A comprehensive introduction to cruising for inexperienced skippers.

This course equips you with enough knowledge to navigate around familiar waters by day. A basic knowledge of lights is also included to introduce you to night cruising.

The course is taught over 40 hours with two exam papers. It can be covered as a series of short sessions, as an intensive week-long course, or by distance learning.

Course topics include:

• the basics of seamanship
• the essentials of coastal navigation and pilotage
• chartwork
• electronic charts
• position fixing
• plotting a course to steer
• weather forecasting and meteorology
• tides
• collision regulations
• construction, parts and equipment of a cruising boat
• emergency and safety procedures including distress calls,use of flares, safety harnesses, lifejackets and liferafts