RYA Competent Crew

Slightly spur of the moment but i just got a last minute cancellation place on a RYA competent crew course at Largs.

Just wondered if anyone else had any experience of doing this course and had any advice? What stuff to take etc etc

Its west of Scotland so i am expecting midges and rain probably at the same time……

only advice is stay on the boat. 😆

midges will seldom make it as far as the boat so dont worry about them.

looks like you might have some wind anyway if it is this weekend.

enjoy.

What stuff to take etc etc

Warm & waterproof clothes, including non-slip/non-marking deck boots, sailing gloves (lots of rope handling on competant crew course), and sea sickness tabs if you suffer…

*check what providing company suggest/provide

suncream, sunglasses, hat(preferably one that doesn’t blow off[*or string + crocodile clip] and can simultaneously stop sun in your eyes and water running down your neck), various clothing -your options probably range from trainers/shorts/T to wellies(sailing)+full waterproofs(what do company provide), shoes(leather don’t do salt water) with grippy non marking soles, waterproof(aka bin liners) bag to put spare clothes/shoes etc etc in chunks as water can get everywhere (there can be 1 small soft bag only luggage limits so I’d check what you’re allowed), pulling gear for nightly pub stop, cravat, striped T, remember to take hat off…..

if you don’t do manual labour/have toughened hands you might want gloves if you have to haul/hold ropes
glasses strap if you wear specs/sunglasses

listen to the instructor, they are wise, even if you think they are a bit of a prat.

if your going to spend lots of time on a boat, buy some expencive boots, dubary or equivalent ocean boots, as having wet soggy feet is not fun for anyone days on end.

Thanks qusamc – cravat – i would have definetly forgotten, yep its this sunday for 5 days. Its a **** monsoon in Edinburgh at the moment.

You should be able to doa Coastal Skipper in 5 days, Comp Crew is the bottom rung of the ladder.

I’d say do chart work and lots of it. Boat handling will come with practice but there are very few people who can read and plot charts.

The pointy bit is the front, the blunt bit is the back.

Take something that will help with sea sickness, even if you don’t suffer you never know when it can occur and it’ll ruin your time bobbing around, none drowsy if poss.

take more thermal layers than you think you’ll need. Nightime sailing is mighty cold at 4am and thick fog.

Don’t drink beer on board when sailing, it’s wroong and you’ll feel very ill very quickly, leave that for shore based entertainments.

Clean the heads properly, smelly loo’s are vile.

Don’t get too stressed out if someone nicks your bunk/underpants/gloves/socks/toothbrush. You’ll be in a very confined area where everyones kit will be rolling around the bilges and where everyone grabs the first thing they can.. Don’t be too precious about your belongings, sort it out when you get to shore.

Be nice to people.

Clean your teeth.

Make food and coffee and eat and drink well even when you don’t feel like it.

Avoid Beer (have i said that)

On the subject of cravat, best thing I took when sailing was a small towel for round my kneck, it helps keep the water out

Be aware that it might be bloody hard work if everyone else onboard is sick.

With all the usual cliches, you’re part of a team and some are likely to be complete novices who will find it hard when they feel sick, cold and tired, it’s 3am and a bit scary in big seas and all they want is a warm, dry bed, so remember to be nice and do your bit.

It’s brilliant fun.

Gloves are vital in my opinion, wet hands pulling ropes will get ripped to bits in no time. Sea sickness tablets as well even if you think you are as hard as nails being sea sick is the worst experience in the whole world. The rest of the kit to take is the normal stuff you’d take on a sunny camping style holiday. I would imagine that the boat company would provide foul weather gear.
Competent crew is little more than doing a few knots, helping to change sails, mooring up, knowing how to steer into the wind etc. I think they made us row the rubber dingy around as well.

Other than gloves (you’ll be useless if/when your soft hands get shredded) you might want to get a Sea-Band[/url]. I know people who swear by them plus you can wear it as a precaution regardless of whether you feel sea sick.
Depending on what boat you’re on you should always remember that the loads on some of the ropes are very high and easily capable of breaking fingers/arms etc. If you’re releasing any loaded rope (i.e. a sheet or halyard) always put two wraps around the winch first otherwise you’ll either watch the skin disappear from your hands or your fingers go through the nearest cleat/block. oh yeah…. and you load the winches in a clockwise direction – if you don’t know what I’m talking about you will next week 🙂
Think safety at all times.
Other than that, have a poo before you go out, don’t pee into the wind and get out there and enjoy yourself 🙂

Edit: If you’ve got thermal base layers take them. The best for sailing is anything made of polypropylene (polypro) followed by merino and HH Lifa stuff.

Just seen you’re on for 5 days…. sea sickness tabs and defo a SeaBand. Wet wipes 😯

Make sure you know how the heads work 😉

Enjoy yourself.

thanks – never go anywhere without wet wipes….. or gloves

Gloves and plenty of warm clothes. THe midges don’t generally get out to the boat, even if you’re in a marina but if you go ashore, hooo boy…

+1 for sea-sickness tabs. I’m normally 100% OK, but if I have to go into the cabin to pack sails in a bit of a big sea, something bad happens to me and I have to spend a bit of time checking that the keel is still there 😳

Enjoy – I’m super jealous!

All the above is great advice. A few other bits:

* If you want your gloves to last, dunk them in water before you use them. Cruising won’t be as intensive as racing, but it is perfectly feasible to trash a pair of gloves in a day if they’re used dry. You probably won’t have that problem with the weather you’re getting. 🙂

* Consider keeping a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste in your oilies. If you are sick, it’s a great way to get rid of the taste in your mouth. I also find / found it a good way to wake up at the beginning of a watch.

* Pack more thermals than you need, but don’t forget shorts. Even if the weather’s foul, once you get on shore, they’re dead handy for something to wear.

* Seabands are great, but also try to avoid acid foods like tomatoes – it all helps.

* If you start to feel a bit queasy, clap eyes on the horizon

* One hand for the boat

* You’re a little bit stronger than you think. Seriously.

* Mind out for the hardware. Pay really close attention to the safety lecture you’ll get before setting off, especially as it applies to running rigging – the ropes that you adjust constantly. Learning how to treat a sheet or guy that’s heavily loaded is a very valuable thing – do it wrong, and you’ll be in trouble or badly injured.

* Despite all of that, enjoy yourself! CC is intended to make you competent, not scare the bejeesus out of you. It won’t be a walk in the park, but always keep in mind that you will be doing things that a lot of people already do and enjoy – it can be a bit tough at first

Hope that all helps. I taught dinghy sailing (including race training) with the RYA from the age of 16, and did my first cross channel yacht race on my 16th birthday. Stay positive, remember you’re in a team and you will have an absolute hoot.

Oh, and one final bit of advice – don’t buy your own yacht. Sail (or better yet race) someone else’s. Much cheaper. 😀