Aquasafe blog

RYA Day Skipper Theory Course - 17th to 21st April 2013

We have another of our RYA Day Skipper Theory five day courses starting in a few weeks time, running from Wednesday 17th April to Sunday 21st April 2013.   With the current weather many are questioning the advantages of going to sea at this time year, so this is the perfect opportunity to sneak in a crafty bit of training and come and do some pre-season brushing up on the dark arts of navigation!   If you have ever wanted to know more about understanding chart symbols such as the common chart annotations above, or perhaps would like to be more comfortable with your rules of the road, your buoyage and navigation, safety etc, then this is a great way to learn it all.

The course pack includes the RYA training charts and a copy of the RYA digital Plotter, as well as the exercises we go through as part of the learning process, and the course will leave you feeling confident and comfortable about how to navigate using paper and electronic charts, as well as what information you need to remember from the vast array of different sources available, and where and how to look the rest of it up.

We have one or two spaces left for the April course - we teach a maximum of five students per course so that everyone has plenty of room and plenty of time to ask questions, and the cost is £395 including the RYA pack.

RYA Day Skipper Theory course in Lymington 4th to 8th February 2013 & other dates

We have an RYA Day Skipper Theory course running in a couple of weeks time from Monday the 4th February to Friday 8th February 2013.   The five day theory course is entirely shorebased (so a good one to do when the snow is on the ground or it is blowing a gale) and looks at all the theory that is involved in the Day Skipper practical course.   Although we are primarily a power school, the theory course is the same for both power and sail disciplines and both are covered during the five days.   The syllabus covers everything from charts and tides to navigation both on paper and electronically, and is a course I highly recommend for anyone wanting a better understanding of navigation after a powerboat Level 2 course, and also anyone wanting to progress onto the Intermediate and Advanced powerboat courses and obviously the Day skipper practical courses.

The cost is £395 for the five days and this includes the RYA chart pack.   We only have one or possibly two spaces left for the February course so for more information or to book give me a call as soon as possible.  

We are running more of these over the next three months (we tend to run them over the winter but rarely in the summer season) and other forthcoming dates are 2nd - 6th March 2013 & 17th - 21st April 2013.

New Winter boat hire deals - buy one get one free!

We have put together a couple of spectacular deals to tempt people to come out on the water  in our hire boats over the winter.  

The first is a 'buy one get one free' offer - take a day of boat hire before 22nd March 2013 at our normal rate of £139 per day, and get a second day of boat hire on or before 22nd March 2013 absolutely free.

The second offer we have is a full day of hire for a half day rate of just £99.

Obviously it is an either/or offer, but you can take advantage of both offers as many times as you like.

Both offers end on the 22nd March, so don't delay - come and get afloat and make the most of our fantastic reduced rates before the start of the 2013 season.

We have also published our new 2013 rates and block booking discounts online on the Prices page of our boat hire website.

VHF courses are going to become longer, harder, more involved, and more expensive...

Not yet done your VHF marine radio course?   Been meaning to get round to doing it one day soon in the not too distant future when you have a spare day one weekend when the grass doesn't need cutting, kids don't need entertaining, and the weather is not good enough to go out on the water instead?   If this sounds familiar then please read on...

I am sorry to say the Short Range certificate one-day VHF Marine radio course is likely to change at some stage in the next 12 or so months to become a longer course, requiring a separate examiner, with more detailed course content and testing.   In brief, the reason for this is that some other European countries have for a while been unhappy with the standard of our one-day course, which leads to the same qualification as their own two or three day courses.   Consequently to avoid a situation where a UK-issued Short Range Certificate is not recognised elsewhere, the MCA and RYA have come under pressure from the CEPT to increase the length of the UK course and make testing more rigorous.

The unfortunate upshot is this - if the idea of spending one day in a classroom learning about VHF radios and other on board communications equipment is putting you off, then how does two days sound as an alternative, or perhaps a day plus several hours of online study and testing instead?

Legally you or someone on board your boat must hold a marine VHF qualification to be allowed to use the VHF radio.    So my strong advice is to come and get legal and please do it soon, as our one-day course is going to disappear forever sometime in the near future, to be replaced by a far more onerous EU version.   We run about one VHF course a month at present, and the course cost is £110 plus the certificate fee of £30 making a total of £140 per person.   With the course change the cost will unfortunately also rise massively, as the course in its new form will not only be longer but will also involve an instructor and separate examiner, so you can perhaps see why I am recommending our current course so vigorously!

Dates are here...
http://blog.aquasafepowerboatschool.co.uk/aquasafe/2010/03/course-dates.html and you can get in touch to book a course either by phone or email.   People are always pleasantly surprised by how much more interesting than expected the course proves to be, but one downside is sadly our coffee has still not got any better...

Course dates for 2013 now online!

