It's that time of year again when all over the country sailors are heading inland to evening classes, to get to grips with the theory of navigation and all kind of other related subjects.
It's not just the familiar syllabus of Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore and Yachtmaster Ocean. There are also RYA courses in specialist subjects: diesel engines, marine radio, radar, sea survival, first aid and offshore safety.
I've done most of them, at one time or another, and enjoyed them. As the 'driving licences' thread on the forum has shown, some people scoff at the “bits of paper,” but no matter how much experience you've had, there's always something new to learn.
Take first aid. Your certificate, when you get it, is only valid for three years - and for good reason. Thinking about treatments and appropriate actions to take changes over time. My most recent first aid renewal included several techniques developed since my original test.
And everyone, however many thousands of miles they have sailed, should take the sea survival course. How many others, like us, have been sailing around for years, feeling a smug sense of security because they are carrying a liferaft - and all the time in blissful ignorance of how to use it?
It wasn't until I had to get into one, in the relative comfort of a warm, calm swimming pool, that I discovered just how difficult it would be, in cold, rough, open sea. I had known, of course, that you tie the raft to the boat, and don't get into it until you have to step upwards. But I had no idea how to turn it over if it inflated the wrong way up, or even what to expect to find inside it.
I've learned from every single course I've taken. And I have certainly enjoyed my sailing more as a result.
If you're feeling bereft at the thought of looming laying up suppers, and booking a date for the boat to come ashore for winter maintenance, why not spend some of the long dark evenings thinking and talking about boats on a training course?
For full details of the range of courses available where you live, visit www.rya.org.uk
Coming soon on The MainSail: Roxy's insider's view of the Sea Survival Course
