Shore-Based Courses
Our shore-based courses are run out of our purpose-built classroom in Brixham, with individual computer screens, chart plotters and equipment.
We run all of these courses at a maximum ratio of 8:1 students to instructor to ensure all students can ask questions and receive help from the instructor.
All prices include tea and coffee and course materials (notes, charts etc).
RYA VHF Short Range Certificate (SRC) (1 day) - £150
As the main communications channel between vessels and to land stations, a VHF radio is a key piece of safety equipment, making an understanding of radio operational procedures and etiquette crucial. This covers basic radio operation, correct procedure and etiquette for channel use, emergency, distress and medical assistance broadcasts, and looks at various systems including Digital Selective Calling (DSC), Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRB) and Search And Rescue Transponders (SART). The course involves plenty of practice with our working marine radios to familiarise yourself with the various procedures and equipment.
This course is followed by an exam which involves a written paper and practical. A £70 licence and exam fee is payable to the RYA on top of the course price. Completion of this exam awards the Lifetime VHF SRC, the minimum qualification required to control the operation of VHF and VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment on any British flagged vessel voluntarily fitted with a radio. This includes both fixed and hand held equipment using International channels.
There is a requirement for 3 hours pre-study from the course notes we provide, we recommend you focus on the Phonetic Alphabet and the voice Mayday Procedure. Course content will include, Short Range Certificate (SRC) requirements, Licence requirements, Operating procedure, Mayday, Pan Pan, Safety, Routine Digital Selective Calling (DSC).
RYA Radar (1 day) - £150
This course will give you an understanding of RADAR as an aid to navigation and collision avoidance, covering a brief history of RADAR development, Primary components, System operation, Relative Velocity, Navigation by RADAR and International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions relevant to RADAR. This will be covered in theory and put into practice with some manual plotting and RADAR simulator operation.
The International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea state that if you have a radar, you must know how to use it.
RYA Diesel Engine (1 day) - £150
This beginners' course aims to teach students how to prevent and solve diesel engine failure through maintenance and care. This course teaches you how your engine works, how to keep it healthy by using basic checks and maintenance procedures, and how to get it started again in the event of a breakdown. Course topics include the systems & parts of the engine, routine maintenance, fault finding and rectification of common problems.
Please be aware that although we use clean props and the course is completely classroom based, there may be some residual oil or fuel in some parts and we recommend you wear clothes which won't spoil if stained.
Outboard Engine (1 day) - £150
A one day beginners course we have developed in house, the outboard course is focused entirely on 2 and 4 stroke petrol engines. The course covers how outboard engines work, the necessary maintenance of those systems (including winterisation), and some basic fault finding and repairs. Run in our classrooms with an outboard the day has an emphasis on practical hands on training.
RYA First Aid (1 day) - £150
The course is a mixture of theoretical and practical, covering all the usual first aid subjects but from a boating perspective. This will involve you acting as a casualty and administering first aid to other students who are acting as casualties. You will learn about bone breaks and splinting, bleeding and bandaging, burns, hypothermia, drowning, resuscitation, using a defibrillator and many more.
RYA Day Skipper Theory (5 day) - £555
As an introduction to basic navigation, pilotage, meteorology and seamanship, Day Skipper Theory prepares you as a skipper to navigate familiar waters by day while also introducing you to basic night navigation. It is the starting point for most skippers as they start to learn how to make decisions on board and develop their knowledge and skills.
Covering navigation through paper based techniques and electronic aids to navigation, using the specifically developed RYA training chart plotter to give a realistic insight into electronic navigation, this course also covers:
• the basics of seamanship
• the essentials of coastal navigation and pilotage
• chartwork
• electronic charts
• position fixing
• plotting a course to steer
• weather forecasting and meteorology
• tides
• collision regulations
• construction, parts and equipment of a cruising boat
• emergency and safety procedures including distress calls, use of flares, safety harnesses, lifejackets and liferafts
This course is assessed by an exam on the last day.
Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Theory (6 days) - £640
This course builds upon the knowledge covered in Day Skipper Theory, providing advanced training for more experienced skippers with the aim to provide you will the skills to safely navigate coastal and offshore passages by day or night. A variety of navigation techniques using different aids including electronic chart plotters are covered, along with other subject areas including:
• position fixing
• course shaping and plotting
• tidal knowledge
• use of almanacs and admiralty publications
• electronic position finding equipment
• taking and interpreting forecasts
• plotting weather systems
• weather predictions using a barometer and by observation
• collision regulations
• customs and excise regulations for cruising abroad
This course is assessed by 3 exams on the last day and provides the level of theory knowledge required for the Advanced Powerboat, Yachtmaster™ Coastal and Yachtmaster™ Offshore practical exams.
As the main communications channel between vessels and to land stations, a VHF radio is a key piece of safety equipment, making an understanding of radio operational procedures and etiquette crucial. Completion of this course will award you with a lifetime VHF operator’s license, the legal minimum qualification to control a British vessel fitted with any VHF radio.