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Training

Practical Training, Including Formal RYA Courses

Both dinghy and yacht sailing are taught in the CSSA at all levels from novice to Ocean Yachtmaster. The Association is recognised by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) as an approved sail training establishment and hence runs courses which lead to nationally recognised RYA Certificates. All members are encouraged to steadily improve their sailing proficiency and become approved yacht skippers or dinghy instructors. The courses are lower in cost than commercial courses run by sea schools because our skippers and instructors are volunteer members of the CSSA. However training is not compulsory, there is no driving test unless you wish to charter a yacht as the skipper, you can sail your own yacht anywhere in the world with no paperwork relating to the skipper except his passport and visas, only the yacht and equipment such as radios require paperwork.

 
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Non-RYA Short 1-3 day Yacht Courses
These courses are not formal training, and do not lead to certificates
Introductory Cruises and Daysails -

Short sails in sheltered waters of 1-3 days, with novice crews living and sleeping aboard to get the feeling of yachting and enable them to decide whether to continue with sailing as a pastime.
Boat Handling Courses -

Also short sails of 1-3 days for crews who have sailed before and wish to learn the practical skills of manoeuvring under sail and engine, berthing in marinas and picking up mooring buoys under various conditions of wind and tide.
Introduction to Racing Courses -
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The Civil Service Offshore Racing Club (CSORC) sometimes runs short courses specialising in the crewing skills required for racing, such as sail trimming, tactics, starting procedures, and spinnaker handling. These are sometimes followed by participation in a short inshore club race.
Click to go to RYA site

RYA 5-7 day Yacht Courses
These are formal courses to an RYA syllabus and lead to certificates.
Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper Practical Courses -

These are all 5-day courses to an RYA syllabus with instruction by an RYA qualified skipper. There are minimum starting experience requirements for the courses set by the RYA. (See RYA cruising logbook G15). If competent, all pupils receive an RYA Course Completion Certificate from the CSSA.
Pre-exam refresher Courses for RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Certificates -

The full RYA Yachtmaster and Coastal Skipper Certificates of Competence require candidates to demonstrate their abilities in a practical 1-day examination with a professional RYA examiner who is not a CSSA member. The CSSA runs 5-day preparatory courses for these examinations, which can then be taken on the CSSA yachts. The total course duration is usually 6-7 days including 2 days for examining 3-4 candidates. These qualifications plus CSSA references then allow members to charter the CSSA yachts in either coastal or offshore waters.
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The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate -

This certificate requires the candidate to complete a 600-mile offshore passage out of sight of land as navigator or watch-leader, using a sextant for astro-navigation. Each year one of the CSSA yachts may organise a long distance cruise which is suitable for this requirement. Candidates must first have attended a course of evening classes on the theory of celestial navigation.
Seatime Cruises -

Although these are not strictly training courses, the cruises on the CSSA yachts with approved skippers can be used to gain seatime, mileage and night hours which can be recorded in a RYA yacht cruising logbook (G15) as required for all of the higher certificates. It may also be possible to get sections of the logbook signed-off for specific practical abilities during cruises.

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SHOREBASED CERTIFICATES

The RYA sail training scheme also provides certificates for shorebased theory courses (Day Skipper or Yachtmaster Theory and Yachtmaster Ocean Theory) which are usually taught as a series of weekly evening classes at schools and colleges during the winter. Many CSSA members are involved as tutors in these classes, but details of your local classes should be obtained from the RYA or your local library or Adult Education Authority.

There are also various 1 day RYA courses such as those for First-Aid, VHF Short Range Radio Certificate, Diesel Engine Maintenance, Radar, Safety at Sea etc. some of which are held at CSSA clubhouses during the winter, together with seminars, talks by experts, flare demonstrations etc.

DINGHY TRAINING

The CSSA has coastal dinghy clubs in Plymouth Sound and Southampton Water, and has inshore dinghy clubs on lakes in Berkshire, Essex, Lancashire and Middlesex. All of these clubs have training officers and offer some informal dinghy training for their new members. Several of the larger clubs also offer formal RYA dinghy courses which provide certificates at several levels for those who meet the required standards in both the theory and practical aspects of sailing. For example the courses at Littleton SC near Chertsey, SW London last 50 hours each spread over 7 consecutive Saturdays, for either combined Dinghy Level 1&2 or Dinghy Level 3 Certificates. Please see the Littleton SC website for further details.
SAILBOARD TRAINING

The CSSA dinghy clubs mentioned above offer some facilities for windsurfing, but the only organised training is at Littleton SC where there are some basic short courses for RYA Windsurfing Certificates.

POWERBOAT AND RIB TRAINING

This is mainly limited to the training of crews for rescue boat operations at the dinghy clubs.

 
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