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Joining our school means starting – or continuing – your official RYA journey. Whether you’re setting foot on a yacht for the first time or aiming for Yachtmaster level, we guide you through every stage.
With our RYA sailing courses in Greece, you’ll learn practical skills, build confidence, and enjoy the unique experience of learning to sail in one of the world’s best destinations. From beginner to advanced skipper, we help you take the next step.
If you have never set foot on board of a sailing yacht, no problem! With Start Yachting you can get the first impressions of sailing by spending two days on board and learning the basic steps of what to do when out on the water. Those two days you can combine with any of our other courses right before or right after to enjoy cruising the sea a bit longer.
If you are more adventurous and ready for a longer experience but still a beginner, we suggest a Competent Crew course. With this 5-day program you will get a chance to learn the basics of sailing and be able to act as an active crew member for your skipper. Learning your first knots, which line is used for what, how to help your skipper when getting in or out of a harbour, and much more!
Once you are a confident crew member and you wish to become skipper yourself, it is time for the Day Skipper course! This is the first course that you will need to complete the requirements to be able to join. You will need to get your Day Skipper Theory beforehand. This can be done at home online but can also be done on Aegina! You can opt to study in our classroom with one of our instructors and other students, which makes it more fun and motivating! Two days of theoretical courses, lunches in the sun and voila, you will be ready to hop on board for the practical part of the Day Skipper course. Sounds delightful doesn’t it?
The other requirements are for you to have completed 5 days at sea in
the past (for example during our Competent Crew course) and 4 night hours. Lastly, although not mandatory but highly recommended, you can get your Essential Navigation and Seamanship certificate. This is the most useful for your theoretical background and to understand better everything you will learn during the practical. Something else to arrange you might think? No worries, we are here to help you. When booking the course with us, we can also send you the materials to study at home and have access to the online resources and exam.
Finally you will get on board! During 5 days you will gain confidence on board, learn maneuvers, how to handle the wind, and all tips and tricks to become a skipper for a cruising sailing yacht on calm waters. By the end, your instructor will admit you for your RYA certificate if you had a successful week. From there onwards, it’s all about gaining experience, adding miles to your logbook and progressing along the line!
The next step for you can be Coastal Skipper. With this level of certificate you will become an experienced skipper able to cross the mediterranean sea with stronger weather. By then you will know more tips and tricks to confidently navigate throughout more difficult situations and handle your crew. For this you are required to have more days at sea (15), 8 night hours, and 2 days already of experience as skipper on board. Of course, a new RYA step would not be complete without more theory. You will need to get your yachtmaster theory beforehand to master all knowledge before braving the waters. A few times per year we offer a shorebased course for the corresponding knowledge, otherwise you will need to acquire it in your own time.
A bit intimidated by Coastal Skipper or not ready yet? That’s no problem. In between official RYA certified courses, you can also join our Milebuilding trips to gain miles and experience on board with our instructors. You can also always join a Day Skipper Plus course to revise the skills learned in the Day Skipper Practical and build up your required days before starting with the Coastal Skipper course.
And here we are, already one step closer to the end with a Yachtmaster certificate. As you can see on the diagram, you will need extra requirements to be eligible. Not only experience at sea but also your VHF/Short Range Communication (SRC) license. We can also provide you the needed support in this area and offer a course to get your certificate. From your own side, you will need to make sure to obtain your first aid certificate. With being a sailing master, comes of course bigger responsibilities, all to ensure the safety of your crew. Once you are a certified Yachtmaster, you can become a professional skipper, do more milebuilding trips, charter yachts, and of course enjoy all your new skills! The seas can become your new playground!
We made it: The grand finale. If you are still reading this, I’m glad to see that you are a passionate sailor and eager to learn and teach. This also means you might be interested in becoming a Cruising Instructoryourself. For this, you will need to have your Yachtmaster certificate and pass a pre-knowledge check. You will also need to acquire the commercial endorsement label. Afterwards you will be able to sail with an official RYA examiner and he/she will decide if you can be an instructor yourself. This is the last step we offer for you to achieve the top of your RYA journey. You made it! Afterward we will maybe see you becoming one of our instructors 😉 or just exploring the world on board of a sailing yacht.
I hope the journey is a bit more clear for all of you. Of course, if you are interested in any of the courses you should browse our website. You will also find extra options not even talked about here like family courses or private courses to emphasize your holiday feeling while learning! For now I will leave you to read all course details and hope to welcome you at our academy in the future (if not already one of our students)!
Read what some of our sailing students have to say, explore our course catalogue, and contact us for more information about each course and our availabilities to come and sail in Greece!