Once the decision to try out sailing is made, the next part of the process involves finding the right people to help you get started.
Learning the basics is simple enough, given that there are a huge number of available courses up and down the length of the country.
These are perfectly placed to help novices learn to sail, covering all of the essentials that are required to ensure an enjoyable experience out on the water.
Once the basics have been mastered, next is the task of preparing sailors for racing or for more complex sailing manoeuvres – where the Royal Yachting Association can help.
While the RYA also provides the basic courses, they offer a range of opportunities for those learning to sail, from youth and junior races, to safety and day skipper courses.
The focus is on developing and nurturing the skills of sailors so that they can compete at the best level, all while looking to enhance their general enjoyment of the sport.
Safety courses and first aid courses will deal with the important aspects of how to avoid danger and what to do should something go wrong.
Everything from successfully dressing wounds to pulling injured people from the water will be covered, while lessons on how to survive at sea are also available.
While this may seem off-putting, they form an essential part of making sure that a sailor is as safe as possible – after all while risks can be negated they cannot be removed entirely.
Therefore it is important preparation so that a sailor can deal with any situation, should they encounter bad weather or particularly rough seas.
Encouraging children and young sailors to continue their development towards a higher standard of sailing is an essential part of maintaining the sport.
Success in big competitions and at the Olympics also helps, with experienced sailors such as Ben Ainslie showing just what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.
Wanting to emulate their success drives many young sailors towards more complex RYA sailing courses, ones which focus on how to compete and race at the highest level.
These courses can help to develop a sailor’s talent towards Olympic Classes level and is one of the reasons why the RYA is thought of so highly in the sailing world.
The RYA development courses will eventually enable sailors to apply for the various classes that are available, with opportunities open to the best performers based on age and results.
The RYA also works to develop sailors so that they are capable of working in roles that are related to sailing – providing those that love the sport with a career choice, as well as a hobby.
There are numerous categories that relate to exactly how far people can go when skippering vessels and all relate to the number of courses that they will have completed.
Yachtmaster training and day skipper courses provide the training and experience required to deal with the situations they cover, from skippering close to land to skippering all over the world.
Time and dedication is required to complete these types of courses, but they open up a wide range of opportunities in sailing and boating roles once completed.
These courses aim to build up the wealth of knowledge that is required to deal with demanding situations that could occur at sea, as well as to simply enjoy sailing in its most basic format.
Completing a Yachtmaster course provides a Certificate of Competence that is recognised around the world – a mark of a top sailor that has achieved all that is asked of them.
Are you looking for a RYA course? Why not try the search function on The Boating Hub website.