Learn to sail in Jason’s home waters!
RYA sailing courses in Greece
The RYA no longer distinguish between tidal and non-tidal sailing areas, so a certificate gained in Greece has the same value as one attained in the UK.
This officially endorsed RYA sailing school in Volos is run by a British couple, Carl and Liz, who fell in love with the area and decided to settle here. Their sailing grounds are within the beautiful Pagasitikos Gulf (Gulf of Volos) and surrounding area of the Aegean Sea, one of the last remaining, undiscovered secrets of the Mediterranean and once you have your skipper’s certificate, you will want to come back and explore this paradise under your own command.
All students will help with the preparation of meals on board as learning how to look after yourself and working as a team on board a yacht is part of the training. At least 3 pre-prepared evening meals will be eaten on board in an idyllic bay, which the other evenings you will visit a taverna in a picturesque port or fishing village and sample local freshly cooked Greek food.
The gulf is about 14 nautical miles wide and is surrounded by idyllic anchorages, small harbours and picturesque islands. Inside the gulf, you will experience near-perfect sailing conditions, with the regular sea breeze and calm waters, whilst out in the Aegean, the Meltemi usually blows force 3-4, funnelling down the channel between Evia and the Mainland. Any swell from the north is cut off by the archipelago that makes up the Sporades Islands and you will rarely experience swell of more than 1-2 metres. These conditions are usually reserved for lake sailing, but here we have the open sea and countless coves and harbours to explore.
All courses will have a maximum of five students to one instructor on a large Dufour 45 classic with 4 double cabins, but you will never have to share a bunk with a total stranger.
Sailing courses and prices
RYA Competent Crew
This course is for beginners and those who would like to become active crew members rather than just passengers. Learn to steer, handle sails, keep a lookout, row a dinghy and assist in all the day to day duties on board.The course is for 5 days and runs from Sunday to Thursday, but with Friday as a bonus day to practice your new skills. You will arrive in Volos on Saturday and spend the first night on the boat. We will arrive back in Volos on Friday lunchtime, leaving you free to travel home on Friday or Saturday.
Price: €980.00 pp per week
RYA Day Skipper practical / and Day Skipper theory pack combined
This course is for those who have completed the Competent Crew course or who have at least 100 nautical miles previous sailing experience as an active member of the ship`s crew, and who wish to obtain the minimum level skipper certification to charter your own yacht, internationally recognised in many parts of the world. You will learn how to be a responsible skipper, pilotage and navigation, safety procedures and rules of the road, docking and anchoring techniques and much more. It is assumed you will have studied or completed the essential navigation theory before you come as it will not be possible to gain this level otherwise. If not you can opt to do the combined theory and practical course which includes online study to be completed before you come. The course is for 5 days and runs from Sunday to Thursday, but with Friday as a bonus day to practice your new skills. You will arrive in Volos on Saturday and spend the first night on the boat. We will arrive back in Volos on Friday lunchtime, leaving you free to travel home on Friday or Saturday.
Price for the Practical only: €980.00 pp / week
Price for the Day Skipper and combined theory: €1346.00
Price includes delivery of the theory pack that accompanies the online course.
Combined RYA Competent Crew to Day Skipper 12 day course
Go from absolute beginner to Day Skipper in 12 days, able to confidently skipper a yacht. The RYA no longer distinguish between tidal and non-tidal sailing areas, so a certificate gained in Greece has the same value as one attained in the UK. The course includes the RYA Day Skipper Shorebased online course, delivered by Navathome.com, an RYA-recognised training centre specialising in online training. We recommend that you do as much of this as possible before coming to Greece so that you will be already familiar with many of the terms and some of the navigation theory. You will arrive in Volos on Saturday and spend the first night on the boat in Volos harbour. We begin on Sunday, with the 6 day RYA Competent Crew course, followed by a day of rest to brush up on your chartwork in the stunning surroundings of Mount Pelion. Then it`s back aboard for the RYA Day Skipper Practical course from Sunday to Friday. We will arrive back in Volos on Friday lunchtime, leaving you free to travel home on Friday or Saturday.For the Competent Crew practical, no theory or previous experience is required. You will learn everything from scratch. The combined course includes the RYA Day Skipper Shorebased online course, delivered by Navathome.com, an RYA-recognised training centre specialising in online training. You can complete the theory course in your own time before coming to Greece (40 hours minimum is needed). You don`t need to pass the exam before the course but you should finish the modules as you will need to know what is required to complete the second week on board. Then, after 2 weeks on the boat, you will have a wealth of experience, allowing you to take the exam online when you return. (The practical certificate is awarded separately from the theory, directly in Greece, upon successful completion of the course).
