RYA Approved Sailing School.

 

Happy Sailing School
Parang Racing - 2000

 

We offer a wide range of sailing options. With sailing yachts and a variety of dinghies in order to fit any of your needs for sailing courses from one day beginners lessons to a two month advanced course with offshore sailing boats along with optimist and windsurfing.

THE  COURSES

 The COMPETENT CREW diploma course corresponds to the sailing component of the RYA competent crew course plus navigation, meteorology, safety, collision regs. to the Day Skipper shore based course.

In our English language version we will be taking only  5 persons on each course instead of up to 20 on the Greek language courses and we will be doing 7 trips to sea instead of the normal 5.

The COASTAL NAVIGATOR diploma course is approximately equivalent to the RYA Yacht master Offshore shore based course plus RYA Coastal skipper practical.  It includes a non-stop passage of at least forty hours.

 THE AIMS OF OUR TUITION ON ‘PARANG’

  It is easy to become focused on the issue of a diploma.   Diplomas are merely a proof of learning.   They are not the objective but a useful bi-product of it.  The objective is the acquisition of the various skills which in combination will empower the sailor to travel the seas under sail in confidence and safety.   

Although we are happy to teach those who may later choose to use motor vessels, the training has a strong emphasis on sail.   This training covers all the basics to allow a skipper to sail his or her yacht without the use of an engine.

 Navigation is taught in the classic format and when that is mastered, electronic aids, such as GPS, are discussed and their functions explained.

Seamanship is planning and preparation as well as hands on evolutions and practical necessities.

 Meteorology is taught as a tool for safety and comfort both before and during a passage rather than an abstract subject to be passed at an examination.

 Safety is an essential part of everything connected to travelling on the water and it must be a consideration in all matters from the planning of a day in Larnaca Bay to the way one checks the rigging.   The safety aspect is taught as an integral requisite of all we do.

 Finally, and this is something that is easy to forget when under the pressures of learning and examinations, we keep in mind that pottering about in boats, whether cruising or racing, is done for pleasure.   It is our aim that we should make it so.  

Seamanship courses in Cyprus
Parang Racing - 2000

 COURSE STRUCTURE

 

1.   Competent Crew.

This is spread over eleven Saturdays.    There are a minimum of seven instruction periods at sea, including one night sail, and eleven shore based lectures with hands-on application on board.   The twelfth lecture period is the examination.

The K.N.C. requirement is for a minimum of 50 miles at sea.   We do an average of 140 miles.

For our winter/spring course we do not specify a particular day for sailing as we can then choose appropriate conditions on the day.   We try to put as much into practice as possible.   Much of the lecturing is done as a de-briefing after sailing and navigating at sea.

     The fee is CYP 495

 

2.  Coastal Navigator.

The K.N.C. requirement is for a minimum of 300 sea miles and 5 night sails.   There are ten lecture sessions and an exam session.

There is also a cruise of a minimum of forty hours at sea non-stop.

Lectures and night sails are done on Saturdays.   The cruise starts on a Friday evening and goes through to Sunday.   The course is spread over seven weeks.

     For persons having the necessary previous experience or    
     have taken The K.N.C. Competent crew diploma,

     the fee is CYP 475  

SESSION  FORMAT

Training sessions start at 10 a.m. at the yacht in Larnaca Marina (with the exception of night sails and the longer passage). 

Practical sessions at sea are followed by a debrief/lecture.   This will mean about 5 hours at sea and a further 2 in harbour.

 For going to sea, in the winter programme, we will be looking for gentle weather at the start of the Competent Crew course, graduating to stronger conditions later.   This we have the flexibility to do by substituting a lecture day instead of a sea day, as conditions dictate.   Where we do 2 lectures on one day there will be a break for refreshments between each lecture.

    

   

PRACTICAL AND LECTURE SESSIONS PROGRAMME

 COMPETENT  CREW COURSE

P1 & L1                                    Session I

  1. Personal log

  2. The boat:  moving about,  tidiness,   safety,  stability,   water integrity.

  3. Sail handling:   halyards,   sheets,   tracks,  setting, handing.

  4. Starting & stopping:   mooring,   anchoring,   line clearing.

  5. Wind awareness:  effect on everything,   use not abuse,   effect of wind on sea,   indicators.

  6. Knots,   coiling,   flaking,   stowing.

  7. Sail power:   Lift,   push,   the gearbox,   the Beaufort scale

  8. Steering:   the compass

DEBRIEF:  Overview, materials, properties of ropes
BOAT TOUR:   hulls and rigs
Home study:-  Nautical terminology, rigs, knots. 

P2 & L2     Session II

  1. Safety:   Lines on deck,   planning,   rig check,   fuel and water,   engine, batteries,   lights,   harness,   lifejacket.

