RYA courses

Learn to sail with Trinity Sailing…

Trinity Sailing is an approved Royal Yachting Association (RYA) training school offering structured Day Skipper, Competent Crew, and Start Yachting courses on board our traditional and wooden sailing vessel Golden Vanity.

These activity holidays offer the opportunity to have formal instruction while enjoying a sailing holiday. Most of our guests join us as individuals but friends, couples, and family groups are also more then welcome. We cater for all dietary requirements.

You may be considering an RYA course on a modern boat, but we promise a more memorable, beneficial, and rewarding experience on a traditional vessel and your new-found knowledge is easily applied to contemporary yachts.

Based in Brixham, Devon, this is an ideal cruising ground for those wanting to learn to sail. Tor Bay offers sheltered waters to the prevailing winds and the many estuaries and harbours on the south coast offer plenty of opportunities to teach the syllabus.

The courses we offer begin with ‘Start Yachting’ for complete beginners; ‘Competent Crew’ for those looking to build up their skills; and ‘Day Skipper’ for those who wish to be introduced to all aspects of skippering a yacht.

If you are uncertain as to which course would be most suitable for you, or would like further information or advice, please contact us and speak to one of our instructors.

Your skipper will be an RYA qualified Cruising or Yachtmaster Instructor. To find out more about the RYA and the cruising scheme certificates, visit the RYA website.

Sue Webber, RYA Competent Crew, May 2019:

“The week exceeded my expectations, Golden Vanity seems to be a perfect size to learn because numbers are kept low and the boat is a size that can be more easily understood.”

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All voyages start and end in Brixham.

Start Yachting

The Start Yachting course is designed to run as a short break and offers an introduction to sailing for complete beginners. By the end of the course you will have experienced steering a yacht, sail handling, ropework and have an awareness of safety on board. Holders of the Start Yachting certificate can go on to complete the Competent Crew course in a reduced time of three days, instead of the normal five, or over two weekend breaks.

Competent Crew

Competent Crew is a sailing course aimed at those starting out in sailing, and wishing to learn the fundamentals required to be a useful member of crew aboard a sailing boat. No previous sailing experience is required. Topics covered include seamanship, knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat, sail handling and ropework, knowledge of safety procedures, helmsman-ship, and the principles of sailing.

Day Skipper

The Day Skipper course is aimed at those with significant experience of yacht sailing and feel they are now ready to take the step to command of a vessel as her skipper.

This course aims to help an individual, with a good grounding in navigation and seamanship, to gain the specific practical skills needed to skipper a small yacht in familiar waters during daylight hours and good weather. The instruction focuses on boat handling, safety, and putting existing theoretical (classroom) navigation skills into practice on board.

The best way to ensure a suitable level of theoretical knowledge before attending this course is to complete the RYA Day Skipper Theory (Shorebased) course in the few months prior to taking the practical course with us.

Over many years we have found that those without this level of preparation often struggle to complete the required syllabus items. Pass rates are much higher for those who already have the RYA Day Skipper Theory (Shorebased) certificate.

If you have any queries over which RYA course would be the right one for you, or would like further information or advice, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail or call +44 (0) 1803 883355 and speak to one of our skippers.