Learning to sail

Many people learn to sail by going sailing with their friends or parents. But how do you get started if you do not know anybody with a boat? Or perhaps you want to undertake formal training to acquire a recognised qualification. Many yacht charter companies will require potential customers to hold a recognised qualification prior to them chartering a yacht. Sailing in many countries is looked after by national associations or federations. The RYA (Royal Yachting Association) in the United Kingdom and in the United States the ASA (American Sailing Association) to name but two.

These governing bodies have designed a series of courses that enable people to obtain internationally recognised qualifications. The courses are rarely run by the national body itself. Private companies can apply to run the courses to national associations/federations and if approved they can then offer recognised courses to people wanting to learn to sail.

Courses are available both on the water (practical) and shore based (theory) for sailboats, power and motor boats, dinghies as well as supplementary courses such as sea survival and diesel engine maintenance. This article will look only...