We have finally started to put our 2013 diary together and have published a lot of our course dates online, for everything from RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses to RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Theory courses.   We have put lots more VHF SRC Radio course dates up too, and for the first time have added a selection of RYA Powerboat Instructor courses and RYA Advanced Powerboat Instructor course dates for 2013 too.    Just click on the link in the top left hand corner of this page titled 'course dates' to jump to all the details.

If you would like to do a course that doesn't have dates online yet, please bear with us as we will be adding more over the coming weeks and into the New Year.   If our dates don't work for you but you would still like to come and do one of our courses then let us know as early as possible - the earlier you tell us the greater the chance we can move a date to suit you!

 

Swinging the compass

I found myself driving a rib around the marina a couple of days ago with a clipboard in one hand, checking the accuracy of the fixed compass on board so that I could produce a deviation curve or error graph.   A compass works by   aligning itself the Earth's magnetic field - the compass aligns with the north-south axis and is allowed to spin freely to give bearings relative to this axis in whatever direction the boat is pointing.   A compass is one of the most useful (and reliable) pieces of kit on most boats, but it is subject to two errors meaning a compass doesnt always point in exactly the direction you might expect it to.  

First of all, a normal magnetic compass tracks the Earth's magnetic field and therefore aligns with magnetic north rather than true north.   Charts are always laid out to true north, and true and magnetic north are in two slightly different places so an adjustment needs to be made to any magnetic bearings to match them up with our chart, and this error or adjustment is called Variation.   The Earth's core is molten, and magnetic north moves a little each year.    Currently in The Solent we have just under 2 degrees of westerly variation meaning that a magnetic compass will point 2 degrees to the west of where it should point - not a great difference, but in parts of the world it can be much higher - the USA and Canada see variation of 10 to 20+ degrees in places.

The second correction that has to be taken in to consideration is something called Deviation and this is caused by the boat's own magnetic field.  Anything made of iron, and anything electrical will create an individual magnetic field.   Put anything producing a magnetic field on your boat and this will exercise an effect on your magnetic compass meaning your compass will deviate from its correct magnetic bearing.   The closer to the compass the greater the effect, to the extent that if you put something magnetic (such as batteries, or a mobile phone or spanner) next to your compass it will stop working altogether.   Mild deviation can be compensated for by the adjustment of tiny magnets within the compass (a job for a professional compass swinger) but it is likely you will still be left with an error, and this then has to be dealt with by measuring the difference on different headings, and creating a chart or deviation curve so that mathematical adjustments can be made to all bearings.

The compass on the boat I have just checked points 8 degrees above magnetic east (098 instead of 090), and 7 degrees below magnetic south-west 218 instead of 225 degrees).   I have drawn a deviation curve to account for this, and now if we need 100% compass accuracy we can easily calulate this.   Most of the time we dont need to be this accurate, but it is still a good idea to check the error from time to time - I have got on a client's boat before to find the compass out by 150 degrees making it worse than useless...

 

Fantastic discounts on our new Solent based hire boats

It is fantastic having the hire boats here, but we would like to see them out and about even more, so are now going to drop our prices for the foreseeable future to encourange more of you to come down and try them.   Until now we have been offering a day on the water for £195 including all fuel, VAT etc.     Whilst that may not be bad for a day afloat, we are now giving everyone a massive 30% off, bringing the cost down to just £136.50 for a full day.   Bearing in mind these boats can take four people that works out at less than £35 each for the day, or less than £5 an hour.

No qualifications are needed as we provide a full induction before letting you out on your own.   The boats are fully Coastguard coded for hire with a huge list of safety kit on board including all the obvious things like lifejackets, and in addition we can hire waterproofs, fishing gear, binoculars etc.   The boats are allowed anywhere in the Western Solent from Hurst to Lepe including all the harbours in between on both the mainland and island shores.

There is more information on the hire website www.aquasafeboathire.co.uk, or you can call us to check availability, make a booking etc.

I don't know how long we can keep the discount going, so if you fancy a day on the water then give us a call on 01590 678809 or email me on adam@aquasafeboathire.co.uk

 

RYA Advanced Powerboat Course

I am quite surprised to find myself saying this, but I have just done two RYA Powerboat Advanced courses in the last few weeks, and have really enjoyed them both!   The reason I am surprised is simply because we have in the past tended to run them in the winter rather than during the long summer evenings, as they include a night exercise and it makes the first day a very long / late one.   Late night aside however, they have been really fun to do, with great people on them, and the drawback of a late night is more than compensated for by the warm temperature and better weather (we even managed to dodge the recent gales).

The Advanced course is the highest of the powerboat courses and gets a little more technical than the Level 2 and Intermediate courses with topics including grid search patterns, helicopter rescue and lots of more advanced boat handling, as well as how to deal with rough water.   It obviously includes a night time run, and on the first evening we spend a few hours out on the water learning about night navigation.   This is one of my favourite time to be out on the water, and for some who come on the course it is their first experience of navigating in darkness - most people never plan to be out at night but this is really useful for the odd occasion when you are caught out and returning home a little later than planned, or if you simply want to be more adventurous.

