Where to Start?

When you look at the courses available in the Sailing world, it can be overwhelming and scary, so we are here to guide you through all the courses.
If you are here, it is because you have a passion for yachts and the sea and want to turn your dream into a reality, well we are here to grant that wish. We offer courses for both the Beginner who is still finding his or her Sea-Legs and the Seasoned Sailor who is already salt of the sea. We also cover a wide range of courses so whether you see yourself sailing for leisure or planning to make a career out of it, we will have you casting off the mooring ropes of life with the wind in your hair in no time.

Scary Acronyms...
What is the MCA? The MCA is the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and they implement the United Kingdom's government's maritime safety policy and works to prevent the loss of life on the coast and at sea. They ensure International Safety Standards are met and they endorse the RYA Certificates of Competence.
What is the RYA? The RYA is the Royal Yachting Association and is the appointed body by the MCA in the United Kingdom for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrowboats, and personal watercraft. Which basically means that you need to have an RYA Certificate if you want to work in the yachting industry anywhere in the world. Luckily we are an RYA/MCA approved Training Centre and most of our Practical Sail Training and all of our Practical Sailing Exams take place in the ONLY RYA approved waters in South Africa!
What is SAMSA? The South African Maritime Safety Authority is our very own Sailing Authority who ensure the development and implementation of legislation and regulations that ensure that South African sailing vessels meet their domestic and international obligations.
What is SAS? SAS stands for South African Sailing and they are appointed by SAMSA to regulate the training and qualifications in South African waters. To Skipper a yacht in South African waters, the South African Government requires you to hold a SAS qualification.  The SAS qualification requires a Practical and Theory Examination, which should you need, we arrange for you to do during and after your RYA Course.
What is the RCYC? This is the Royal Cape Yacht Club where we have our classroom for our Theory Courses and is the mooring place for one of our yachts, Donna Mia. The RCYC was founded as the Table Bay Yacht Club in 1905 but it was only after 1914 that the club received the Royal Charter allowing them to become the Royal Cape Yacht Club. The yacht club has a collection of plaques, memorabilia and photos of famous boats from yester-years, and an A la Carte restaurant. The RCYC provides 400 block and chain moorings to both members and visitors making it an ideal place to complement the knowledge and experience of our Instructors.

What does this mean? Our Certificates are Internationally RYA/MCA recognised and are the most desired qualifications for those looking for employment in the yachting Industry.

What Course Do I Take?
Our career courses will allow you to gain entry level RYA/MCA professional qualifications with which you can be anything from a Deckhand to Skipper or First Mate on a yacht anywhere in the world and will ensure you have a great start to your sailing career. Alternatively if you want to relax or retire to the life of the recreational sailor, never out of sight of the shore, then you can look through the individual courses below, Practical and Theory, to see what you would need to gain your Sailing Freedom.

Below we have briefly summarised the Courses that we offer in ascending order, beginner to advanced sailor, browse through and see which course is right for you, if you need any help or advice, don't hesitate to give us a call or email.

For more Information on the Individual Courses, click on the Course name.

PRE-COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

There are 2 Pre-course requirements needed before joining the Career Courses

1.  ENG 1 Medical Certificate.  The ENG 1 medical certificate is awarded to you after a Medical Checkup by an ENG1 Approved doctor to ensure that you are medically fit to be on board a yacht and it is also necessary for your RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal or RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificates of Competence to be Commercially Endorsed to allow you to work in the Super Yachting and Sailing industries.

The ENG1 is your Starting Point - should you wish to work in the Industry, you need to do your ENG 1 medical first before joining any courses to ensure that you are medically fit to work on board the yachts.

2.  STCW'95 Course: These are the basic Safety Certificates (Elementary First Aid, Fire Fighting, Personal Safety and Social Responsibility Certificates) which are required to work in the Yachting industry but it is a good idea for all sailors to have so that you know what to do in the event of an Ocean Emergency. The Elementary First Aid certificate is also needed if you wish to do the RYA /MCA Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore Exam.