  2. Points of sail,   no go quadrant.

  3. Tacking,  gybing,  heave-to, 

  4. Reefing.

  5. The trailing log

  6. The ships log and deck log.   Engine log, fuel awareness.

  7. Intro to charts, dead reckoning

RECAP:   mooring, compass, log and time.
TEST:   knots,   coiling,   flaking,   wind awareness
Home study:- The compass, points of sail, sail evolutions     

 

L3            Session III

  1. Charts,   symbols,   course over ground,   course to steer, 
    HB compass,DR and EP

  2. The shifting surface: Currents, surface drift, tides, leeway, headlands

  3. Magnetic variables

TEST: The compass
Home study:-  Charts and symbols

                                                                                                                                        

L4             Session IV

  1. Vectors

  2. Clearing lines,   transits

  3. Estimated position

  4. Shaping a course

  5. Passage planning

  6. Dutchman's log

Home study: EP, shaping a course    

 

P3 & L5           Session V

  1. Sail trim

  2. More reefing

  3. Anchoring under engine or sail

  4. MOB

  5. Sail changes

  6. Clear override with rolling hitch

  7. More mooring,   springing off,   springing on

  8. Using HB compass,   charting EP

RECAP:   Safety,   planning
Home study:-  Basic navigation, safety

 

L6             Session VI

  1. Colregs

  2. Lights,  flags

  3. VHF

  4. Signals

  5. Emergencies

TEST:  Mooring, safety
Home study:- Lights, flags, signals

    

P4 &  L7         Session VII

  1. Recap all sailing

  2. Finer trim

  3. Apparent wind,   draw vectors

  4. Course to steer with drift and leeway,   draw vectors 

  5. Emergencies

DEBRIEF:   emergencies,  planning for safety
RECAP:   Colregs,   lights
Home study:- Colregs, emergencies 

 

 L8                Session VIII

  1. Meteorology

  2. Local and international regulations

  3. Sea manners, customs

  4. Attitude,  teamwork,  psychology

  5. Medical,  sea-sickness,  hypothermia

     TEST: Navigation
Home study: Meteorology, regulations

 P5 (Night Sail)          Session IX

  1. Safety at night

  2. Lights

  3. Bearings with HB compass,   EP

  4. Mandatory harness and jackstay use in dark

TEST:  knots and coiling,   simple chartwork at sea.
Home study:- Colregs, lights

 L 9                 Session X

  1. Meteorology

  2. Weather maps,  forecasts,  sources

  3. Intro to Astro Navigation

  4. Electronic aids.

TEST:  Lights and rigs
Home study:- Meteorology, weather maps

 

P6 & L10             Session XI

  1. Rowing

  2. Setting the kedge

  3. MOB again

  4. Safety checks again

  5. Review points of difficulty

TEST:   Colregs,  lights,   signalling, emergencies
Home study:- General review

 

              Session XII

Examination for Competent Crew diploma 

NB

This is an intensive course taking in much that a yacht skipper should learn.   The navigation instruction goes well beyond a competent crew requirement and allows the prospective skipper or boat owner to proceed smoothly into further training with a wide basic knowledge.

To get the most benefit from the lectures requires the home study of colregs, lights, flags, signaling, meteorology, chart symbols and the like.    Printed information for all these subjects will be provided plus practice charts for exercises as will cord for knots. 

If after receiving rowing instruction you feel the need for more practice we offer the use of a dinghy.

There is no mystery about navigation and the good news is that there are no calculations requiring mathematics beyond simple addition and subtraction.

The best news is that it is good fun learning to travel across the sea with confidence

 

PRACTICAL AND LECTURE SESSIONS PROGRAMME

COASTAL NAVIGATOR

This course is designed for persons with basic knowledge equivalent to the RYA Day Skipper standard, the K.N.C. Competent Crew standard or equivalent.    We are not listing great detail below as much of the course is to do with more in-depth training on the same subjects as the previous course with an emphasis on being in charge of a yacht.   We have allowed even more flexibility to be able to help individuals with problem areas on a one-to-one basis.

 

L1 & L2               Session I

  1. Variables and errors

  2. The shifting surface

  3. Compass deviation card,   compass problems

  4. Navigation exercises

     TEST: Colregs,   lights,   chart symbols
Home study:-  Navigation,  deviation card

 

L3 & L4          Session II

  1. Meteorology

  2. Navigation

TEST: Deviation card, compass problems
Home study:- Meteorology, signals

 

P1 & L5          Session III

  1. Night sail

  2. Lights,  bearings,  fixes

  3. Safety

  4. Emergencies

Home study:- Fixes, emergencies

 

L6 & L7           Session IV

  1. Passage planning, victualing, medical chest

  2. Radio communications

  3. Electronic aids

TEST: Navigation
Home study:-  Radio, electronic aids, passage planning

 P2                  Session V

  1. Night sail,   MOB,   fixes

Home study:-  Colregs, lights, signals

 L8 & L9            Session VI

  1. Engine matters

  2. Protecting the environment

  3. General revision

TEST:  Anchoring,  ropes,  knots
Home study:-   General revision

                      Session VII

PASSAGE  200 miles non-stop

Here is where we try out what has been learnt in theory in a yacht at sea as well as skippering skills, cooking, sleeping, keeping ourselves and the boat clean and getting on with those around us.

The session starts on Friday evening setting off from Larnaca Marina and returning sometime on Sunday.   (The crew is expected to contribute towards the victualling.)

Session VIII

Examination for Coastal Navigator   

   

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