On the second day we throw in a few harder exercises such as boxing a buoy, together with some high speed electronic nav, and my favourite game of 'hunt the chocolates'.   This involves dropping a watertight container containing chocolates into the Solent, leaving them to drift around in the tide and wind for up to an hour, and then going back to look for them.   The exercise involves chartwork, tides, navigation, search patterns, boat management and good helming, and pulls all these strands together in a real scenario.    Our success rate is extremely high, despite the fact that the chocolates will typically have moved 2 or 3 miles by the time we catch up with them, and it transforms the concept of needles-in-haystacks into something far more practical and demonstrably achievable.

We have our next Advanced course on the 18th & 19th July 2012, and if you fancy the idea of joining us do give me a call or email me to discuss it - it is a really good course and one I highly recommend!

RYA Intermediate Powerboat Course

We have an RYA Intermediate Powerboat Course coming up on Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th July, and we currently have one space left on this.   If you have done a Level 2 course and either want to progress on from here, or are feeling a bit rusty and would like some more time on the water then The Intermediate course is a really interesting and useful stepping stone.   We go over some of the slow, close-quarters boat handling to give those skills a bit of a polish, but also take everything from the Level 2 on a stage further with the emphasis on pilotgae and passage planning.   The aim is to run several passages over the two days and go a bit further afield than on the Level 2 course, looking more at GPS and traditional nav, with some useful tips and tricks to help keep track of your position.   Add in a few harder boat handling exercises and you have a great and challenging two days on the water.   The cost is £395, and as usual this includes fuel, VAT etc.   For more information or to chat through your options do give me a call...

Powerboat Instructors Course

We are planning to run an RYA Powerboat Instructors course in a few weeks time on the 25th to the 27th June 2012, and have at least one of not two spaces available on the course.   For any budding instructors out there this is one of the the first steps on the road to a career in powerboat and motor boat tuition, and allows holders to teach the first two rungs of the RYA Powerboat scheme - Level 1 & Level 2.

In my opinion the powerboat instructors courses are outstanding in their approach, and are backed up by a wealth of experience and literature including the Powerboat Instructors Handbook.   The course looks at the syllabi for the powerboat courses, but in addition goes into different learning methods, and styles, and the relevant different teaching methods - it is a fascinating subject and a great way to earn a living.

If you would like more information do please call or email me - you need to have at least five years logegd experience on different types of powerboat, and obviously hold the RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate as a minimum (although a qualification to a higher level than that you are teaching to is a big advantage).   Participants must also hold a current RYA 1st aid certificate (or equivalent) and have passed a Powerboat Instructor Skills Assessment which we would run beofre the course.

Boat Hire discounts

We had a fantastic evening on one of our Lymington based hire boats on Sunday night, enjoying a picnic at anchor just inside Keyhaven whilst waiting for the Jubilee beacon to be lit.    As a Jubilee special we are offering a stunning 20% off all our boat hire bookings for any time during June.   The weather this week is a bit rubbish and a bit windy, but we are not letting this dampen our enthusiasm; we are hoping it will improve so we can see the boats out and about on the water more.       

If you would like enjoy a day's boat hire on the water exploring the local flora, fauna, wildlife, fishing marks, picnic spots, beaches, creeks, harbours, rivers and West Solent beauty spots, the price for the whole of June is less than £20 an hour including fuel for a full day.   We have a new website at www.aquasafeboathire.co.uk with all the details or call me on 01590 678809 to check availability...

The RYA Advanced powerboat course - Sarah's course last week

We have a new face in the office and on the water - Sarah came to do some work exerience with us recently, and I am delighted to say she is now going to come and work for us on a part time basis over the summer.   As part of her training she was on the RYA Advanced Powerboat Course we ran last week; she tells me she really enjoyed it - here is her take on this fun but challenging course from a student's perspective...

Hi I'm Sarah;
Recently I attended the RYA Advance Powerboat Course at Aquasafe and really enjoyed it!   We started on the Monday and covered some of the theory, such as rules of the road, buoys, lights, shapes etc.   I recently did the RYA Day Skipper Theory Course which I think helped a lot - without it I may have been a bit lost, however Adam covered all the basis and we focused on what we all needed to revise on. We then went out and looked at boat handling, coming alongside pontoons, and holding position which I found really useful as its not what you tend to practice when you take a boat out. That evening we went back in the classroom and planned our passage for our night navigation activity. Our task was to find an unlit buoy or mark; when it was my turn to navigate I started realising how important it is to know all of the light sequences and colours and all the back up plans that are needed. All three of us on the course managed to find our buoys/marks but felt we needed a bit more practise so we went out the second night again to have another go. The second night went much more smoothly. I felt the course was a very good thing to do, I learnt so much from it. I am hoping to do my RYA Advance Exam in the very near future so that I can go on and commercially endorse it and I really recommend going on the course if you are planning to take the exam or going on a few night trips.

