Mile-building and sport cruises

It is the sovereign right of every country to decide which certificates it recognises for sailing in its own waters. RYA, however, is universally recognised as the best certification for recreational sailors — not only for its famously uncompromising standard of training, but because it is the certification of a British maritime power with a long history of yachting success and a teaching method perfected over more than 150 years.

The RYA training scheme assumes you want to learn, so it has little need to restrict you. No limits on distance from shore — an RYA certificate records what you can do, not what you may not do. It does of course appeal to common sense: that you are aware of your limits and want to keep improving.

RYA instructors go through genuinely extensive training. Reaching that qualification is proof not only of a high standard of seamanship, but of a personality able and willing to pass on knowledge in a genuinely human, effective way. They also have to revalidate every 5 years, so what they teach is guaranteed to be current and technically correct.

RYA is also known for its emphasis on the quality of its training, and as the certification of a British maritime power it is accepted and recognised worldwide.

1. Genuinely individual attention – never more than 5 students on our practical courses
2. A strong emphasis on practice – every manoeuvre is fully in the students' hands; the instructor takes the helm only when it is unavoidable or to demonstrate
3. An emphasis on safety – your own and the whole crew's
4. Thorough drilling of not just the basic manoeuvres, but the emergency ones too
5. Logical procedures for each task, easy to master and easy to remember
6. Every activity and procedure in line with best sea practice

We take complete beginners on most of our cruises — if you think you are up to it physically, there is nothing to stop you coming. The point is to teach you something, and that needs no special prerequisites; you just have to turn up.

We do not issue any certificates from mile-building cruises (only confirmation of the miles logged), so there is no need to prove your knowledge in any way. That said, if you arrive with at least the theory behind you, there is every chance you will take far more away from the cruise than you otherwise would.

The route you take is entirely up to you. But if you decide on RYA, you have a guarantee from the very start of quality, logical training built on acquiring practical skills. It also saves you from having to unlearn bad habits later in your sailing career. Why gamble when you can go with a sure thing?