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Adult Dinghy Courses

"The best way to get the most from sailing"

Enjoy learning quickly using a tried and tested system. Come aboard and join the fastest growing and most popular watersport in Ireland!! International Sailing has developed a professional teaching programme to help dinghy sailors to advance quickly in total safety.   The team of dinghy instructors is led by Eddie English who, as a qualified dinghy trainer and senior instructor, was one of those responsible for initiating the National Dinghy Scheme in Ireland. All certified courses are recognised by the ISA .

See bottom of page for course schedule 2007.

Professional Learning Environment:

Ashore: The shorebased sections of our courses take place in fully equipped, dedicated classrooms using the most up to date teaching methods and equipment.

Afloat: Our "outdoor classroom" is Cork Harbour. One of the world's finest harbours it offers the wide variety of conditions for dinghy sailing. We work in areas from secluded wooded creeks and golden sandy beaches to vast open waters for more advanced skills. Cork Harbour has been the home of sailing since the foundation of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cobh in 1720 - we continue this proud tradition and sail on these same safe waters 285 years on!! The year is crammed with regattas and races with the emphasis on good safe sailing and of course fun afloat and ashore!

Beginners courses at SailCork are run in safe specially built training boats. We use a variety of dinghies from single handed Toppers to fast exhilarating Lasers and catamarans for our improver courses.. All programmed courses take place fromt our bases at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven or East Ferry Marina in Cobh, with the magnificent harbour literally on our doorstep.

SailCork also runs courses in powerboating, cruising, navigation, VHF Radio, GPS, Safety, multi-activity and club sailing for adults and juniors.

This scheme has been carefully developed to help you to get the most from dinghy sailing-whatever your level or ability. The more competent you are the more enjoyable your sailing. Using this scheme you are assured of a world recognised teaching system enabling the pupil to learn quickly and enjoy the learning experience.

The scheme is progressive - in order to learn more advanced skills you will first need to master basic techniques. If you already have dinghy sailing experience the scheme offers a one or two day direct entry assessment so you can join in at your own level.

The method breaks sailing into different courses from beginner to advanced. These courses contain nine different course elements which are progressively more informative as one progresses through the levels.

Course elements:

1. Rigging. 2. Ropework. 3. Launch and Recovery. 4. Sailing Techniques and Manoeuvres. 5. Capsize Recovery. 6. Racing. 7. Sailing Theory / Background. 8 Meteorology. 9. Clothing/Equipment 10. Chartwork.

Beginners Course

Can be divided into two elements - Start Sailing and Basic Skills. Start Sailing can be taken over one weekend and to complete the Beginners Course the Basic Skills will take another two weekends. The full beginners course can also be taken over one five day week or over 2 weeks of 4 evenings per week.

Level 1 Start Sailing: Provides a brief taste of dinghy sailing for beginners introducing basic boat handling and background knowledge. (Recommended to consolidate this short intro. with the Basic Skills course-Level 2) - this course will make you want more!! Over 90% of our pupils continue to finish the Basic Skills Course.

Level 2 Basic Skills: This course is by far the most popular course and taken together with the Start Sailing course it provides the perfect course for the beginner. A full beginners course is usually taken over five days or a series of 9 individual sessions.

By the end of the course the pupil should have a basic knowledge of sailing and be capable of sailing a boat in light winds. Our courses are run in dayboats/keelboats - pupils who wish to enjoy the thrills and spills (Capsizing etc) should progress onto our DINGHY SAILING module.

Improver Courses
It is assumed that pupils taking this course have already mastered the basic skills and have absorbed the associated knowledge to achieve Level 2. There are several elements to the improver course and these are broken into modules which are run over a weekend or weekly evening courses (Mon-Thur) or a weeklong (5 days) course covering two modules.

Dinghy Sailing: Consolidate your Level 2 skills and practice capsize recovery and learn to control the quick response of a dinghy.

Seamanship Skills Covering ropework, Heaving to, Reefing afloat, Anchoring, Sailing Backwards, Rudderless, terms, Capsize Recovery, Interpeting Forecasts, Tides, Charts.

Day Sailing Covering rigging, preparation, anchoring, lee shore, handling stronger winds, weather interpetation. Navigation- charts, tide tables + tides, GPS, compass, transits, position fixing. First Aid.

Sailing with Spinnakers Covering rigging, hoisting, gybing lowering of spinnaker. Capsize recovery. Typers of spinnaker boat. Apparent wind, hull shapes.