The STCW'95 courses are not counted in the Career Course weeks except for the 5 week RYA & Super Yacht Gap Year course where the STCW95 courses are included in the 5 weeks.
You therefore need to add on the STCW'95 week which will increase the Career Course by one week, ie: 3 Week Day Skipper will be 4 Weeks, 6 Week Coastal will be 7 Weeks and the 14 Week Offshore will be 15 Weeks.  

YACHTMASTER SAILING SCHOOL COURSES:

RYA/MCA Competent Crew Practical Course (5 Days): A vitally important course even for those who have had some sailing experience where we will guide you through the basics of practical sailing and teach you personal safety, seamanship and helmsmanship in order for you to become a confident and contributing member of the crew of a cruising yacht.

RYA/MCA Day Skipper Theory Course (5 Days): A shore-based Theory course where we will introduce you to navigation, meteorology and the Theory aspects of seamanship.

RYA/MCA Day Skipper Practical Course (5 Days): A Practical Sailing Week where we will help you develop your confidence handling the yacht while you put your Theoretical skills learnt in Day Skipper Theory into practice, including practical navigation, general seamanship, man overboard, picking up a mooring, coming alongside and manoeuvering in and out of confined marinas.

The Completion of the Competent Crew and Day Skipper Weeks is our 3 Week Day Skipper Course.

RYA SRC VHF Radio Course (1 Day): A course which will teach you the basics of operating and understanding a VHF radio on board a yacht. This course takes place on a Saturday, usually the Saturday following the Competent Crew Course Week.

RYA Diesel Engine Maintenance Course (1 Day): A course which will teach you the basics of maintaining a marine Diesel Engine, breakdown preventative measures and basic damage control. This course takes place on a Saturday, usually the Saturday following the Day Skipper Theory Week.

RYA Radar Course (1 Day): A Course which will teach you the basics of reading and using RADAR on board a yacht. This course takes place on a Saturday, usually the Saturday following the Day Skipper Practical Course Week.

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore Theory Course (6 Days): An advanced shore-based Theory course for both Coastal Skipper and Offshore Skipper Courses which will cover advanced meteorology, offshore and coastal navigation, pilotage coastal and offshore passages and advanced seamanship principles in order to prepare you for your Coastal Skipper Practical Week.

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Practical Course (7 Days): A navigational Practical Course where we will cover all aspects of seamanship and Boat Handling as well as allowing you the opportunity to develop your leadership and skippering skills. You will put all your navigational Theory into practice and consolidate all your Practical and Theory knowledge and experience to date. We will also ensure that you gain the valuable mileage which is required for your Coastal Skipper and the later Offshore Skipper Qualification.

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Preparation Week and Exam (7 Days): A live aboard Revision Week where we will assist you to revise all your Theory and to Practice your Boat handling skills in preparation for either your RYA Coastal Skipper Exam or your Mock Coastal Skipper Exam if you are continuing to the Offshore Skipper Certificate. To prepare you one of our RYA experienced Instructors will asses you for any aspects that need to be addressed before your Exam.

The Completion of the Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Theory, Coastal Practical and Prep Weeks and the RYA Radio, Radar and Diesel Engine Maintenance Courses is our 6 Week Yachtmaster Coastal Course.
A student who already has their Day Skipper qualification will join the Coastal Skipper Theory, Practical and Prep Weeks which is the 3 Week Upgrade to Yachtmaster.
After a successful Exam your RYA / MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence will be awarded to you by the Royal Yachting Association!

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Mile-building (6 Weeks): We will take you on scenic trips along the challenging South African coast-line and place the emphasis on your Practical experience, allowing you to skipper the yacht unassisted while you visit as many ports as possible to give you the extra boat handling and skippering experience that you will need. We will also ensure that you gain the additional mileage required for your Yachtmaster Offshore Qualification. All the mileage will be signed off in your Logbooks.

