SAILING EXAM Having booked the course last
winter, I had time to swot up and release the knowledge locked away somewhere in my grey matter. As I also wanted fit in some
practical days on our yacht, a Yachtmaster qualified friend and former sailing instructor agreed to put me through the ICC syllabus. As the assessment day loomed closer the weather worsened. I buried my head in swotting up the meaning behind the lights and signs of Europe’s inland waterways for the multiple- choice CEVNI test.
When the assessment day finally
dawned I woke early to catch the weather forecast on Leonie’s VHF radio. As expected it was pretty foul with gales due later in the day - and not a single fishing boat left Dart Harbour, which is always a bad sign. Undaunted I decided the bad
weather would test Leonie and I in conditions we would probably get caught up in at some point anyway. I had often seen my assessor Simon
Cater, nicknamed Tank, on the river in South West Marine Training yachts bringing an air of experienced calm to
pensive crews and wide-eyed skippers. After getting the paperwork
formalities out of the way (and discovering I went to school with Tank’s father) I found out Tank has a huge number of sea miles under his belt. Sailing is his career and his passion and I felt confident and assured by him. Tank explained the day would consist of continual assessment of my yacht handling and sailing skills along with questions from him as assessor
we put two reefs in the mainsail and set off for the rough and windy open sea
and posing as crew. The day would also include
navigation in the form of passage planning to Teignmouth, blind navigation where I would be tasked to instruct Tank on the helm using just charts, depth measurement and speed, and finally the CEVNI test. After I carried out the engine checks and gave a safety briefing, we
South west Marine training
south West Marine Training is an established, professional leisure and commercial Training & Charter company operating primarily out of Brixham Marina. It is the parent company of Torbay sea school, Dart Harbour sea school, Plain sailing Charters, Devon sailing and The Round Britain experience. Run by Neil Penman, sWMT has years of experience in RYA training and yacht charter and is also a fully MCA recognised sTCW-95 training centre. The company has grown over recent years and now employs five full-time staff. Neil, who has lived and worked in Torbay all his life, started
crewing motor cruisers and small yachts in the River Dart over 30 years ago, building up extensive knowledge of local cruising. He continued sailing whilst serving in the Royal
Navy and was soon instructing professionally becoming Chief sail Instructor at the Royal Navy’s seamanship Training school near Plymouth and finally RYA Chief Instructor at the BRNC. sWMT provides a wide range of sea and shore-based courses that help the beginner and the competent build their boat handling, navigation and seamanship skills whether to gain RYA qualifications, prepare for careers in the marine industry or simply to improve their skills in charge of their own boats. The school uses a range of quality yachts, power or motorboats.
Full details of their courses, as well as dates and prices can
be found on their website
www.southwestmarinetraining.
co.uk or by calling 01803 853843.
put two reefs in the mainsail and set off for the rough and windy open sea. Once there I carried out man-over- board exercises, sailed in different directions tacking and gybing as I went and answered continual questions from Tank. Two hours later we returned to the calmer Dart, tied up to a buoy near the river entrance and stopped for a brief lunch break.
Then it was time to start the blind
navigation section of the assessment. I was sent below decks to ponder
the chart before navigating the boat to Dittisham as if we were in thick fog. During this exercise I had to remain
below, refrain from looking out of the windows and give steerage directions to Tank, who was helming, using just information from the depth log and chart. I did this by measuring speed and distance travelled and plotting a course on the depth contours of the river. At the same time I explained to Tank what could be seen 50 yards either side and ahead of us. This is a useful exercise as it assesses your ability to plot a course
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