RYA Sailing Courses - canarysail.com

Canary Sail are an official RYA training centre and are able to offer all RYA Tidal sailing courses from Competent Crew through to Yachtmaster.

Please scroll down or use the drop down bar above to go directly to the course of interest to you.

Unlike most schools, we run our courses with a maximum of four students to the instructor thus giving each student their own sleeping accommodation and maximum time with the instructor. We also run our courses for six days as opposed to five. The course commences on a Saturday morning at 10am and finishes on the following Thursday at around 4pm. We request that students arrive the Friday before the course commences to settle into the yacht and start bright and early Saturday morning. This is also to tie in with flights from the UK on a Friday in to Tenerife South. The accommodation the preceding Friday night and last Thursday night are also included in your course cost so there are no added hotel costs.

You will be sailing in one of our modern Bavaria 36`s or 37. They are all the three double cabin versions. You can see some pictures here.

The course cost is 845 euros per person, per week. This includes provisions for breakfast and lunch on board, soft drinks, wet weather gear (unlikely to be needed!), gas, the relevant RYA practical course booklet, diesel, marina fees, fresh sheets, duvets, pillows and towels. It does not include flights and transfers to La Gomera and food and drink ashore. You need to fly in to Tenerife South (code TFS) and then it is a short ferry transfer to La Gomera. The cost of this transfer is approximately 57 pounds return. We are happy to help you find flights from the UK if you would like us to. When looking for flights in to Tenerife South it is advisable to find one that arrives prior to 6pm.

Our instructors have been teaching and sailing for many years and also live on the island. They know the area extremely well and will take you to the best marinas and bays around La Gomera and Tenerife. The sailing conditions are great and the sun is (nearly) always shining!

We are based on the beautiful island of La Gomera which is just off Tenerife and could not be more different. It remains incredibly spanish and does not suffer with any of the trappings of tourism. You will see beautiful scenery, experience great sailing, have wonderful food and meet some very friendly people! If you have the chance please take a look at the Gomera tourist website.

Canary Sail is a family run company whose main aim is to provide you with the best possible sailing holiday. We hope you enjoy yourselves so much that you will return.

This is for beginners and those who would like to become active crew members rather than just passengers. You are the crew and without you the sails won`t go up and the boat won`t be steered. By the end of the course you should be able to steer, handle sails, keep a lookout, row a dinghy and assist in all the day to day routines on board. You should also have had a fantastic holiday and visited some great marinas and anchorages along the way!

This is for aspiring skippers who have some yachting experience and basic understanding of navigation. Each trainee skipper will be asked to skipper the yacht on a short passage. Your instructor will be on hand to give advice and encouragement and to ensure that your destination is reached safely. The essential element is that you experience being in charge and take the credit when all goes well, but also have responsibility when it doesn`t. The end of each day is usually spent around the chart table discussing the passages and gaining from each other`s experience.

Suggested minimum pre-course experience:
5 days, 100 miles, 4 night hours on board a sailing yacht.

Assumed Knowledge:
Basic navigation & sailing ability. Ideally you will have attended the Day Skipper Theory Shorebased course or at least have a good understanding of the following: Tidal heights, Tidal streams, Course to steer, Passage planning, Pilotage, Clearing bearings, 3 Position fixes and knots. A basic understanding of Lights & Shapes.

A very popular course for those with some experience who want to develop particular skills. The courses are tailored for people between standards e.g. between Competent Crew and Day Skipper, between Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper or between Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster. A thoroughly enjoyable week of cruising in a new area and gaining valuable sailing and skippering knowledge. The exact programme for the week can be tailored to meet your needs.

This is an advanced skippering course for yachtsmen and women who have considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation. Coastal Skippers should be able to undertake more difficult passages by day and night and handle the yacht in more demanding situations. By the end of the course you should have the knowledge if not the experience to become a Yachtmaster.

Suggested minimum pre-course experience:
15 days, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles, 8 night hours

Assumed Knowledge:
Navigation to Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster standard. Sailing to Day Skipper Practical standard.

This teaching session will prepare you for the examination that will give you the most respected yachting qualification in the world. Our instructors will put you through the mill but teach, teach and teach again as you practice complex sailing skills and gain in confidence from working under pressure.

Suggested minimum pre-course experience:
50 days, 5 days as skipper, 2500 miles, 5 passages over 60 miles including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper. VHF Radio operators licence or SRC. First aid certificate.

Assumed Knowledge:
Content of Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased course. Content of practical cruising courses.

We recommend that students who would like an ICC come on one of our Day Skipper Courses as the RYA will issue an ICC free to members if you send them a copy of your Day Skipper Course Completion Certificate. If you would still like to just do your ICC, we would be happy to arrange this for you.

Maximum of 4 students to instructor - more instruction and no-one has to share!

The Price Includes	All on board food
	Soft drinks
	Wet weather gear (unlikely to be needed!)
	Gas
	Relevent RYA Practical Training Course booklet
	Diesel
	Marina fees
	Towels
	Fresh bedding

Not Included	Flights and transfers to La Gomera
	Food and drink ashore

Please also see our Special Offers for late availability discounts and other deals

Day 1 - Friday

We`ll pick you up from the ferry and get you settled on to your yacht before taking you to a local bar for some Sangria.

Day 2 - Saturday

After the initial safety briefing, you willl normally be "pontoon bashing" in the marina or getting used to sailing the yacht locally.

Day 3 - Sunday

More sailing locally before making the first short passage to the lovely fishing village of Playa Santiago on the south of La Gomera.

Days 4, 5 and 6

The schedule for these days will depend on what you hope to achieve during the course, the level you are working towards and the winds. We might sail around La Gomera and explore part of the South coast of Tenerife. For the more advanced courses, and particularly when the Trade Winds are set, we might also visit the islands of La Palma and El Hierro.

Night sailing is a part of all the courses.

Day 7 - Thursday

Finally we end up back at our home port on Thursday afternoon where we begin the de-briefing and clean-up. Finally the course ends at about 5 pm. Your accomodation after the course on the Thursday night is also included.

Sunglasses
High factor sun cream (not oil please!)
Deck shoes if possible, otherwise soft shoes with a non marking sole
Shorts
T-Shirts
Fleece or jumper for the evenings
Soft bag as opposed to a hard suitcase
Light long sleeved shirt if you need to cover up in the sun
Baseball/sun hat (preferrably with a clip to stop it blowing overboard!)
Sea sickness tablets should you need them
And above all, enthusiasm!

If you have two or more weeks to spend in the sunshine, why not combine a holiday with two or more courses?

If you`ve got some experience or have done your competent crew, we can organise a break where you can do Day Skipper Theory followed by Day Skipper Practical. There is also time to do your Marine Radio Short Range Certificate (VHF) and Diesel Engine Maintenance courses if you wish.

We can arrange accommodation to suit your budget during the shorebased courses and accommodation during the practical is all on board the yacht.

We run our practical courses with only 4 students to the instructor. No-one has to share and you receive more tuition!

We are able to offer the following shorebased courses from our purpose built classroom:

5 day - Day Skipper Theory
6 day - Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Theory
2 day - Basic Navigation Theory
1 day - Diesel Engine Maintenance
1 day - Short Range Certificate/VHF