RYA Competent Crew Course FAQ: All Your Questions Answered
Get in-depth insights into the RYA Competent Crew course with our comprehensive FAQs. Discover course details, benefits and how Commodore Yachting can enhance your sailing skills.
Is the RYA Competent Crew course for a complete beginner?
Yes, this course has been designed for a complete beginner with no experience of sailing.
You’ll learn how to safely crew a yacht under the watchful eye of one of our expert RYA qualified instructors.
You’ll get to experience the fun and excitement of sailing to new destinations, spending nights in a marina or at anchor, cooking on board, learning how to helm (steer) a boat, handle sails, as well as things like learning the rules of the road, knowledge of terms and parts of the boat, rope work, fire precautions and fire fighting, personal safety equipment, man overboard, emergency equipment, manners and customs, using a tender, weather, seasickness and general duties on board.
How much does the RYA Competent Crew course cost?
The RYA Competent Crew course cost varies depeding on what time of year you undertake the course, and if you do the course in 5-days straight, or over two weekends.
Our courses start from £749 upwards.
When booking a course always call the centre you are looking at, ask them what is and isn’t included in the course price. A lot of training centres don’t include food or drink on board, or include mooring fees. As standard, we include all meals on board (one evening meal is taken ashore at the students own cost), and we also include FREE mooring at all Premier Marinas.
It’s well worth checking, as different centres will offer different packages so make sure you read the fine print and chat to them via telephone or email.
You can call us between 7.30am – 8pm on 023 9250 4443 (We are open 7 days a week) or contact us here through our website.
Do you run RYA Competent Crew courses over weekends?
Yes we do!
We make attending a course at Commodore Yachting easy. For those with limited time, we offer ‘split weekend’ courses that cover all the elements of the Competent Crew syllabus over two weekends and one friday (or a monday if it’s a bank-holiday), so you won’t have to take too much time off from work.
Split weekend courses usually start on a Friday. Why not check out our RYA Competent Crew website page and see if any dates work for you?
If you want to enquire about specific or bespoke course dates, please call us between 7.30am – 8pm on 023 9250 4443 (We are open 7 days a week) or contact us here through our website.
What is the RYA Competent Crew minimum age?
There is no minimum age for the RYA competent crew course, however the recommended minimum age is 12 years old.
We recommend checking specific course requirements on our RYA Competent Crew website course page under “Seamanship training course information”.
Are there RYA Competent Crew course books available?
Whilst you don’t have to undertake any pre-course reading for the RYA Competent Crew course, it’s always nice to gain some knowledge and understanding of the subject material before you start the course.
The RYA Competent Crew skills book is a great read and can be bought here in our book shop.
It’s also well worth buying a log-book to record your sailing journeys, which can be bought in our book shop.
Is the RYA Competent Crew course worth It?
Absolutely!
The RYA Competent Crew course is a fantastic introduction to sailing, offering foundational skills and knowledge. It’s a stepping stone towards more advanced courses qualifications, but will give you the confidence and abilities you need to become a useful member of a yacht sailing crew, and more importantly, a safe one.
What is the RYA Competent Crew ASA Equivalent course?
The RYA Competent Crew course is roughly equivalent to the ASA 101 and 103 courses, focusing on basic seamanship, sailing skills, helming skills and safety.
What is on the RYA Competent Crew Syllabus?
The syllabus covers basic seamanship skills, safety procedures, rope work, sailing techniques, and much more.
The RYA Competent Crew syllabus is shown below:
Knowledge of terms and parts of the boat:
Sufficient knowledge to understand orders given regarding the sailing of the boat and the day-to-day running of the boat.
Sail handling:
Can bend on, set, reef and handle sails. Can use sheets and halyards and their associated winches.
Rope work:
Understands how to tie a rolling hitch, and single and double sheet bend, and knows their correct use. Can use sheets and halyards and their associated winches, handle ropes, including coiling, stowing, securing to cleats and single and double bollards. Handle warps, tie knots and know the correct usage of including figure of eight, clove hitch, bowline, round turn and two half hitches, reef knot.