 We have another Advanced Powerboat course in a few days time on the 18th & 19th June, and currently have one space left on this - if you would like to join us or would like more information call or email me.

 

Fantastic weather for being on the water

We are loving the weather at the moment, both professionally and personally.   With my professional hat on, it is 8pm & I am looking forward to going out on the water in about half an hour for a night navigation exercise during our Advanced Powerboat Course.   If the downside to running Advanced powerboat courses at this time of the year is the late nights to get a decent amount of darkness (we won't be back in before 1am) then the upside is warmth and comfort - logic would recommend these as winter courses but this is a lovely time of year to be out at night & it doesnt get much better than these conditions.

On which note, we had a really lovely beach barbecue with some friends last night - we went out about 5pm in one of our new hire boats to try stunningly unsuccessfully) to pick up a few mackerel, before meeting friends on a fast and smart Windy motor cruiser off Hurst Spit.   We had the shingle to ourselves and watched the sun go down whilst feasting on a slightly sparse barbecue, well supplemented by plenty of fall back provisions.   We then did a hare and tortoise style race back to Lymington which we lost by only five minutes by taking the shallow inshore route...

We have another RYA Advanced Powerboat course in three weeks time on the 18th & 19th June - we currently have one space left on this & the cost is £395.   If you would like to join us for this or any of our other courses do give me a call and we can chat through the options based on your experience, aims and ambitions.

In the meantime, think of us hooning down The Solent as you are on your way to bed tonight...

We are starting to do day boat hire / fishing boat hire in The Solent

 

I am really excited to be able to announce that we have now taken delivery of our first two hire boats, which will be available for bareboat charter / self-drive boat rental / hire in the Western Solent. These rental boats are a new avenue for us, and a change from the speed and thrills of the rest of the fleet, looking at a more sedate style of boating which is open to everyone regardless of whether you hold a powerboat certificate or not.

The boats are Arran 16s with 10hp outboards - really sweet little day boats with a forward cuddy - the top speed is approx 7 knots, so you don't get anywhere in a hurry, but that is part of the attraction of them. Having spent all day afloat today I have had a really fantastic time exploring the salt marshes, bird watching, and getting into all the spots I can't usually get close to in the ribs or big motor boats. I took the excuse that the rental boats need running in and took advantage of a beautiful day to try one out properly - I have had one of the best days on the water I have had in ages, and am now itching to get out again with a fishing rod to try a little fly fishing for Sea Bass.

Whether it is for a picnic afloat and a run ashore in Yarmouth, or maybe a spot of fishing, or a chance to see at close quarters some of the vast array of bird-life we have around the hard to reach salt marshes and shoreline, or perhaps just a fun day on the water exploring the Western Solent, our hire boats are straightforward to drive, and we don't expect you to have any qualifications to be able to rent one. We do a full induction at the start of the rental, and then the boat is yours to go anywhere in the Western Solent for the rest of the day. We can hire fishing kit, binoculars, waterproofs - anything you need to make your day go the way you want it to, and a full range of safety kit including lifejackets will be provided as standard.

At 16 feet long they can take up to four people, and we will be running our rental boats from Lymington Yacht Haven. We are going to do both full-day and half-day boat hire, and will also be offering discounts for pre-paid multiple bookings. We are taking boat hire bookings now for Easter and beyond - if you would like more information give us a call on 01590 678809. We will also be publishing more updates here so do watch this space.

Day Skipper theory courses - forthcoming dates

We have four Day Skipper theory courses coming up in the next few weeks; three of them are five day courses, and the third runs over three weekends.   One of the five day courses starts in a few days, next Monday, on the 30th January and we still have one place available on this one - with this little time to go we are also offering a 15% discount on the usual cost of £395 making the cost just £335.

It doesn't matter if you are a pure, clean-wind sailor, or an out-and-out powerboater - the course content is exactly the same regardless of your specific interests, and we make sure that everyones interests are covered properly during the course.

We are really unusual because we keep our classes really small - just four per class to ensure everyone gets great personal attention and plenty of time to ask questions.   This also keeps the classes light and enjoyable, and avoids any of the pressures of larger groups - they are in our experience much more fun to participate in and also much more fun to teach.

Course dates are...
30th January to 3rd February 2012 - 5 days - £395 - £335
18th & 19th February, 17th & 18th March, & 14th & 15th April 2012 - 3 weekends - £450
7th to 11th March 2012 - 5 days - £395
23rd to 27th April 2012 - 5 days - £395

We also have a Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster theory course on the 27th February to 2nd March 2012.

To book any of these or to chat through your options just give us a call or email us...

