Complete sail training certified by the RYA, the world's leading yachting association
You can join at any point — whether you are just starting out or no longer sure where to go next
Shorebased theory, practical training at sea and additional courses combine into one clear route through your sailing education.
Additional courses are listed in the recommended order, but you can take them in any sequence
Hover over a point (or tap it) to see the course detail.
The RYA certification is backed by
Alongside the courses we run mile-building cruises in unusual sailing destinations, always chosen for what you can learn there — you log the miles and you come back having learnt something new.
The school operates from three bases which together give you the range and the accessibility for steady, all-round development as a sailor.
Our training base for practical courses at sea. Easy to reach by car or by air, and the navigationally interesting, heavily indented Croatian coast makes ideal conditions for training good skippers. Combine the finest parts of central Dalmatia with serious sail training.
We run every level of practical course here, from RYA Competent Crew through to RYA Yachtmaster Offshore, plus sport sailing courses and regattas.
Sailing out of Marina San Miguel on Tenerife promises genuinely unrepeatable time on the water, in the arms of the Atlantic. Our mile-building cruises teach you to helm in a bigger sea and log the miles you need — all of it in the breathtaking scenery of these volcanic islands, in conditions only an ocean can offer.
RYA courses here are delivered for us by our partner RYA Training Centre, Canary Sail.
RYA certified Sea Survival, First Aid and Short Range Certificate courses, all in the beautiful setting of Slovak Liptov. Alongside them a dinghy sailing school offering sport sailing and sail trim courses, coaching for individuals or whole crews, corporate regattas, team-building days, and children's clubs and summer camps.
Ideal for how accessible it is in time, distance and cost. Sail regularly, not just once a year on holiday.
It is the sovereign right of every country to decide which certificates qualify you to sail in its waters. RYA, however, is universally recognised as the best certification for recreational sailors — not only for its famously uncompromising standard of training, but for the authority of a certificate issued by a British maritime power with a long history of yachting success and a teaching method honed into its most effective form over more than 150 years.
The RYA training scheme assumes you want to learn, so it has little need to restrict you. No limits on distance from shore — an RYA certificate records what you can do, not what you may not do. It does of course appeal to common sense: that you are aware of your limits and want to keep improving.
RYA instructors go through genuinely extensive training. Reaching that qualification is proof not only of a high standard of seamanship, but of a personality able and willing to pass on knowledge in a human, effective way. They then have to revalidate every 5 years, so what they teach is guaranteed to be current and technically correct.
RYA is known for its emphasis on the quality of its training, and as the certification of a major maritime nation it is accepted and recognised worldwide.
Rather like studying medicine — you become a “captain” after years of study and board certification, and a “skipper” after successfully completing a few days of first-aid training. Out of respect for the education and knowledge of captains, we refer to the individual licences on this site as “skipper” qualifications — not least because our language has no other, more precise word for them. But what we are talking about here are the qualifications that entitle you to charter a recreational sailing yacht, much like the ones you know as “captain's” licences.
Every course description also lists the previous experience we recommend for it. If yours is enough for the level you have picked, you are welcome to sign up for it directly.
There is no formal exam on the RYA Day Skipper and RYA Coastal Skipper courses — it is what is known as an assessment. The instructor works through everything you need step by step, you evaluate and discuss your skills together, and on the basis of your progress and of reaching the required standard they decide at the end of the week whether to award the certificate.
For the RYA Yachtmaster certificate an external examiner joins the boat for the final 2 days of the course and sets complex tasks across every area a candidate has to master, awarding the certificate on the basis of how you complete them. All of that knowledge and skill is something you can acquire on our courses.
To be awarded a practical certificate you need theory to the required level. Whether you already have it from previous experience or take a shorebased course with us is your decision. The advantage of studying with us is that it can be done online from the comfort of home, and we recommend it above all for how clearly and efficiently it is put together. It includes illustrative animations, simulations and recordings, which works far better than studying from books on your own.
What we really do urge is that you arrive on the course already holding the theory you need, however you acquire it. Once you have a yacht at your disposal for practical training, it is a real shame to spend the time below decks over the theory.
Sailing is a wonderful hobby and sport, but really understanding it takes real work. The right training makes it easier. With RYA you have a guarantee from the very start of quality, logical training built on acquiring practical skills. Among other things, it saves you from having to unlearn bad habits later in your sailing career. Why gamble when you can go with a sure thing?
Our school is not limited to skipper courses — we provide genuinely comprehensive training. Alongside RYA certified courses, our portfolio includes:
Tell us what you would like and we will make it happen.
