Day Skipper
At SailCork we have been shorebased navigation courses successfully for nearly 30 years with over 2000 graduates to prove it! Every opportunity is used to refer to practical day to day real life situations. If your area of interest is motor boating, RIB driving, sea angling, sea kayaking, dayboat sailing, cruiser sailing or commercial boat driving - we have the background and experience to give you the course you want.
Course director Eddie English is an ISA/RYA Yachtmaster Examiner. Eddie's teaching expertise is recognised worldwide having sailed all over Europe, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the USA, Australia and the Pacific. Eddie motors, sails and races thousands of miles every year and passes on his experience in our classes. Learn from us and also from your colleagues on the course. Enjoy relaxed surroundings, modern teaching methods, experienced tutors and enjoy a chat before or after class as well as at the coffee break. Come aboard and have top class tuition, enjoy friendly camaraderie and relish the progressive learning experience.
For complete beginners we run our Basic Navigation Course, for beginners and improvers we run our Day Skipper Shorebased Navigation Course and for experienced navigators we run the Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased Course.
All our Navigation Courses include Electronic Navigation and we provide a tutorial disk for every participant.
The navigation courses at SailCork are unique to Ireland in that they embrace the syllabi of the ISA and the RYA as well as extra additions by SailCork using our unique experience of running this course for over 30 years.
Day Skipper Shorebased Navigation Course
A comprehensive introduction to cruising for inexperienced skippers. If you are planning to get involved in boating or if you wish to progress to the next step and make that sail west - this is the course for you. The 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. This is an opportunity to ask questions in a sympathetic environment and get straightforward, easily understood answers!
We are continually updating our courses to take into account developments in technology and the electronic navigation aids now available on most cruising boats. In conjunction with the UK Hydrographic Office the RYA have developed a chart plotter specifically for use on training courses, giving you a realistic insight into electronic navigation. Use of this plotter is an integral part of our Day Skipper shorebased course.
This course includes: Basics of seamanship, Essentials of coastal navigation and pilotage, Chartwork, Electronic charts, Position fixing, Plotting a course to steer, Weather forecasting and meteorology, Tides, Collision regulations, Parts and equipment of a cruising boat, Emergency and safety procedures including distress calls,use of flares, safety harnesses, lifejackets and liferafts - for a full detailed syllabus click here.
Evenings
Evening courses are run over 17 evenings (46 hours) and begin in early October. Each evening begins at 19.30 and we finish off at 2215 . The pre Christmas part of the course (11 classes) will finish in mid December and resume 4 weeks later in Mid January for 6 classes until we finish at the end of February. The full course fee is €595.
We offer 2 different venues for the course- RCYC in Crosshaven(non members welcome) and at East Ferry Marina in Cobh (Marlogue Inn open for food until 20:30 if you wish to eat before class).
RCYC Crosshaven 2010: Mondays- 11 Oct. and runs until Dec. 20 and resume in Jan.17 with the final session in Feb. 21.
East Ferry Marina Cobh 2010: Wednesdays - 13 Oct until Dec 22 and resuming Jan 19 until Feb 23
Course Programme: Click here for dates and topics of all classes
NB: We will be providing a free tutorial a few weeks into the course to help you if you feel you are falling behind.
Weekends
Run over two w-ends(40 hrs) at the SailCork base at East Ferry Marina : Autumn 2010 weekends: TBC.Spring '10 March 19-21 & April 9-11. Hours : Fri 1930-2215, Sat 0930- 1830, Sun 1000- 1800 Fee €595.
NB If you have a group of 4 or more we can run a special course for you over 5 days or 2 long weekends. We will also travel to venues outside Cork.
Your Course:
Included in course fee are: RYA course notes book, course exercises, 2 practice charts and a CD which includes charts, an electronic chart plotter and a full tutorial.
What to Bring: A4 Notepad, pen, 2b pencils, sharpener & eraser. Click for more info
You will also need a Plotter or Parallel Rulers, Nautical Dividers and a Training Almanac. You may wish to purchase some extra books on navigation, meteorology etc - these all available from SailCork who have a very comprehensive stock or nautical publications and charts.
For those who have completed their Day Skipper- this course is to keep you on your toes and in touch! If you do not want to move on to the Yachtmaster but wish to revise your navigational skills this is the course for you. 7 Evenings Oct. 28 - Dec. 9
Distance Learning
If you are interested please contact us directly on +353 21 4811237 ♦
Eddie English Blog
Underwater cable Aghada to Cuskinny
One Thursday evening at the very start of February a group of seafarers decended on my local, “The Roaring Donkey”, in Cobh and lashed into copious quantities of gin and tonic. As the conversations began to flow it transpired that they were the crew of the Norwegian vessel, “Elektron”, docked at Cork Dockyard in Rushbrooke. Not just any ordinary ship but a specialist vessel for cable laying – she was here to lay the cable from Aghada Power Station to Cuskinny on the Great Island in Cork Harbour.
