I am aware that many visitors have been using the original website, particularly the On-line Theory section.
THE NEW WEBSITE PROVIDES THE SAME RESOURCE - and it's still free-to-access (voluntary donations are requested).
Please try the new website, and send any feedback - particularly, report any problems - to me, Bill Johnson - email bill.johnson@aztecsailing.co.uk or telephone +353 (0) 59 97 26982 .
Many thanks for your cooperation!
This website is an on-line learning resource with significant quantity of useful material for trainee crew and skippers on Cruising (i.e. Sea-Going) Yachts. It is also a useful reference site for experienced skippers and other people who need to understand the sea (e.g. Motorboat Skippers, Divers).
The idea is to provide material that is clearly explained. Too often, books and sailing courses present material in a confusing way, cloaked in obfuscating terminology (frequently because the author/instructor doesn't understand it properly themselves). This website aims to undo that, and get rid of the mystery - anyone should be able to understand this stuff if it's properly explained. And if you can't, it's probably my fault - so please tell me!
The heart of this website is On-line Theory, to the Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster ® level.
This is followed by Yachtmaster ® Ocean theory.
There is a section concerning Radar, and another on Practical Skills such as yacht manoeuvring.
Various parts of this website are incomplete. It is very much a 'work in progress' and will continue to grow. In the meantime I think is is better to include the material that has been written - rather than waiting until everything is finished.
Bear in mind: no yacht (or other vessel) ever set to sea that was completely ready, with no work outstanding, so I follow exactly the same principle here.
'Theory' is the stuff that is easier to learn on dry land, quietly and at your own speed, before you start to use the knowledge on a boat.
Theory topics are: Navigation, Tides, Charts, Navigational Aids, Rules of the Road (Collision Regulations) and Weather.
For each topic there are facts you have to know, and concepts you need to understand, before you can successfully learn the practical aspects of what you do as a skipper on a boat.
You can use the On-line Theory as a textbook and/or preparation for the RYA Shorebased Courses:
• Day Skipper Shorebased
• Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster ® Offshore Shorebased
• Yachtmaster ® Ocean
Alternatively you can use this material to study on your own, if you don't wish to attend the Shorebased courses.
Either way, this is the material you will need to know before you go on one of the RYA Practical Courses:
• Day Skipper Practical
• Coastal Skipper Practical
This website does not, however, offer any RYA course or qualification. It is simply an 'on-line text book'.