Skills Development and Mile Builders
MILE BUILDERS:
This will be a week of distance sailing combining several longer passages with a few skills and drills in the Solent and/or at our destinations.
It will be suitable for anyone with a Competent Crew certificate or higher.
If the weather allows, we will cross over to France and/or the Channel Islands.
This is always a good rite of passage for those who haven't experienced a channel crossing before. As well as ports 'on the other side' possible destinations for the longer passages are Weymouth, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Fowey, Newhaven, Brighton and many others.
There will be an opportunity for those holding a Day Skipper certificate or higher to skipper a yacht outside of the confines of the Solent on a longer trip and those holding Competent Crew to hone their crewing skills on extended passages.
We will also spend a little time doing some skills and drills in the Solent/elsewhere which will comprise a selection of the below.
The exact makeup will be determined by crew experience and the time available outside of the longer passages.
Cost: Mile Builders will be priced according to the event. Details can be noted against the individual calendar events. (approx £895 for a 7day mile builder)
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT WEEKENDS:
We will also sometimes offer a weekend focusing on general brushing up of skills or on specific areas e.g. Boat Handling, Sail Handling or actual Skipper Development.
Additional details on these can be seen below.
BOAT HANDLING
This is a weekend covering yacht handling skills under both power and sail. We will spend one day focussing on each of the disciplines. Handling a yacht under power in confined marinas is the element of yachting that many people say they feel most nervous about. By the end of the weekend, you should feel more comfortable with all aspects of manoeuvring a yacht under power. Being able to use the sails to bring a yacht safely to its mooring or get back to an MOB should the need arise is a very useful and confidence building skill to have, and we will work on building on these skills that you will have been introduced to at Day skipper.
Below is an example of what will be covered though the exact makeup of the weekend will be (as always in yachting) to some extent determined by conditions and experience of crew.
This course is suitable for those whose skills are at RYA Day skipper level or higher. Saturday night will be spent in a different port.
Power
Bringing the boat alongside in a variety of wind and tide scenarios
Assessing the conditions
Forward and reverse mooring
Identifying and dealing with prop walk
Utilising prop wash
Turning a yacht round on the spot
Arriving at a 'wind off' pontoon and leaving a 'wind on' pontoon
Picking up mooring buoys under power
Anchoring under power
MOB (man overboard) under power
Sail
Efficient tacking/gybing
Putting in /shaking out reefs under sail
Sail trim refresh
Sailing in confined areas (short tacking up a river or sailing into a harbour)
Sailing on/off anchor
Sailing back to MOB (simulated engine failure)
Sailing on/off mooring buoys
SAIL HANDLING
This is a weekend focused on yacht handling skills under sail. By the end of the weekend you should feel more comfortable with all aspects of manoeuvring a yacht using just her sails. It will give attendees the confidence not to rush for the engine start button so soon but to feel confident that most situations can be dealt with under sail and that should your engine pack up it needn't be the end of that day's boating.
Below is an example of what will be covered though the exact makeup of the weekend will be (as always in sailing) to some extent determined by conditions and experience of crew.
This course is suitable for those whose skills are at RYA Competent Crew or Day skipper level and wish to consolidate/further sailing skills learned during those courses. Saturday night will be spent in a different port.
Sail
Efficient tacking/gybing
Putting in /shaking out reefs under sail
Sail trim refresh
Sailing in confined areas (short tacking up a river or sailing into a harbour)
Sailing on/off anchor
Sailing back to MOB (simulated engine failure)
Sailing on/off mooring buoys
Cost: Skills Development weekends are priced at £420 per weekend. Instruction, provisions and fuel included. Moorings will be shared amongst crew.
Max 5 students. A final call confirming all courses will go ahead will be made around the 6 week mark. A min of 4 crew members will be necessary. In the unlikely event of LCSC needing to cancel the weekend, LCSC will provide a full refund on fees already paid.
Please refer to our online calendar for upcoming dates. These can be found by TYPE - Offshore Practical Training.
Should a course be waitlisted, please email the office to be placed on a waitlist if no other dates suit.
All group bookings, please email the office to coordinate dates.
By signing up to these trainings, you are confirming you meet the prerequisites and you have read, understood and accepted the LCSC's Standard T & C's for Offshore Practical Course - please find a copy below.
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Last updated 14:52 on 22 May 2025