boating and wish to build on the skills and knowledge gained in their Level 2 course. As a guide typically a 12 month gap is perfect however if after getting your Level 2 course you have got plenty of hours under your belt less than 12 months can be fine. Call to discuss if you are unsure.
- The course is also perfect for those who have boated for years but want to expand their horizons. The Intermediate Course can ‘bolt on’ perfectly to many years of experience opening up new horizons and improving confidence and the enjoyment of exploring new places.
- For those with their own boat the intermediate course is a fantastic way to gain experience travelling further away from your home base. Having an instructor on board when you undertake a coastal passage is both a great reassurance but of course a great way to make sure that you are doing it right.
Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - Syllabus
Aim: To teach powerboating up to the standard required to complete a short coastal passage by day.
Assumed knowledge: Candidates should be competent to the standard of the National Powerboat Certificate (Level 2) with Coastal Endorsement.
Knowledge of: The subject will be briefly explained. Familiarisation during the course and where to find out more after the course.
Understands: The subject will be covered in greater depth and you will be asked to demonstrate a basic understanding and go away from the course able to develop your own skill in this area.
Can: The subject will be covered in great depth, including background theory, demonstrations by the instructor and repeated practice by yourself until you can demonstrate good skills in the subject.
Theory
Planning a day cruise
Knowledge of:
- Use of marina locks (can be covered practically if appropriate)
Understands:
- Latitude and longitude
- The principles of GPS and chartplotters
- Sources of forecast information and the interpretation of forecasts
- Tidal heights at secondary ports
- Use a plotting instrument and plot a course to steer (CTS)
Can:
- Work out tidal heights for standard ports using a tidal curve
- Navigate
- Take true and magnetic bearings
- Interpret bearing and distance
- Interpret chart symbols
- Interpret tidal diamonds and tidal streams
- Use pilot books
- Interpret Lateral and Cardinal buoyage
- Implement IRPCS, in particular rules 5,7,8,9,12-19,23
- Use GPS waypoint navigation and determine XTE, SOG, COG, BTW, DTW
- Use a laminated chart afloat
- Use pilotage to enter an unfamiliar port by day
- Issue distress by all available means
Practical
The aim of the practical session is to put into practice the theory detailed above and to complete a passage, which shall include:
Boat preparation
Understands:
- The importance of protective clothing and safety equipment
- The minimum level of equipment for the boat
- Considerations of equipment required for longer passages
- Correct stowage of equipment
Boat handling
Knowledge of:
- Effect of waves
- Rougher conditions
- Awareness of other water users
- Mooring stern-to between posts or Med style
Understands:
- The importance of boat control in waves and adequate seating to minimise the possibility of back injur
Can:
- Demonstrate awareness of wind and tide
- Moor alongside, in a marina berth (whereavailable)
- Demonstrate the use of an appropriate lenght of kill cord at all times
Pilotage
Can:
- Demonstrate a practical application of techniques for pilotage in local waters
Passage making
Understands:
- The need for pre-planning, including advice in the event of having to return at night
Can:
- Apply the lessons learnt in the theory section and successfully complete a practical passage
- Fix position by traditional and electronic means
Man overboard
Understands:
- Techniques for picking up a man overboard in differing conditions
Can:
- Pick up a man overboard
Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - Reviews
“Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you all hugely for the Intermediate course. When I got home Jo asked me what the best bit was and I really struggled to put into words all the great things we did. I really enjoyed the theory side and felt that I consolidated and built on what I had learned on Level 2, the passage to Yarmouth was awesome – being able to see the Needles up close was great – but I suppose it was the Instructors patience and knowledge that made it for me. Nye and Paul were always relaxed but totally in control but have such a huge amount of knowledge which they share in a really relaxed way. As Arnie said – I’ll be back!!. PS: Thanks to Viv – very smooth booking process”
Johnnie
“Just to say thanks for a fantastic Intermediate Course at the weekend, good to refresh on some handling skills and also cover some of the stuff from the Dayskipper theory on top of the new stuff. However, the sojourn into the bay in a very lumpy sea was by far the best bit, had a great time and really enjoyed the experience.
Congratulations on having Nye on your team – you seem to specialise in using really friendly people who know what they are doing and know how to put it across. I don’t think you could have found a better person to put me at ease, and the two other chaps on the course were good company too.”
Steve
“Thanks for the weekend, we had a great time. Our aim was to be able to go to the solent safely and head out on the berth holders cruises and we feel we can do so. Thanks to Martin for his help.”
David and Michelle on their Fairline 29
“Great course, great boats and great instruction – thanks”
James
“Not a good result on Wednesday. Tom now wants a big RIB and says nothing less than Harrier will do!!!!!! Joking aside a really beneficial course and I feel far more confident now”
Richard with his 16 year old son Tom
“And you call instructing a job?”
Nikki
Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - Gallery
Intermediate Powerboat – on your boat - Book Now
Thank you for choosing to undertake a course on your boat.
We can be very flexible on the dates to train you on your boat so please choose dates that work for you and we’ll check the calendar and contact you to confirm the training. This will usually be at the latest the next business day.