A stunning evening sunset on our RYA Powerboat Advanced course

We have had a great start to our on-the-water courses with our first RYA Powerboat Level 2 course & then our first RYA Powerboat Advanced course of 2012 one after the other.   The Level 2 started off very cold and crisp on day one, then warmer but foggy on day two.   Fortunately the fog cleared in the afternoon to allow us to leave the safety of the river and get out into the Solent for some high-speed practice and some navigation, and close quarters boat-handling in the fog in the safety of the marina and river worked fine in the meantime.

The two days of the Advanced course were both dry and breezy and the second day saw us chatting to our local marine section of Hampshire Police who were out on their launch and wondered why we were driving round and round at speed in an ever expanding square.   Once they had established we were practising our grid searches looking for some chocolate bars we had dropped over the side in a small canister earlier that afternoon, and once we had established they hadn't already found them and removed them from the water, we both carried on our way.   We found the chocolate bars shortly afterwards -  they had travelled over three miles in just over an hour of neap tides and were much further downtide than the original calculation suggested, which is in my experience almost always the case when doing these searches.

Having devoured our reward we did a little "boxing a buoy" - holding station at each of the four corners of a box around a buoy, whilst enjoying a stunning sunset ahead of us.   Boxing a buoy is another of the more challenging exercises we throw at our Advanced students to really test and perfect their boat handling skills and we had a perfect backdrop for the end of a very successful course.

 

Ice in the marina and a cold start to our first RYA Powerboat Level 2 course of the year

It is a beautiful morning but cold here in Lymington Yacht Haven, and we have ice forming on the water in the quieter corners of the marina, meaning a very bracing introduction to powerboating for the start today of our first RYA Powerboat Level 2 of the New Year.    It will no doubt be short periods afloat then back into the warm for hot chocolate and defrosting before heading back onto the water once more.  

It is not so unusual for the marina to freeze up during really cold snaps such as last year during the ice and snow, when we had boats having to crack through a thin layer of sheet ice in places to get into the river.   As this winter has been so warm until now, I was however surprised to see ice this morning.    The water temperature in the Solent is still a comparatively high 7.7 degrees on the Bramble Bank, but despite being tidal and salty, the Lymington River is still fed by cold, fresh water from the New Forest so is obviously somewhat colder and more brackish than the waters mid-Solent.

I am only sorry it is Philip, and not myself who is teaching the course today and tomorrow - I am having to suffer the perils of sitting in front of a desk with the central heating on and the kettle boiling quietly in the background...

The perfect time of year for a VHF radio or Navigation theory course...

We all start every year with the best intentions, with a list of things we know we should do, or a list of goals that we would like to achieve by the time Christmas comes around again.   For many mariners one thing on the list might be to do the radio course they have been putting off, and finally to get that VHF certificate, or perhaps to learn a little more about the dark art of navigation and gain a better understanding of charts, tides, buoys, rules of the road etc.   The problem is always that once  the water temperature rises and the days get longer, the boat then beckons and the last thing most people want to think about at that point is sitting in a classroom learning about being out on the water when they could be doing it for real.

In my opinion, the winter is undoubtedly the best time to be doing any off-the-water training like this - we run these courses all year but when it is howling a gale outside there is an element of smugness that creeps into the classroom atmosphere.   When the idea of going to sea is untenable it always feels even more of day well spent rather than a missed opportunity to go afloat.

The Short Range Certificate - a.k.a. the VHF marine radio course, lasts just one day with a short test at the end, so is honestly not too onerous.   Some people even tell us afterwards that they have really quite enjoyed it, and there is something very good about suddenly understanding why you will only ever hear half a conversation anyone else is having with a marina, or why people use the terminology they do.   We run radio courses very regularly and all our dates are on the website (click on the course dates link above).

The first of the navigation courses can be done from the comfort of your own home as the Essential Navigation & Safety course is now available from us online.   Of the classroom courses, the steepest learning curve, most useful for many, and when the penny really drops is the Day Skipper theory course.   It is a five day (or three weekend) course, which does seem like a long time to be talking about charts etc, but there is so much to fit in that you won't know where the time has gone, and by the end of it you will be so much more confident about that potential trip to France, the Channel Islands or the West Country.

We have scheduled lots of theory and VHF courses for the next few months, so if you fancy a bit of swatting up over the winter months we would be only too delighted to see you.    For dates, just click on the course dates link at the top of this page, or give us a call to discuss your requirements.

Our next RYA Advanced Powerboat Course is in a couple of weeks time

We are looking forward to the new year and are looking forward to getting straight back out on the water with our winter training schedule all now arranged and published online.   In a couple of weeks time we have our first RYA Powerboat Level 2 course of 2012 as well as our first RYA Advanced Powerboat course of the year.

