Round The Island Race 2024

The perfect sailing course for beginners all over the UK, the five day RYA Competent Crew practical course will give you the best building blocks to start your sailing journey with.

Take a look at our live course calendar for dates for the RYA Competent Crew course at Gosport Marina!

What to expect on your RYA competent crew course in the Solent

Our RYA competent crew course runs over five days, based at Gosport Marina on the Solent. You will join one of our Bavaria yachts alongside a maximum of four other students and an RYA instructor. There is no previous experience required — just a willingness to learn and a sense of adventure.

Day one covers safety briefing, parts of the yacht, and basic ropework. You will learn how to handle mooring lines, raise and lower sails, and steer the yacht under instruction. By day two, most students are handling the helm in open water, tacking and gybing with growing confidence.

The Solent is the ideal classroom for the RYA competent crew course. Tidal flows around the Isle of Wight, busy shipping channels near Portsmouth, and sheltered waters in Chichester Harbour all feature during the week. You get real sailing conditions — wind, tide, and traffic you have to work around.

Accommodation is liveaboard on the yacht at Gosport Marina. Each evening you help with meal preparation, boat checks, and planning the next days sailing. That is where the learning sticks — talking through the days decisions over dinner.

By the final day, you will have logged over 100 sea miles and be able to take a watch as a capable crew member. The RYA competent crew certificate is valid worldwide and is the first step toward your RYA Day Skipper and ultimately Yachtmaster qualifications.

RYA VHF/SRC Radio

The RYA SRC VHF Radio course is the minimum qualification required by law to operate VHF or Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment on any British flagged vessel. This RYA VHF SRC radio training covers marine VHF radio operation, DSC distress calling, and routine communication procedures.

Anyone who operates a marine radio at sea needs this qualification whether you are on a kayak, paddle board, RIB, jet ski, or yacht. Our RYA VHF SRC radio course runs in a single day at our Gosport Marina base on the Solent.

After completing this course you will be able to take the next step in your sailing journey with our RYA Day Skipper theory or practical training courses. For official course details visit the RYA radio courses page.

Learn more about our one day courses or view our full course calendar for available dates.

What you will learn on the RYA VHF radio course

The RYA VHF SRC (Short Range Certificate) course covers everything you need to legally operate marine VHF and DSC equipment on a UK-flagged vessel. You will learn how to make distress calls, communicate with coastguard stations, and use Digital Selective Calling to contact specific vessels.

The course runs from 9am to 5pm at our Gosport Marina training centre. The morning covers VHF radio theory, channel frequencies, and communication procedures. The afternoon is hands-on with DSC simulators practicing distress, urgent, and routine calls. The written and practical exam happens at the end of the day — results are immediate.

The RYA VHF radio course is the minimum legal requirement for anyone using marine VHF on a British vessel. It is also a prerequisite for the RYA Day Skipper theory course and is included in our Yachtmaster Fast Track programme. No previous experience is needed — just a good understanding of spoken English.

Take a look at our live course calendar for RYA Day Skipper Theory and Practical Combined Training Course dates, taking place at Gosport Marina.