Skipper a Yacht on Holiday this Summer - Here’s how the Irish National Sailing and Powerboat School can help inspire you with 2023 travel ideas and tempt you with something to look forward to.
The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School are launching a “Build Your 2023 Dream Holiday Scheme” where dreams of a yachting holiday in a tropical paradise — turquoise waters, palm trees and white sandy beaches - can be realised, with you being the skipper of your own charter yacht.
The steps involved in training for an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) for sailing are not as difficult or time-consuming as most imagine and can be broken down into three easy steps.
Step 1 – Competent Crew Course
This 5-day course familiarises you with a yacht while learning to effectively and safely carry out crewing tasks. Competent Crew students are also training in helming and all physical tasks of making the boat go. The course runs over five days, either Monday to Friday or across two weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday followed by the subsequent Saturday and Sunday). Course fees are €785. The courses always berth on an East Coast marina, with access to mainline train services. You’re more than welcome to stay onboard, but you can head off each evening and rejoin the boat in the morning. Meals are also provided on board.
Step 2 – Day Skipper Theory
Get to grips with the basics of coastal and inshore navigation and pilotage. The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School offers two options for this course.
The first is an online course you can complete in your own time. Instructor support is available in real-time so you study worldwide and at times convenient for you. This option costs €400.
Secondly, the school’s classroom-based courses, work in a more structured and immersive environment. These courses are run across ten days (Saturdays 9.30 am-5 pm, Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6-9.30 pm) and feature a remote video link and recorded session in case you can’t make it in person each session. This option costs €525 and the next course begins in April, with more running during the early months of the Summer.
INSS Competent Crew Courses are available from March onwards
Step 3 – Day Skipper Practical Course
You’ll be back on board for another 5-days, either spread over a Friday and two weekends or a Monday to Friday block. This time you’ll be applying all the skills from the theory course to on water navigation, as well as developing crew management skills and taking on the full skippering responsibilities.
Courses are available from March onwards and cost €785.
Applying for the ICC
Irish Sailing is responsible for the issuing of ICCs in Ireland. Upon completion of the Day Skipper course, you will receive the practical course completion certificate. This demonstrates your competency requirements for applying for the ICC and the next steps are outlined on Irish Sailing’s website.
Is there enough time before this Summer?
If you choose to do the Competent Crew and Day Skipper Practical Course on the weekend dates, you’ll only need to take two additional annual leave days, one Friday per course. The courses start in March and run every week. The syllabus for each programme is designed to be self-contained within the course dates and builds on each previous course. There’s more than enough time to be your own skipper with friends or family this Summer!
Would I need anything else to charter abroad?
Each charter company will insist on a slight variation of requirements, but most make it very easy to see what qualifications are needed. The ICC is widely recognised, however, the school would always recommend checking specifically what would be needed in each destination.
The school also run a number of additional courses that complement the core training, including VHF courses and First Aid. Skippers may also want to consider attending a powerboat training course, where it’s possible to get to ICC motor standard after completing the two-day National Powerboat Certificate.
Questions
The team in the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School’s office are ready to answer any questions you may have, including how those with previous experience would fit into their three-step programme. They’re on 01 2844195 or sailing@inss.ie Monday to Saturday, and are happy for people to drop in too.
