@sailing One of my goals for this year involves getting my SailCan coastal navigation + intermediate cruising certifications. Do any of you folks have advice on resources for learning the coastal nav stuff? I’ve heard that the “official” book & test is a bit of a mess. Incorrect info, incorrect *answers*. Looking for an improvement over that.
@mlanger @sailing yeah, but it’s a skill I want (coastal nav) in addition to often being a requirement for bareboat chartering. Just looking to see if there are proven resources for learning it for real, not just to satisfy an exam.
@kboyd @sailing The charter company my boat is placed with was using American Sailing (and American Boating) to certify future charter guests. They had to dump American Boating because their new courses and course materials are so bad. Instead, they created their own classes for powerboats and that’s what we teach. Honestly, I think they make nearly as much money training as they do charting boats.
Not if you are chartering in the BVI. They’ll pretty much give anybody (with valid credit card) a boat down there!
@kboyd @mlanger @sailing yeah insurance companies require it if you want to charter bareboat. Oddly enough they don’t care if it’s your own boat.
@bhhaskin @kboyd @sailing It’s the bareboat company’s insurance company that requires it. If you knew what charter guests got into, you’d understand why. Even after “certification,” they still do damage to the boats.
I went from a 17 foot jet boat to a 32 foot trawler and really thought I was going to have trouble getting insurance. But no, I had no trouble getting it. And nowadays I think my USCG captains license would be enough “certification” to charter a boat.
@kboyd @mlanger @sailing
Dunno if available in Canada but in Europe the RYA training has become a de facto standard. Most rental companies will rent you a boat if one personal has the day skipper and the other the competent crew.
I have done them myself up to costal skipper sail because that’s what they require in Spain. That was before I got my own boat 😉 It’s a solid preparation.
Only drawbacks: quite military-type education and expensive. But if you can put up with that, worth it.
@kboyd @sailing The company I teach for (which is the company that my boat charters with) offers really great multi day “learn and cruise” classes. It’s how they certify future charter guests. I think it would be especially fun if you could manage to get a group of three (their minimum) in a class together. Their sailing instructors are really good. (I’m not too impressed with most of their powerboat instructors, who seemed to be sailors first.)