Basic Cruising
This is an introductory level learn to sail course that is suitable for beginners or slightly experienced sailors.
We can teach you to sail
even if you have never set foot on a boat as long as
you can:-
a) feel the wind and,
b) don't try to push a rope up hill.
During this course you will become comfortable controlling a 20 to 30 foot keelboat under motor and sail. You will learn to act in the capacity of skipper and also a member of the crew. On completion you will be confident in making safe, local, daytime, cruises in moderate wind and sea conditions. In Montreal we use Tanzer 22's for this course. It is an excellent training boat with a roomy cockpit. There are pictures on this page. For the Live-Aboard course format we use a Mirage 29. There are pictures on the Intermediate Cruising page.
Safe Practices are stressed
Take a look at the Performance Standard to discover the details of what you will learn. We believe that sailing is best learned on the water and therefore we spend as much course time as possible on the boat.
Two formats are available: Day Sailing or Live on Board
Clients are encouraged to learn the theory at their own
pace assisted by coaching from our qualified and experienced
instructors. You will receive your course material as
soon you sign up for the course. The more you read ahead
of time the faster you go up the learning curve and get
to take the boat out unsupervised.
The ability to tie
knots that are secure, easy to tie, and easy to undo,
is an essential part of being a sailor. There are only
7 essential knots and we will show you how to tie them
all. In the meantime here is a link to an excellent on-line
knot tying site. Animated Knots. Be warned there
are more knots there than you need but it is an entertaining
site with interesting content and links. Click here for
the list of knots used
in Basic Cruising.
Safe Practices are stressed
All Ynot Sailing courses are offered in a non smoking environment
We spend most of our time on the water so classroom
time for theory is minimal and to succeed you will be required to read
the course text book outside of course time. We ship the
course material to you as soon as you pay your deposit so
that you have the maximum opportunity to prepare yourself
for your on the water experience. Students who have read
the book before the course, even though some of it did not
make sense to them at the time, always progress rapidly
and have an enhanced on the water experience. The faster
you climb the confidence curve the sooner you are allowed
autonomous use of our practice boat.
On successful completion of the course you will be awarded a Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) Certificate and logbook which can be used internationally as proof of competency.
Since September 2009 everyone operating a boat with any kind of engine is required by law to have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC). The material and exam are included in your course fee. We encourage you to study all the material before starting your course so we can spend less time in the classroom and more time on the water. You will sit this exam quite early in your course so be prepared.
Prerequisites: None
Please read about suitable clothing & footwear.
If you would like to progress from Novice to Bareboat Skipper in one season the Skipper's Plan may be just what you need.
The next
steps to consider are:
Coastal Navigation
Marine Radio
GPS
Intermediate Cruising