It is not the warmest time to be on the water, but as Sir Ranulph Fiennes said, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.   So we will be wrapping up warm, and donning drysuits for the night run on the Advanced course.   In fact one advantage of this time of year is the early evenings, which are just what we want for the Advanced course which includes at least one night run where we look at the intricacies of night navigation and the differences involved in navigation in darkness.

The Advanced course is designed for powerboaters who already have a fair amount of experience and a good standard of theory knowledge - participants' theory should already be to the standard of the RYA Day Skipper Theory course, although they don't have to hold the qualification.   You are also expected to have a VHF certificate, and a current first aid qualification.   The Advanced course is the top of the powerboat training scheme, which starts with the Introductory RYA Powerboat Level 1 & RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses, before gouing on to the Intermediate course, and then finally the Advanced course.   

The course looks at some of the more technical elements, and is more of a coaching course than an out and out training course, where we aim to add to and hone your skills rather than simply teach you for two days although you are guaranteed to be greatly stretched and learn a lot.   We deal with topics such as rough water handling,  helicopter rescue, search patterns, and some more advanced boat handling with some trickier exercises to really test and hone those handling skills.

We still have at least one space on the Advanced course, and if anyone would like to discuss their experience prior to booking do please give us a call.

Does everyone on board your boat know how to send a Mayday?

It is the thing we all hope we never have to do, but a sensible precaution whenever you go out on the water is to ensure that everyone on board the boat knows how to work the radio, and how to call for help in an emergency.   It should form part of your brief to your friends, family or crew every time before you go out on the water, but even then not everyone will remember where the radio is, let alone how to transmit a distress alert and then follow it up with a voice call and message.  

One way around this is to put a message card next to the radio so that everyone including the skipper has an instant reminder to help overcome the panic that inevitably arises in all who find themselves in distress.   It is a simple but vital piece of kit, and once printed and laminated rarely needs updating.   As the procedure for the Mayday voice call has changed slightly, we have produced an updated Distress Procedure Card which is available to download and personalise - Download VHF Radio Procedure card.

Information that is important for the Coastguard and anyone else who is trying to help includes who you are (all of: boat's name, MMSI & Call Sign if possible), where you are, what is wrong, what help you need, how many people are on board, and anything else that is relevant (do you all have lifejackets on etc).    This is all rolled up together, in this specific order, to form the distress call and message, and if it can be transmitted correctly will get help to you much faster than if information is being teased from you piece by piece.

Do also think about your safety brief - is it absolutely correct?   Many VHF radios require the distress button to be pressed twice; once to bring up the distress menu and then pressed a second time for five seconds to transmit the distress alert.   Check the instructions for your radio and ensure that the correct procedure is written down clearly on the procedure card - it may not be enough to say simply 'press and hold the distress button for five seconds' because this may not actually send out your distress alert.

Finally, please don't ever test your distress button!   in doing so you are transmitting a false distress - it is the one part of your radio you have to assume works if all other parts are functioning correctly - false distresses waste time & money, can put lives at risk, and can leave an offender with a hefty fine.   

In order to use a VHF radio, at least one person on board the boat must hold a marine VHF qualification such as the Short Range Certificate.   You are breaking the law if you use a radio without fulfilling this criteria, and the qualification is easily gained by successfully completing a one-day course here or at any other RYA VHF centre.    We also however have a lot of people who come through our VHF courses who already have a VHF certificate but wish to refresh and update their skills, and we can also run private refreshers in our classroom or on board your boat if you would like to ensure you are doing things correctly.    These can be anything from a half-hour update on distress procedures, to a full run through of how your radio and DSC works.  

To discuss any of this, or if you would like more information on any of our courses simply call or email us and we would be delighted to chat things through with you.

 

Short notice VHF radio course...

We have just added in a further VHF course (also known as the Short Range Certificate) at short notice on the 15th December.   I am sure for many of you thoughts will be focused on Christmas rather than marine radio at this time of year, but if anyone is interested we would be delighted to see you.   The cost per person is £100 plus the licence fee (currently £30) and the course runs from 9am to about 5pm.   There are more details on the website, or you can also give me a call or email me if you would like to find out more about what is involved.  

Many people are unaware that this is the one certificate/qualification you have to have as a leisure boater in the UK - it is illegal to use a marine radio without having the short range certificate or a higher equivalent qualification, so if you or any of your friends are lacking this, then do consider joining us next week, or have a look on our website for our new 2012 course dates for VHF and all our other RYA courses.   Legality aside, it is a really useful course and one you will be glad to have done if ever you need to do that Mayday call...

2012 RYA powerboat course dates now online

We have just updated the diary for next year and put lots of new RYA course dates online - to find all our dates just click on the course dates link above (or click here).   We have tried to schedule a pretty comprehensive range of dates for everything from powerboat courses to 2012 RYA theory course dates and VHF course dates, but I guarantee that no matter how many courses we pre-schedule, we will add more over the course of 2012 to fit in with additional requests.   Consequently if you would like to join us for a course at any stage but don't see dates here that suit you do let us know and we will see if we can add your preferred dates in - we always try to accommodate everyone wherever possible.

