There are several ways you can increase your sailing skills without taking a formal recognised course and being tied to a sylllabus:
- Most skippers on Skippered Charters, smaller Crewed Charters and yacht based Cabin Charters will be happy to let you take part in sailing the yacht and will pass on tips. This however is a bit ad hoc and some skippers are better than others at teaching; after all they are not qualified instructors (usually). They are also not being paid to instruct, so may get weary if you try to turn the cruise in to one long training session.
- Sailing schools will also be happy to arrange tailored tuition, whether you are beginners or old hands looking for a refresher. They are used to providing experience building opportunities as the RYA scheme requires this.
- Many yacht suppliers will supply an instructor, rather than a skipper, with a Bareboat if you ask. The downside is they will often be locals, their teaching experience and instructing qualifications may be limited (or nil), and there may be language issues.
- A number of tour operators offer training that doesn’t lead to a recognised qualification but may be useful none the less. Indeed, depending on your aims and ambitions it may be a better solution. These are sometimes called Pre-Flotilla or Personalised/Tailored courses.
Pre-flotilla courses arose from a desire to sell Flotilla holidays to those that hadn’t sailed before. However, as there are very few places now where you can take out a yacht without a formal qualifications, they have declined in popularity.
One popular request I often get is for an instructor just for the first couple of days, for a bid of hand holding. Unfortunately, this is rarely possible except in low season. Skippers and especially instructors are in high demand. They are not interested in work for just the first two days of the week when they can have work for the whole week.
The good news is that sailing is like riding a bike. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it all comes back quickly, even after a long layoff. And if you are concerned you can take a flotilla rather than going bareboat, where you will have the flotilla lead crew to support you.