If you are contemplating a coastal passage for the first time or you feel you may be a bit rusty in the navigation department, it is a good idea to brush up on your navigational skills.
Around the Australian coast there are a considerable number of Yachting Australia training centres, listed on their website. Some of these are commercial sailing schools charging a fee to enrol on their courses. Others are yacht clubs and associations which run courses for their members. There is at least one school offering a correspondence course in coastal navigation for those who are unable to attend a course in person.
Many of these centres offer a theoretical or shore based coastal navigation course as part of the Yachting Australia National Yacht Cruising Scheme. Should you wish you can follow this up with a practical course. This involves going away on a yacht with other students for 4/5 days where you can hone your skills under expert guidance.
Some of these training centres also offer some practical courses which I would highly recommend for those going coastal or offshore sailing. These include safety and survival at sea, which includes some practical experience with liferafts and flares. First Aid, radio operation, RADAR operation and diesel engine maintenance courses are also available.
At this time the Yachting Association is adopting the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) training scheme, which is recognised internationally. The courses are essentially the same under the YA or RYA schemes and by 2010 all centres will offer the RYA scheme. Anyone thinking they might use these qualifications for overseas employment should ensure they are on an RYA course.
It is possible to do some of these courses at various TAFE colleges, check with your local TAFE.
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