Fire precautions and fire fighting:
Understand the hazards of fire and the precautions necessary to prevent it. Can carry out the action to be taken in the event of a fire.
Personal safety equipment:
Understands how to comply with the guidance for the wearing of safety harnesses, lifejackets and personal buoyancy aids.
Man overboard:
Understand the action to be taken to recover a man overboard and how cold water shock can affect a casualty in the water.
Emergency equipment:
Understands how to launch and board a liferaft. Can operate distress flares and know when they should be used.
Manners and customs:
Understands accepted practice with regards to use of burgees and ensigns, prevention of unnecessary noise or disturbance in the harbour including courtesies to other berthed craft. The responsibility of the boating community to protect the environment.
Rules of the road:
Can keep an efficient lookout at sea.
Tender usage:
Understands the loading rules and complies with them. Understand the use and importance of the kill cord. Understand safety equipment for tenders. Can handle a dinghy under oars.
Meteorology:
Knowledge of the Beaufort Scale. Understands the forecasting services and where to obtain a suitable weather forecast.
Seasickness:
Working efficiently is unaffected/partially affected/severely affected by seasickness.
Helmsmanship and sailing:
Understand the basic principles of sailing. Can steer and trim sail on all points of sail. Can steer a compass course under both sail and power.
General duties:
Can carry out general duties satisfactorily on deck and below decks in connection with the daily routine of the vessel. And yes, this does mean getting the kettle on for those all-essential mugs of tea and coffee!
RYA Competent Crew Online Course?
The RYA Competent Crew course is a practical sailing course which is done in-person on a yacht from our Gosport Marina base.
While practical experience is crucial, we offer supplementary online resources to enhance your learning.
There are some basic courses we regard as essential which go towards becoming a competent and able sailor, which will compliment the RYA Competent Crew course. These recommended online courses are:
RYA VHF/SRC course online (We also offer this in a classroom, using real VHF radios)
RYA Essential Navigation and Safety online
RYA Competent Crew and Day Skipper Combined?
The RYA Competent Crew course can be combined with the RYA Day Skipper course for an intensive and comprehensive 10 day sailing training experience.
We’d recommend that you undertake the RYA Day Skipper Theory course prior to arrival, which can be done in the classroom with us, or online if you would rather not have to take more time off work, as the online course is completed when you have the time – it’s very flexible:
RYA Day Skipper Theory online RYA Day Skipper Theory classroom basedOr for those who have 9 days available, why not undertake our RYA Day Skipper Combination course? this course covers both the theory and practical elements, carried-out over a 9 day continuous period (And unlike other training centres we also give you free accommodation on board during the theory course!)
RYA Day Skipper Comination (theory & practical over 9 days)
RYA Competent Crew Jobs
While the RYA Competent Crew course is an entry-level course, it can open up volunteering opportunities and enhance personal sailing experiences.
It’s a starting point for those looking to develop a career in sailing. This can be from helping as crew on deliveries to going sailing with your friends.
If you wanted to explore sailing career opportunities, you’d need to undertake a few more courses and gain more experience, which we can help you with – Please call us between 7.30am – 8pm on 023 9250 4443 (We are open 7 days a week) or contact us here through our website.
RYA Competent Crew or Day Skipper?
If you are a complete beginner to sailing, then we would heavily recommend you undertake the RYA Competent Crew course with us. This is essential as it will give you the basic abilities, knowledge and confidence to become an active and helpful member of a yacht sailing crew.
The RYA Day Skipper course takes what you’ve learned on the Competent Crew course and advances that further, so you’ll learn about navigation, weather, pilotage, crew management and so much more. But, you really need to know how to crew a boat first, as there is no time available on this course to teach you how to sail.
We want you to get the best out of your time with us, in the most efficient way possible; so if you’ve got any questions or want some advice on which route to take in order to achieve your goals, why not give us a call between 7.30am – 8pm on 023 9250 4443 (We are open 7 days a week) or contact us here through our website.
