Keelboat Sailing Courses

The Learn to Sail Keelboats course introduces people to sailing on keelboats. No experience is necessary. We will teach you all of the principles needed for your journey to become a great sailor. You just need to be over 16 years old!

The Learn to Sail Keelboats course forms part of the Yachting NZ National Sailing Scheme. On completion participants will be awarded a YNZ National Sailing Scheme Level 1 Introductory Keelboat Sailing Certificate.

The course covers the following practical elements:

• essential safety skills
• boat parts, rigging & boat terminology
• knots and rope work
• all crew positions including helming
• tacking, gybing and sail setting
• reefing
• man overboard drills.

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The Racing Crew course follows on from the Learn to Sail Keelboats course. It provides an opportunity to revise and consolidate the knowledge and skills you have already gained, as well as learning about sailing with spinnakers, and introducing you to yacht racing.

The course forms part of the Yachting NZ National Sailing Scheme and on completion participants will be awarded a YNZ National Sailing Scheme Level 2 Basic Skills (Racing Crew) Certificate.

You will put into practice the following key elements:

• crew roles, teamwork & communication
• advanced sail tuning & boat handling
• spinnaker hoists, gybes, drops
• wind awareness
• race starts
• racing rules

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The Racing Skipper course follows on from the Racing Crew course. Participants will consolidate all the skills they have learnt through the Learn to Sail Keelboats and Racing Crew courses.

This course is equivalent to a Level 3 Yachting New Zealand racing course.  It will provide you with all the skills required to take a greater role in the decision making on a racing boat, and give you the confidence to lead a team through a yacht race.

The course will focus on:

• Continue to improve boat handling
• Improve racing skills
• Exploring tactical aspects of racing
• Teamwork and communication in pressure situations
• Looking at the bigger picture of a yacht race

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The Cruising Crew course follows on from the Learn to sail Keelboats course and provides an opportunity to revise and consolidate your knowledge and skills.  It will allow you to develop a better understanding of seamanship, and introduces the wonderful world of cruising in a yacht.

The course forms part of the Yachting NZ National Sailing Scheme and on completion participants will be awarded a YNZ National Sailing Scheme Level 2 Basic Skills (Cruising Crew) Certificate.

New skills taught include:

• coming alongside
• anchoring
• picking up moorings
• making fast/towing a dinghy
• basic chart work
• sail handling
• preparing a boat for sea
• safety at sea
• engine maintenance
• night sailing

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The Cruising Skipper course is a direct follow-on from the Cruising Crew course and enables participants to gain the YNZ National Sailing Scheme Level 3 Cruising Skills (Skipper) Certificate. Based in the Marlborough Sounds this highly sought after course will fully equip you with all the skills necessary to skipper your own boat or charter experience. The course fee includes two nights accomodation in the Marlborough Sounds onboard the course vessel, as well as all meals.

To be eligible to enroll, participants must have completed a YNZ National Sailing Scheme Level 2 Basic Skills (Cruising Crew) course or equivalent.

The course focuses on:

• Passage planning
• Skipper responsibilities
• Emergency procedures
• Taking control during manoeuvres
• Picking up moorings under sail and power
• Practical navigation

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