From zero to Yachtmaster hero
IF you did not grow up on a boat and sailing is not in your blood from birth, learning to sail can seem like a daunting endeavour; the prospect of it almost inconceivable.
This is not helped by the elitist views of some sailors and the general derision experienced by newcomers for their failings due to inexperience. Anyone would think that these sailors began as seasoned professionals and never suffered the shortcomings of learning.
It was not too long ago that I was embarking on this steep learning curve. Having completed a ‘Keelboat helm and crew’ course, my instructor recommended that I crew on a boat for the summer saturday racing season on the Swan River to gain some experience.
Jumping straight on the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s website, I got in touch with Michael, an old sea dog and intrepid racer who was looking for crew, experienced or otherwise, for his 24' Endeavour.
I found that racing, basically, consists of grinding winches and providing ballast while listening to the skipper shout commands. Luckily for our crew, Michael was relatively chill; unlike some of the other skippers who hurled a torrent of screaming at crews if they did not perform as expected.
Racing is a great experience and there is certainly plenty of fun to be had, especially in the clubhouse after the race is over where there is a real comraderie. Unfortunately, there is only so much you can learn about sailing from being a grunt on someone else’s boat, so buying your own boat and undertaking more training is a good way to go, which led me to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).
Part of the RYA remit is training and they have over 2,500 recognised training centres in 58 countries, including Australia. My local Western Australian training centre was Oceanwest Charters, who at the time were based a couple of hours south of Perth in Bunbury.
There are a few wise stepping stones on the way to a Royal Yachting Association Yachtmaster qualification, one of them being the five day RYA Day Skipper course. This course is a real
