The 5 day RYA Competent Crew course is designed to make you a capable member of a friendly sail cruising crew.

Course Content:

During the course you will take turns helming and trimming the sails, assisting in all manoeuvres, from leaving the dock to anchoring in one of our turquoise bays, learning knots, nautical terms and participating in a variety of exercises, from man overboard recoveries to picking up mooring balls under sail. 

In this live-aboard class in the Caribbean, you will begin at our base in Jolly Harbour on the west coast of Antigua and might sail both north towards our beautiful beaches or south to English Harbour and Falmouth, or possibly around the whole island of Antigua. There will be sightseeing, swimming and relaxing opportunities after a full day of sailing. There is also the chance to sail to gorgeous Barbuda depending on the weather.

There is no exam at the end of the course, as it is a continuous learning and evaluative experience during the week. 

Upon successful completion of the course, you’ll receive the RYA Competent Crew Certificate.

All of our practical sailing courses are limited to four students on board.  This allows us to give you maximum individual attention and for our instructors to create a bespoke sailing experience for each and every one of our students.

Groups of 5 can be accommodated on our Dufour 44’ should you wish to book together and enjoy the course as part of a larger group.

Prerequisites for the course:

• Minimum age – 12 years old
• No previous sailing experience needed
• You can order a RYA Competent Crew Skills book (paper or e-book) on RYA SHOP. It is not mandatory, but might be very useful before and during your course

Next Steps:

Following your RYA Competent Crew Course, and with maybe a little more experience, you will be able to move towards your RYA Day Skipper course, possibly first taking the RYA Day Skipper Theory course (online or in a classroom) and then joining us for the RYA Day Skipper Practical course – maybe at our base in Tuscany, Italy or again with us here in the Caribbean!