Some courses, such as our mileage builders, we now schedule almost entirely to order.   We need two people to run them, but this means where ever possible we will run them whenever you like.   Just call (01590 678809) or email us with your requirements and we will will tailor something for you.

Vouchers as Christmas presents

Is it possible that you have just stumbled upon the perfect Christmas present...?   

We get a great many requests for Aquasafe course vouchers at this time of the year as gifts, and what works really well is that they can be for a specific course (in which case no money value needs to appear on the certificate) or can be for the value of, or part of the value of a course, so are extremely flexible.   We can do vouchers for as little as £10, and the range of courses we offer start with our one-day theory courses such as Radar or RYA first aid (£100), and VHF (£130), and go from there to our Powerboat and Motorboat courses which range from £195 to £3500 with plenty of choices in-between, including our most popular course - the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course at £325. 

We can do vouchers for any value from £10 upwards, and vouchers are individually printed and come in a gift card with photos by top local marine photographer Mark Lloyd of Lloyd images.   They are sent out in plain envelopes for you to complete and send on or hand over in person on the day.   Vouchers are valid for a year and we will shortly be publishing a pretty comprehensive list of 2012 dates for all our courses.   We will sadly be putting our prices up slightly in the New Year to accommodate the rise in fuel costs, but any courses booked or paid for before then will benefit from our 2011 prices.

For more information or to discuss your options do give us a call on 01590 678809.

Cowes Week 2011 thrills and spills

I haven't heard why this XOD was moored here liked this, but it  was one of a few casualties from what was by all accounts a good and successful if at times exciting Cowes Week 2011.

Many people have heard about the yacht / tanker incident - no prizes for guessing which vessel won and fortunately (& amazingly) no fatalities.   I havent heard the official outcome, but on the basis that the tanker had an automatic exclusion zone 1km ahead of it & 100 metres either side, it strikes me that the yacht was somewhere it probably shouldn't have been...

 

The Extreme 40s had some great sailing - we are lucky to have one of the safety crew as an instructor here and he tells me the racing was as exciting and eventful as ever!

 

Mileage builders - total fexibility in their new format...

 
We have recently had a spate of requests for bespoke mileage builders which have all worked extremely well, culminating in a very successful trip for a couple around The Island last Monday. This new format seems to work very well because it gives participants the option of chosing where they would like to go, what they would like to do, and what pace and intensity they would like to learn at. In the past all our runs have been scheduled and specified by us, so this is a new way of running them which seems to be proving very popular.

We find Mileage Builders work really well as a follow on from an RYA Powerboat Level 2 course because they allow you to extend both your knowledge and experience, travel further afield by rib, and experience new & more challenging conditions whilst in the company of an instructor for coaching (& obviously peace of mind/safety).   Running them in this format we can cater for one to three people per boat (we have even done a couple for a family of four but they are probably better in small groups so that everyone gets plenty of time at the helm).

We will still continue to run scheduled mileage builders, and our next planned run is a day & night trip on Saturday 1st October involving a run east towards Portsmouth in daylight, & a run back to Lymington from there after dark - these are fantastic as an introduction to night navigation and night pilotage, particularly if you have never been out on the water after dark.    With the nights drawing in now (sorry), this is a good time to start thinking about night runs and RYA Powerboat Advanced courses, and we are drawing up an autumn schedule for these and will be putting more dates on our website shortly.   For our scheduled runs we put two people in each boat with an instructor, meaning you are helming or navigating all the time and the cost is £290 per person.

If however you are keen to get out on the water on other dates and would like to put together your own bespoke mileage builder then give me a call or email me.   the cost is the same as for one of our scheduled runs - £580 per boat, and you can choose whether to hog the time to yourself or split the cost between two or three of you.   We can run them at any time - day or night, midweek or at weekends - just let us know when you would like to go out and we will try to accommodate you.

RYA Motor Cruising Practical Day Skipper Power - September date

 
We have an RYA Day Skipper Practical Power course coming up over the Weekend-Monday-Tuesday of the 10th to the 13th September on our Sealine F42/5 twin engine motor cruiser.    The course runs over four days and is a great step on from the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course for anyone with some experience wishing to look at conversion from single to twin engine boat handling.

The course is run entirely on the boat, and we aim to cover somewhere in excess of 100 miles over the four days, starting & finishing in Lymington each day.   We also do a night run one evening (probably the Sunday night) to look at night navigation and the issues surrounding being out on the water after dark.   In addition to this we cover a wide range of topics, both in theory & in practice & this course provides a really good grounding, aiming to make people confident in their ability to handle a large motor cruiser by day in familiar waters.

