A few thoughts after the RYA Coastal Skipper course, and about British Offshore Sailing School, BOSS, in particular.
Everyone on the course, including me, had chosen the school on recommendations. I was surrounded by British people. Even the Canadian couple had British parents and a thoroughly British outlook. I understood everything they said. They, though, were clearly less used to talking to someone whose first language wasn’t English, which made me a little withdrawn. Still, everyone was friendly and respectful.
The practical was intensive, very different from Kabestan. We slept six or seven hours, had an hour for washing morning and evening, and spent the remaining fifteen hours training. Sometimes there wasn’t even time to call home. The logbook says it all: as many miles in five days as in ten at Kabestan. Five days really are enough to wear you out.
Five morning jobs:
• check engine oil
• pump the bilge
• fill the water tank
• remove the mainsail cover and prepare the lines
• enter the Shipping Forecast and tide times in the log
Everyone had to do at least one.
Each day had about three passages. One of us became skipper and prepared a passage plan, then gathered the crew round the table for a briefing covering:
• the route
• navigational hazards
• the forecast
• where to hoist and lower sails, and their configuration: reefs and points of sail
Then the skipper assigned roles and rotated them underway. They took the tiller only for departure and berthing, which they also planned. The rest of the time went on supervising the crew, knowing our position and keeping the log.
We used sail whenever possible. If we could leave an anchorage or mooring under main without starting the engine — currents didn’t always allow it — we did.
Planning was thoroughly traditional: chart, protractor, pen and compass. What a joy when, in zero visibility, my calculations brought us to the right spot every time.
So far, I consider this one of the best schools I’ve attended. I’m also proud of all the training I received from Denis Mironov at Black Sea School. He made me an exceptionally competent crew member, whose knots and rigging work often earn approval.
Most importantly, I gained the confidence, and the required tidal miles, to sit the next qualification’s exam.
The full five-day, 105-mile route can be viewed on SailTies.
Drawbacks: joining at eight on Monday morning effectively requires a hotel night. Also, the yacht’s appearance, the worst of any I’ve sailed so far. But that impression fades in the first couple of days.
#training #boss
Everyone on the course, including me, had chosen the school on recommendations. I was surrounded by British people. Even the Canadian couple had British parents and a thoroughly British outlook. I understood everything they said. They, though, were clearly less used to talking to someone whose first language wasn’t English, which made me a little withdrawn. Still, everyone was friendly and respectful.
The practical was intensive, very different from Kabestan. We slept six or seven hours, had an hour for washing morning and evening, and spent the remaining fifteen hours training. Sometimes there wasn’t even time to call home. The logbook says it all: as many miles in five days as in ten at Kabestan. Five days really are enough to wear you out.
Five morning jobs:
• check engine oil
• pump the bilge
• fill the water tank
• remove the mainsail cover and prepare the lines
• enter the Shipping Forecast and tide times in the log
Everyone had to do at least one.
Each day had about three passages. One of us became skipper and prepared a passage plan, then gathered the crew round the table for a briefing covering:
• the route
• navigational hazards
• the forecast
• where to hoist and lower sails, and their configuration: reefs and points of sail
Then the skipper assigned roles and rotated them underway. They took the tiller only for departure and berthing, which they also planned. The rest of the time went on supervising the crew, knowing our position and keeping the log.
We used sail whenever possible. If we could leave an anchorage or mooring under main without starting the engine — currents didn’t always allow it — we did.
Planning was thoroughly traditional: chart, protractor, pen and compass. What a joy when, in zero visibility, my calculations brought us to the right spot every time.
So far, I consider this one of the best schools I’ve attended. I’m also proud of all the training I received from Denis Mironov at Black Sea School. He made me an exceptionally competent crew member, whose knots and rigging work often earn approval.
Most importantly, I gained the confidence, and the required tidal miles, to sit the next qualification’s exam.
The full five-day, 105-mile route can be viewed on SailTies.
Drawbacks: joining at eight on Monday morning effectively requires a hotel night. Also, the yacht’s appearance, the worst of any I’ve sailed so far. But that impression fades in the first couple of days.
#training #boss
Original and discussionOpen post in Telegram ↗
