Following on from our blog about mile building trips after Day Skipper (which can be read here) we thought we’d follow up with one for aspiring Yachtmasters.
For the Yachtmaster Coastal you need 800nm. If you have done the Coastal Skipper course this is reduced to 400nm – this halving of the required miles is because of the quality of experience you will gain by doing a Coastal Skipper course.
To take the Yachtmaster Offshore course you need to have completed 2,500 nautical miles. So significantly more than for YM Coastal. You also need (can be part of the 2500nm) 5 passages over 60nm with at least 2 as skipper and 2 overnight.
But how do you build those miles?
We have a number of options for aspiring Yachtmasters to build miles, most start and finish in the Solent. Almost all of them include two 60nm passages.
Some mile building trips will ‘just’ get you miles. I say ‘just’ but obviously with miles comes experience. As you sail more you will experience different weather conditions, different crew abilities, things go wrong, different boats and their handling characteristics. You will become more familiar with how different boats sail, what they can take in adverse weather conditions, what you can take.
Prior to becoming a skipper, whenever I sailed with an instructor I would secretly hope for things to go wrong so I could learn without being the one in charge. Nothing too drastic mind! But the odd engine malfunction, a big gale, a power outage of the plotter (just simple GPS back then) or headsail that wouldn’t furl away was always a good opportunity to see how an expert dealt with things.
Other mile building trips offer the opportunity to skipper a 60nm passage which will be of particular interest to those aiming for Yachtmaster Offshore. You will get the opportunity to plan a passage and then execute it with the back up of an instructor on board if needed.
Mile building for Yachtmaster, sailing from the Solent
Here are some options.
Weekend Channel Hops or trips to Weymouth
Weekend mile building trips from the Solent to France or Alderney or Weymouth. Starting from Shamrock Quay you will cast off, usually on a Friday evening, and sail to Cherbourg, Braye Harbour or Weymouth. The distance is pretty much 60nm or over to each and there is the opportunity for two people (1 person there, 1 person back) to skipper a leg. Expect to get 120-150nm on one of these weekends.
Mile building for Yachtmaster in the Solent
7 Day Channel Triangles
These trips are about getting lots of sailing in. You should get at least three or four 60nm passages in and there are opportunities to skipper these passages. Great for aspiring Yachtmasters you will leave the Solent and head out into the English Channel heading West towards along the UK’s south coast to Weymouth and Brixham/Dartmouth then south to cross the busy shipping lanes to the Channel Islands and France. Expect to get 300-450nm.
West Country and Channel Island Cruises
We offer a number of trips that are more cruise like in nature. These are from the Solent to the West Country o the Channel Islands. You will still do plenty of sailing but the focus will be seeing places with time set aside to explore ashore.
Norway Trips
Once a year or so we do a 16 day trip to the Norwegian Fjords on a 72 yacht. Leaving from the Solent this is a great trip that heads east along the south coast before heading up the North Sea to Norway. It allows for 5 or 6 days exploring the Fjords before sailing back to the Solent. Great for Yachtmaster wanting to build miles – you should get about 1500nm.
Fastnet
There is also the Rolex Fastnet Race that takes place every other year. The Campaigns that we run allow for some training, some qualifying races then the Fastnet race itself. So you would get plenty of miles in over a summer of building up to and then competing in the Fastnet.
Choose First Class Sailing and build miles for Yachtmaster in the Solent and beyond. Handle real-world sailing situations under our expert guidance.
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