Start Racing Background, boat types, race organisation, understanding the start and the course. Boat preparation, boat tuning, boat handling, practicing starts, sailing upwind and downwind, finishing, tactics, rules.

Performance Sailing Rigging, advanced sailing techniques, use of all equipment, windshifts, weather patterns, awareness of changing conditions, tides and local conditions, rigs, boat types and preparation. (Participants should have completed all the above modules before doing this module)

By the end of this course the pupil should have a safe, competent, practical approach to dinghy sailing and should be capable of sailing and making seamanlike decisions in moderate conditions. For those with sailing ability but without previous qualifications a one day assessment course is suggested first.

Advanced Courses
Advanced Dinghy Sailing: This is our top level dinghy sailing course. Includes elements of all the improver modules - resulting is an allround sailor who can sail any dinghy in most conditions. Special Advanced Course culminating in Dinghy Instructor Pre Entry Asessment.

Refresher Courses Get your skills up to scratch! Refresher courses are available all year / all levels. Private Tuition If you have specific needs or if you wish to "set up" your own boat why not have the total individual attention of one of our expert instructors!

Pre-entry Courses
Prepare yourself properly for your instructor course and finish off with the instructor pre-entry assessment

Instructor Courses
See our Instructor section for more details on the Assistant Instructor, Dinghy Instructor, Advanced Instructor and Senior Instructor

Course Location: East Ferry Marina Cobh

Weeklong courses:
Sign in Mon before 10.00 The Day: After your course briefing with the Duty Instructor at 10.00 we get afloat as quickly as possible. Lunch is usually afloat or sometimes at a harbourside location. We are usually ashore for the debriefing at 16.45 and then time to relax and swop stories of the day over a beer with a beautiful view of the water at scenic East Ferry !.

Weekend courses: Beginners full course over 2 weekends. Improvers course - one weekend. Sign in Sat 10.00 - Similar programme to weekdays finishing at 1700 on Sat and Sun 10.00 - 17.00

Evening courses: Beginners courses run over 2 weeks Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, from 1830 to 2130. Improvers course over one week. Sign on evening 1 before 18.30. Evening sessions begin at 18.30 with a briefing and then we get afloat as quickly as possible after rigging. We return ashore for a debriefing at approx. 21.15 with the session finishing at 21.30. (Evening courses in April and Sept run 1800-2100)

Beginners Course

Start Sailing (Level1)+ Basic Skills(Level 2)
Evenings: Courses begin April Mon 9 May Mon 14 June Mon 18, July Mon 16, Aug Mon 13 Sept Mon 3
Weekends: April Sat 14+15 and 21+22 May 12+13 and 19+20 June 2+3 and 9+10 July 7+8 and 14+15, August 11+12,and 25+26 (Single w/ends available)

Weeklong courses: Available on special selected weeks from June until September , please call for dates

Full Beginners Course weeklong 5 days, evening 8evenings, w-end 2w-ends Fee: € 450 One W/E 275

Improving Techniques:

Modules over 4 evenings or one weekend. Courses run Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, from 1830 to 2130. Courses begin East Ferry Fee €255

Dinghy Sailing Weekend: April Sat 28+Sun 29S

Seamanship Skills: April Mon 30 May Mon 28 , Aug Mon 27

Day Sailing Weekend: May Sat 5+Sun6SJune Sat 30 +Sun 1 JulSat 5+Sun 6

Sailing with Spinnakers Evenings 9-13 July

Start Racing Evening July 2-5

Performance Sailing Aug 27-30

NB This programme is not complete. We will be adding some more dates to our improver courses

Advanced Courses :

Advanced Revision + Pre Entry Assessment Aug 27-Sept 1 Fee 550 Euro

Instructor and Pre Entry Courses
See our Instructor section for more details

East Ferry Marina Cobh:
One of the most beautiful sailing locations in the country - after sailing relax on the verandah or the Morlogue Inn and enjoy excellent food and drink!. Perfectly suited to small boat sailing with shelter available in most conditions with beautiful unspoilt sailing waters -

RCYC Crosshaven :
The club provides excellent facilities with our classroom literally on the water and of course the friendly club bar to relax in after a hard session afloat - food is also available at the club.

Staying in Cobh or Crosshaven:
Please contact our office for details of all levels of accommodation - a special package can be arranged. You can relax and enjoy the full holiday atmosphere and Cobh's traditional hospitality!! See the extensive regatta programme - we have something happening in Cobh every weekend and racing every Wednesday evening and lots lots more!!!

What to bring: