How to sail with us
Sailing Qualifications
The Royal Yachting Association runs a system of sailing qualifications that will take you all the way from novice crew member to Ocean Yachtmaster. (These are quite different from the RYA dinghy sailing qualifications). All the details are listed in the RYA G15 cruising logbook which can be bought on board for £6.
In a voyage of five days or more on board Prolific, you can do the Competent Crew certificate. On shorter trips, you can still do the Start Yachting certificate. Both qualifications can be earned by putting in a little extra effort on a normal voyage. To get either certificate, you need to get all the relevant sections signed in your logbook. If you don’t complete all of them on one trip, you can finish the rest on another voyage.
Both qualifications are widely-recognised and respected. If you want to go on and sail other boats with other people, an RYA certificate provides evidence of what you have learned. Even if you don’t plan on doing a lot more sailing, the certificate offers proof of achievement which might be worth mentioning on a college or university application, or on a CV. If you have earned a certificate it means you must have listened, concentrated, joined in, persisted with something you might have found difficult, followed safety instructions, worked well in a team, learned new skills, turned up on time, taken responsibility when asked, and communicated well – all things a prospective employer might want to know.
Everything you need to know to earn a certificate will be taught in board, but if you want to give yourself a head start, you can practise learning to tie some knots before you come on your voyage. You can find eight knots shown in our Crew logbook: you need to be able to tie all of them to get your Competent Crew certificate. For Start Yachting, you just need to know the figure of eight, round turn & two half hitches, and bowline. Don’t worry if you find any of them difficult – someone on board will be able to help you.