Taking a 5 day Liveaboard course

[kmrtraptow]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

;-)


All you do that gets you on the boat, on the water and doing it, is good !


You not just get exposure and feeling for the thing but you also build relationships with people doing it, and those dreaming of doing it.



Keep the flame burning. Keep the dream alive and LIVE IT.

Cheers,
b.

Thanks for this! I'm already leaning this way as opposed to spending all my money on course lol

[toolbar]

What is a liveaboard course anyway?

lf it doesn't contain fibreglass repairs, engine maintenance, washing clothes in a bucket and changing the joker valve of the toilet, then it is not a liveaboard course.

Paul

[kmrtraptow]

Originally Posted by toolbar

What is a liveaboard course anyway?

lf it doesn't contain fibreglass repairs, engine maintenance, washing clothes in a bucket and changing the joker valve of the toilet, then it is not a liveaboard course.

Paul

Yup totally agree. It's was just more learning and living on a boat so I could see if I liked it but screw that lol. I like to go big or go home so I might as well just dive in headfirst [emoji16]

[mqbenedict]

Great way to learn. I took 3 ASA in the Florida Keys with one other student and thoroughly enjoyed it. Stretches your abilities and experience. Go for it.

[Karlt]

You won't get a bareboat certification without the intro courses first. I suggest starting with the ASA intro courses and work your way up to the bareboat course.

Look for an ASA school and they can advise you. https://asa.com/new-sailor-resources/

[Fluenta]

There is no one way to learn sailing as discussed in the above pages of comments. That being said, I do believe that a sailing course is a good way to start into this great sport of ours especially if you want to continue on to more ambitious undertakings. I have sailed with folks with no training or desire to self study who have sailed for decades but have large holes in their skill sets but it doesn’t matter as they sail the same waters in the same boat all the time and are happy and safe enough. Others want to get a more solid understanding of the sport and one easy way to start on that path is a course.

I am glad that my wife and I took our RYA Dayskipper course together 20 years and some 44,000 nm ago. It gave us a solid basis and common vocabulary as we gained more skills and knowledge through both more training, self study and, of course, just getting out there in different conditions and locations. And we are still constantly learning !

Full disclosure that I am a Sail Canada Advanced Crusing instructor (and now CRYA too) and now that we have recently returned to Canada from our seven year trip I teach as a contractor (Fluenta Marine Services) for several schools including Coopers as well as work with private clients on their own boats.

Best wishes on whichever route you choose to get to know this great sport.

[Allwayslearning]

Having done RYA competent crew and Day skipper I would say not just recommended but essential. My wife and I did these courses before buying our Yacht and setting sail. What we learnt on the courses not only keeps us safe but also helped us to understand what we should look for in a cruising yacht. Also showed that my wife would not get seasick. I recommend you do these courses in less than ideal conditions. Doing them on perfect sunny sailing days does not offer the learning experience of more challenging conditions.

[Davo1404]

The wife & I did one many years ago while we were building a 40 ft yacht. It was a certified course that encompassed around the saloon table learning in the evenings to full day of sailing. The designated tasks included, navigator, engineer, skipper deck hand & anchoring. A full on 5 days. The chart work was well taught & put into practice with a position plotted on the chart every 30 minutes & was checked by the instructor.
If your 5 days living aboard includes all of this, it will be worth while.

[sugarbird]

That is an excellent way to get confidence. Get recommendations to find a good Captain from whatever sailing school you choose. My husband and I did a week long course 15 years ago...it was the best money we ever spent...besides our boat.

[Tanqueray]

Originally Posted by kmrtraptow

First post and still dreaming
My son and I are complete newbies and we are wondering if a 5 day Liveaboard sailing course would be a good way to start. Has anybody taken this type of course as a way to immerse yourself? Anybody in the Vancouver area recommend or has done this? Cheers and thanks!

My son, who was either in High School or maybe a freshman in college at the time, And I took a 3-day charter class. A lot of the course was focused on Dock work, which is where most accidents occur. We did some sailing, but s lot of Dock work. Some navigation training, but mostly dock work (see the trend). For us, it was certainly worthwhile (and fun) as we were learning about sailing. We did not own a boat at that point, but I was planning to purchase. Once we completed the charter class, we were allowed to charter from the same place.

A 5-day class sounds like it will be more comprehensive (but still should focus on a lot of Dock work).

We got to Spend a night on the boat as part of the class, which was pretty cool too.

Over the winter that year, I bought my first boat and felt a lot more confident (maybe too confident...but that is a story for a different time).:

Good luck, and enjoy!

Greg