Dinghy sailing courses & lessons in Rye, East Sussex

At our dinghy sailing school in Sussex, on an inland lake by the South coast, we offer Royal Yachting Association sailing courses and private lessons with our team of experienced RYA instructors.  Fusions and Topper Topaz make make up our fleet of single handers. These are complimented by our RS Quests and Laser Bahias as our double handers. All course dates can be viewed and courses booked through our on line booking system but if the dates don’t suit you do give us a call and we will try and offer alternatives.  All our boats based here in East Sussex are available to hire by experienced sailors.

Adult Sailing Refresher Session £125.00 – £225.00

  • 10:00-16:00
  • One or two days available 
  • For those who have completed level 1 and above
  • Refresh your skills after a winter away from sailing
  • Sail across the wind and upwind
  • Bring your boat safely ashore

RYA Level 1  Start Sailing

(2 days) – £225.00

  • You will be shown how to rig a boat
  • Sail across the wind and upwind
  • Learn how to tack and gybe
  • Bring your boat safely ashore
  • You will cover all necessary theory and ropework
  • RYA Level 1 certificate on completion

The RYA Level 1 – Start Sailing course is for complete beginners, and teaches you all the skills and theory necessary to get you helming a boat confidently on your own. You will learn to tack and gybe, and sail round a set course. During the two days you will spend maximum time on the water, with the instructor close at hand to guide you safely and expertly throughout the day. All equipment is provided including wetsuit and buoyancy aid (just bring old trainers to wear, or if you have them wetsuit boots).

 

RYA Level 2 Basic Skills

(2 days) – £225.00

  • Progress with the Five Essentials
  • Balance, centreboard, sail setting, trim, course made good
  • Man overboard recovery
  • More advanced boat handling skills
  • Improve knowledge of rigging and reefing

The RYA Level 2 course continues with the skills you learnt in Level 1. You progress to more advanced techniques and learn the ‘Five Essentials’ for sailing – balance, trim, sail setting, centreboard, and course made good. When to reef, rope work, and towing are all covered, including sources of weather forecasts, and use of the anchor. By the end of this sailing course you will have the knowledge and skills to get the best performance from your boat in a variety of conditions. The resulting RYA certificate will enable you to hire a dinghy in centres throughout the world.

 

Fast-track – RYA Levels 1 & 2 – £400.00

  • Book onto both courses and make a saving of £50
  • Progress rapidly with your skills achieving Basic Skills Level 2 once completed.

Book onto both courses and you will progress rapidly with your sailing skills.   Your ability level after RYA Basic skills Level 2 will enable independent boat hire and confidence to get more time out on the water.  Please see details of the Start Sailing and Basic Skills courses for content covered.

 

RYA Level 3 Better Sailing

(2 days) – £225.00 

  • Helm and crew seamanship skills
  • Use of spinnaker
  • Introduction to racing
  • Improving on the five essentials

On this course we introduce you to helm and crew seamanship skills and theory. Becoming confident in working with another crew member is an essential part of the course. The five essentials are developed and improved on. You get your first opportunity to use a spinnaker. An introduction to racing is another element of the course content.

 

RYA Seamanship Skills – 2 days – £225.00

  • Learn to crew and helm in a double hander boat.
  • Use of main sail and jib
  • Sailing rudderless
  • Rigging of crew boat

The RYA Seamanship course will progress your skills to handling a larger boat with main sail and jib. You will learn to crew and helm in a crew boat, and most of the work afloat will be done with your instructor aboard. The course content includes rigging, launching and recovery, sailing tight circles, and sailing rudderless. Emphasis in the theory section is on building on the confidence of the student to make correct seamanship decisions in moderate wind conditions, and the practical skills to manoeuvre the boat in a seamanlike manner. An RYA seamanship certificate is given at the end of this course.

 

RYA Sailing with Spinnaker – 2 days – £225.00

  • For students who have completed basic skills or above
  • Learn to use an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker
  • Use of trapeze
  • Capsize recovery including spinnaker

This course is for sailors who have completed their ‘Basic Skills’ course or above. Your instructor will teach you how to sail a dinghy/keelboat/multihull rigged with an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker. Part of the course content includes rigging a boat with spinnaker, and trapeze. To perform spinnaker hoist, gybe and drop as crew or helm. To understand how to sail best course downwind, and to do a capsize recovery including spinnaker.

 

Private 1.1 lessons

£130.00 per 2 hour Private

  • Intensive personal tuition
  • Concentrate on any aspect of sailing
  • Progress rapidly