The cost is £995 per person - this includes food whilst on board each day,fuel, mooring costs, VAT etc, but does not include accommodation (we do not stay on board but can happily suggest places to stay locally if required).   We have one, or possibly two spaces still available and are definitely running the course - if you would like more information give me a call or email me - adam@aquasafepowerboatschool.co.uk

Powerboat Mileage Builder on Sunday 24th July - Solent Pilotage

 
We have one of our Solent Pilotage Mileage Builder days coming up in a week's time, on Sunday 24th July. We currently have two boats out, with one space still available on the second boat, and there may also be the possibility of adding a further boat or boats if there is the demand.

The format is the same as usual - two people per rib, with an instructor on board to keep them out of trouble. We meet at about 9am to discuss and plan the day, before heading off around the Solent to look at much of the local pilotage. With a stop for lunch ashore somewhere, we aim to cover much of the Solent from Hurst Castle to Portsmouth including a run out to The Needles if time and weather allow.

These days seem to work really well on a host of levels - they are a great way of exploring The Solent if you don't know it well and maybe plan to charter in the future, They are also a great way of getting more experience with the comfort of an instructor on board, and are also really useful for improving navigation knowledge & understanding. On top of this they are great fun and everyone comes back tired but with a smile on their face.

The cost is £290 per person, & space will go on a first come basis, so if you would like to join us on next Sunday please let me know as soon as possible. Hopefully we will have better weather than this weekend, but actually some of our best runs have been in more challenging conditions where we have needed to look at issues such as rough water handling as well as navigation in less than perfect visibility...

Own boat tuition

We have been running lots of own-boat tuition so far this year, on many different types of boats from large, brand new luxury motor yachts to small fishing boats, and on a wide range of ribs and powerboats.

Whether you are starting from scratch with no previous experience, or already have a few seasons experience but would like some help with a particular handling issue, own-boat tuition makes perfect sense.

Many owners are also pleasantly surprised to discover that they can do any of the RYA courses on their own boat rather than having to join one of our scheduled courses - it is ideal not only because you are learning all the handling characteristics of your own boat, you also get to control your group size for the course, and it is also a much cheaper way of learning as you are not paying to charter one of our boats for your training.

Some clients call us way before they even think of buying a boat, & we can then advise them on what to look for in a boat for their particular requirements, but equally we get lots of calls from those who find themselves sitting at the wheel of their new acquisition, tied up alongside, with not much idea of what to do next but lots of enthusiasm to learn how to use her as soon as possible. Either approach is fine, & whilst the diary gets quite full at times we will always try to accommodate last minute bookings wherever possible.

We provide motor boat and powerboat training by the hour or by the day, so if you would like some, or even lots of help, give us a call and take some of the stress out of your boating - it is amazing how much easier it can all be once you have been shown how...

RYA Powerboat Instructors Course

 
We have a late availability space on our RYA Powerboat Instructors Course next week, running from the 7th June to the 10th June 2011.   The instructors course is (as it sounds) designed for anyone looking to qualify to teach powerboating to RYA powerboat Level 1 & Level 2 standard.    It is recommended that anyone doing the course has a minimum of five years experience, and the first day involves pre-course assessments to ensure that candidates skills and knowledge are up to the high standard required.

The cost of the course is normally £550, but as this is a last minute space because of a withdrawal we are offering it for £450 - a discount of more than 20%.   There is only one space available on a first come first served basis.   

RYA Helmsman's course - dates on Oceanique

 
We have an RYA Helmsmans course running in a few weeks time, on the 13th & 14th July.    The Helmsmans course is a two-day introduction to motor cruising which concentrates on how to drive and moor a large twin engine motor boat.    No previous experience is required and for many people this is their first foray into large boat handling.   We teach all our motor cruising courses on Oceanique, a Sealine F42/5. she is big and fast, but also extrememly comfortable and a great boat to learn on.   She has twin inboard diesels and her props are shaft driven - she is amazingly maoeuvrable and in my opinion, once you are familiar with the concept of having two separate engines which are independently controlled, she is easier to handle than a single engine boat half her size.

One analogy for twin engine boat handling is like driving a tank with twin tracks - you can independently control each engine and can use one or both to steer the boat; you can even put one into forward gear and one into reverse and she will spin on a pinhead.   The only additional complication is that the tank is on an ice rink, so slips and slides a little!    It does take a little time to understand the basics, however this course is a great way to learn all the tips and tricks to look the expert when doing all the trickiest manoeuvres.   The cost of the Helmsmans course is £500 per person.

We also have an RYA Day Skipper power course running on the previous four days (9th - 12th July).  Suitable for anyone with some boat handling and navigation experience we go thtough everything to get students to the standard of being able to run daytime passages.  There is also a night run which is a good introduction to night-time navigation, and the intricacies of interpreting buoyage lighting & lighthouses, as well as ships' lights.   The cost of the RYA Motor Cruising Day Skipper course is £995 per person.

For more information on either course just call or email me - it would be a pleasure to see you.