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Prep Weeks & Exam (2 Weeks): These two Exam Preparation Weeks will give you some extra time with our experienced RYA Instructors revising all that you have learnt over the Course Weeks and ensuring your Boat Handling skills are up to Yachtmaster Offshore standard – we will be with you every step of the way!

The Completion of the Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Theory, Coastal Practical and Mile-building Weeks and the RYA Radio, Radar and Diesel Engine Maintenance Courses is our 14 Week Yachtmaster Offshore Course and after a successful Exam your RYA / MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence will be awarded to you by the Royal Yachting Association!

RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory & Prac (6 Days): This is the most advanced course offered by the RYA for Sail Certificates and as a result requires all the previous Practical and Theory Weeks combined with sufficient Sail Experience from the Mile-building Weeks.During the course we will instruct you in Celestial Navigation, to navigate a yacht using only the stars to fix your position while out of sight of land; also passage planning and world wide meteorology so that after the course you will have the background knowledge to skipper a yacht on ocean passages.
Before you take the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Oral Exam you will need a 600 mile passage as Skipper or Mate of Watch involved in the planning and execution of the voyage, 200 miles of which must be out of sight of land.
RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam : The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Skipper Examination can take place at any RYA Accredited Facility so you can do the Course with us, then on a Delivery gain your long passage (600 Miles) and then your Ocean Examination can take place wherever you delivered to at a fellow RYA Training Facility. 

After a successful Exam your RYA / MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence will be awarded to you by the Royal Yachting Association!

Commercial Endorsement?

This is an endorsement printed on your RYA certificate of competence to show that you have undergone additional training and a medical fitness test (the ENG1 Medical), enabling you to work on commercial vessels.

What This Means is that if you have No Sailing Experience, no matter what course you choose or how high a level you wish to attain, then you will start with Competent Crew Practical Week and build on it. If you already have some experience on smaller yachts then you can join in the relevant week so that you can further your qualification, but remember, these courses are set out to serve you, we will gladly work out a program tailored to your specific needs (Part time, Long term, etc). It is this coupled with our need to see our students succeed and our pride in our high standard of Instruction that has produced a School with one of the Highest Pass Rates in South Africa!

SAS COURSES:
With our School you also have the benefit of gaining your SAS Qualification along with your RYA Yachtmaster Certificate as we are a South African Sailing Accredited School as well.
SAS Day Skipper Course: We recommend this to people who will be sailing in South African inland waters by day and night and at sea from sunrise to sunset. We will cover the SAS Theory during our 6 Week RYA Yachtmaster Coastal Course and are confident that should you pass the RYA Yachtmaster Coastal Skipper Practical then you will pass the SAS Day Skipper Practical Exam.
SAS Coastal Skipper Course: We recommend this to people who will be sailing in South African waters by day and night. We will cover the SAS Theory during our 14 Week RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Course and are confident that should you pass the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Skipper Practical then you will pass the SAS Coastal Skipper Practical Exam.

ADDITIONAL COURSES:
RYA Personal Water Craft (PWC or Jet-Ski) Course: This course is designed for both beginners and experienced riders and focuses on safe operation and handling skills of a jetski or personal water craft.
RYA/MCA Powerboat Level II Course: This certificate allows you to drive a tender from yacht to shore as well as covering Powerboat steering, launching and re-fueling.
Super Yacht Deckhand Certificate: An introductory course to working as a deckhand on Super Yachts, it covers specific tasks on board and maintenance on the super structure including the application of poly-urethane topcoats, filling and faring, varnishing and deck maintenance. As well as guest related duties such as anchoring, line handling and tender work.
Super Yacht Steward(ess) Certificate: An introductory course to working as a stewardess on Super Yachts, it covers daily duties, dining techniques, general cuisine terms and menu, knowledge of fine wine techniques, bar stocking and cocktails, cabin service, yachting terms and guest care.

Increasingly the yachting world is looking for more qualified crew members and the above courses are great additions to your yachting CV witch will make you shine as a potential crew member to a Yacht or Super Yacht.