Build your confidence with own boat tuition
Own boat tuition is a great way to learn sailing adapted to you and your vessel. We offer personalised tuition on your own boat. We are often approached by people wanting to be more confident manoeuvring their vessel in tight situations like on and off pontoons and we can arrange short half day sessions for this. We are also able to support people who may be completely new to boat ownership and have plans to travel far afield. Basically, we work it around you and encourage you to develop as owner and skipper. Our area of operation is Exmouth to Eastbourne, including the Solent
“Thanks to Jacquie at the Sail Boat Project my onboard engine is a lot less daunting. After an engine maintenance tuition I now have the understanding and confidence to check and replace all my filters, replace the impeller, bleed the fuel system, check and clean the exhaust parts, and learned some great troubleshooting and cleaning tips. Looking forward to learning more. Highly recommend this if you want to get to know your engine” – Louise
Own boat tuition can only be for the boat’s owner and the owner’s close friends. We can offer any of our usual RYA training courses or assess your level and take it from there. The boat does not need to be safety coded with the Coastguard, but it should be suitably equipped with safety gear – see below ‘What you need to provide’. We are happy to do an initial visit with you to help prepare the boat for sea if, for example, it is new to you. Please let us know if this is the case when booking.
“The trip was the delivery of a my newly purchased boat from the Solent to North Kent supported by one of your skippers, Geoff Sheridan. He was superbly steady and adaptable in dealing with a number of challenging incidents that arose as a consequence of the previous owners negligence. All of this with great good humour. I learnt a great deal about sailing my new boat, about navigation and managing the engine. The service you offer were superb and I would recommend them to anyone.”
The owner holds ultimate responsibility for their vessel and for insuring it for tuition.
Our own boat tuition is delivered by commercially endorsed skippers, with RYA instructing qualifications for courses.
We can also help with deliveries, winterising and spring fitting out
Short of time? Need help, or advice? If you’re overwhelmed by how much you have to do, or not sure about what needs doing this winter, we offer an enhanced own boat tuition service, for both your winter lay-up and spring fitting out.
We also offer our professional advice on sourcing materials at competitive prices to save you the time and money, in the long run and can deliver sails to the sailmaker for repairs.
Learn and get help with everything from anti –fouling, to engine winterisation and servicing, running rigging and sail checks and removal for cleaning.
Rates
£275/day for up to four people.
Book now
Free copy of Simple Boat Maintenance by Pat Manley when you book your first day with us.
If you are on a low income we can offer a 10% discount please contact us for details.
We have skippers available in Portsmouth, Brighton, Chichester and Exeter and their travel expenses are included in this area. Beyond this area reasonable travel expenses are extra. We also ask that you provide food and accommodation (if not available onboard). We reserve the right to decide how many people we want onboard to effectively crew the boat (minimum and maximum numbers), although for RYA courses there is a maximum of five people learning.
Book now using one of the options below.
Here’s a short video showing the results of a few day’s own boat tuition. We worked with Ed onboard his boat Moondancer, giving him the confidence to venture further from his home port of Newhaven. We got him and his friends past Beachy Head, learnt to use the cruising chute and practised safety manoeuvres. This then led to a trip west to the Solent, with one of our instructors assisting, but leaving Ed and his crew to make the return trip on their own.
UPDATE: Ed and Moondancer and company have made their way across the Bay of Biscay, down to Gran Canaria and on their way to West Africa – October 2015
UPDATE 2: Ed arrived in West Africa, and is keeping his boat at a mooring up the River Gambia.
FAQ
Do I need certain equipment?
Yes, please refer to ‘What you need to provide’ below. We can help you source or loan you certain items.
Can you run RYA courses on my boat?
Yes we can, for you, your friends and family.
How many people can you instruct on my boat?
It all depends on the size of your vessel and the equipment you carry.
Below is a list of required equipment that we expect there to be onboard. We can help you source or loan you anything you don’t have:
What you need to provide
- Anchor
- Bilge pump (manual as well as electric)
- Radar reflector
- Flares for the waters in which you will use your boat
- Fire extinguishers and fire blanket
- Lifejackets (with harness) plus safety strops
- Liferaft if doing coastal passages
- Horse shoe buoy(s) with light
- Dan buoy
- Man overboard recovery equipment
- VHF Radio
- Navigational equipment (Almanac, charts, plotter, dividers and GPS)
- First Aid kit
- Mooring warps and fenders
- Spare fuel
- Tool kit
- Depth and speed
- Engine spares – fuel/oil filters, drive belt, impeller spare oil
What We Provide
We can help you source or loan you equipment from the list above that you don’t have. We can also give you access to our extensive library of sailing books and sail training resources.