Price: €2326.00 pp including Shorebased Online Theory course (to be completed in advance)
RYA Coastal Skipper practical and combined theory course
This course is for yachtsmen and women with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation, wanting to undertake longer coastal passages by day and night. The training moves away from the shorter passages of Day Skipper and starts looking at passages that require watch-keeping routines, crew management and the ability to pilot a vessel both day and night. With longer passages it is less likely that you will be familiar with the sailing area, so a higher level of overall navigational and pilotage skill needs to be developed. The RYA no longer distinguish between tidal and non-tidal sailing areas, so a certificate gained in Greece has the same value as one attained in the UK.The course is for 5 days and runs from Sunday to Thursday, but with Friday as a bonus day to practice your new skills. You will arrive in Volos on Saturday and spend the first night on the boat. We will arrive back in Volos on Friday lunchtime, leaving you free to travel home on Friday or Saturday.Before joining us for the practical course, you will need to complete the RYA Coastal Skipper/ Yachtmaster™ Offshore shorebased course or request the combined course with online theory.
Price for practical course: €980.00 pp/pw
Price for combined theory and practical course: €1369.00
RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Exam preparation
In order to qualify for the Yachtmaster practical exam, you must have completed the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore theory course. A holder of the Yachtmaster™ Offshore certificate is competent to skipper a cruising yacht on any passage during which the yacht is no more than 150 miles from harbour. A commercially-endorsed Yachtmaster™ Offshore certificate allows the holder to work in the Industry, anywhere in the world. The RYA no longer distinguish between tidal and non-tidal sailing areas, so a certificate gained in Greece has the same value as one attained in the UK.You will be expected to have completed the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster™ Offshore shorebased course before joining us in Volos. Under the professional tuition of an RYA Yachtmaster™ Instructor, you will be coached to meet the exacting requirements of the RYA Examiner during the preparation week. With a maximum of 3 students to 1 instructor, you will have plenty of time to practice: sailing by day and night, theory revision, and brushing up on your personal sailing skills.The course begins on Saturday afternoon in Volos, arriving back in Volos on Wednesday afternoon. The exam will begin on Thursday morning and finish on either Friday or Saturday morning, depending on the number of students.The combined course includes the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased online theory course provided by Navathome.com an RYA-recognised training centre specialising in online training. The theory course must be completed before joining us in Volos.
Price for Yachtmaster Offshore course: €1310.00 pp**
Price for Yachtmaster Offshore Combined course: €1740.00 pp
Price includes the exam fees and the examiner`s travel expenses.
Price includes courier delivery for the theory pack.
Mile-building trips
Build your experience, improve your confidence and advance your practical knowledge, whilst putting hundreds of miles in your log.Our mile building trips are ideal for both experienced and inexperienced sailors alike. Whether you have just passed your Day Skipper and wish to put some miles under your belt whilst polishing your skills, or whether you want to experience some proper sailing with fifty or sixty mile passages, experiencing night passages and watches, our circumnavigation of the northern Aegean has everything to offer.We run these trips in the Spring and Autumn when the Meltemi wind is at its weakest. The route of course, is susceptible to change due to varying weather conditions, but this will play a part in gaining experience as we listen to the forecast and discuss passage planning.As well as some serious sailing, we will be stopping in some of the most stunning places that the North Aegean has to offer. The Sporades islands are one of the last un-spoilt areas of the Mediterranean. You will enjoy nights in idyllic harbours, enjoying the local food and wine and nights at anchor in secluded bays with the Milky Way overhead. Everyone will have a chance to skipper the boat and plan passages, safe under the watchful eyes of your English RYA Yachtmaster Instructor.
Price: €980.00 pp
Prices include all course and sailing expenses including fuel, port fees, provisions on board, your cabin accommodation, bed linen and towels.
Not included: evening meals ashore at a taverna, travel to and from Volos.
Further information about Royal Yachting Association courses can be found at their website.
