subject: 10 Things to Remember Before Choosing a Sea School [print this page] 10 Things to Remember Before Choosing a Sea School
Is you life stuck under meeting deadlines and paying bills every month, and you badly need to go back to your long-forgotten passion of sailing on water, and you are considering a sailing course? Considering the hefty amount you need to invest before taking a sailing course, of course you would like to see if you are getting the real value for money.
It's not easy though, yet you may start looking for a school by making a few things clear.
Word-of-mouth has always been the most reliable advertising for any product or institution. So, as you short list all sailing schools, well founded and established, check on with previous students. Best idea would be find out a Yachtmaster Examiner, as they can tell you which schools mostly get better results.
Make sure that the yachts fully MCA safety coded for the work they are doing.
Are you considering fast track? In that case you should visit the sea school and find out the condition of yachts and facilities. Also talk to current students on this course. Opt for Ocean passages would not be a wise decision as it's should be done on shorter trips where lots of navigation and marina handling is required.
Remember that the RYA never allows on board theory courses. The school must have classrooms and facilities with all the computers and kit that goes with it.
As it is very important to have a good quality instructor, please check out if the school, you wish to join, evaluates its instructors on a regular basis.
Sailing is all about fun and thrill. To, really enjoy the thrill of sailing, one should choose a marina with good location where a better sailing condition is found during different seasons of the year.
The goal is to find out a less expensive school with a course which you will enjoy. First of all, decide on the amount you wish to spend on sailing courses,. Then narrow down your search to those school which offer good instructors, length of the course, and good location. After that, you can choose between the lowest price i.e.; best deal or lowest price per hour i.e.; best value.
Do not forget to check out if you get a refund of your money in case the class you are in, is gets cancelled because of bad weather.
It is always a good idea to get enrolled in a sailing course during a time of the year with stable wind conditions. A sailor in your area would be able to advise you in this matter.
Last advice would be to consider learning to sail a dinghy or beach catamaran, in case keelboat courses appear to be surpassing your budget.
Do you have doubts after checking out all these above mentioned points? Then take your time till you are comfortable in investing your money on a sailing course. Learning a skill should be fun experience, after all. The learning will not be satisfying, if you do not enjoy. So look before you leap on board. Happy sailing!
