Getting started with sailing school...

Professional trainers
Challenging cruising area
Tropical climate
Broad range of yachts
Affordable prices

Which Sailing Course

You will have a view of which IYT course to take, however many experienced sailors have significant gaps in their knowledge dependant on their sailing experience to date. The writer, who has been a sailor for more than 50 years, found that there were items in both the crew and watch keeper courses that he had never really considered before he trained to be an IYT instructor.

We show on this site the full syllabus (link to syllabus) for each IYT course and encourage you to tick off the subjects you now well and those you don't.

If you come across an just and isolated area or two that you are not sure about then you can always do a correspondence session with an instructor on email before the selected course to mop up any odd corners that are a bit dark.

Pre requirements & Course Information

Crew Sailing Courses:

There are no pre-requirements to the crew course, in fact if the truth be known we really like students with no knowledge of sailing at all. The crew course is a wonderful catch all syllabus and when completed you will have a sound grounding for following courses which will make sense as you progress, expanding your knowledge already established in crew. Crew syllabus

Watchkeeper Courses:

The Watchkeeper course requires that you have completed the crew course with either IYT or another recognized course for a sailing yacht or have good knowledge of a cruising yacht. Dinghy sailing is a wonderful way to learn by experience how the boat behaves but it is no substitute for the IYT crew course. The Certificate also qualifies you to command a yacht as part of a flotilla. Watchkeeper syllabus

Bareboat Captain Courses:

The Bareboat Captain course assumes that you have already completed the IYT Watchkeeper course, have a minimum of 200 sea miles in your log book and have a first rate knowledge of the boat and how it sails, navigation and seamanship. This course teaches already competent sailors to learn the skills required to lead a team of less skilled sailors to safely navigate and control the boat. It does add to their knowledge of global weather, world tides and currents and a complete understanding of the rules of the road. Bareboat syllabus

Navigation Master and Weather Master courses:

We offer these IYT one day courses for those who wish to just brush up on navigation or weather before doing the skipper school or for those who have no desire to gain that qualification but still want additional knowledge. There are no prerequisites to these courses.

ICC the international certificate of competence:

Only currently recognized in the UK it is now a requirement for skippers of Charter boats from the UK in UK waters to hold this certificate. The prerequisite is that you have completed the IYT bareboat Captain course or have sufficient experience and qualification to sit the examination. There is no instruction to this certification it is a one day test of your knowledge and a practical demonstration of your yacht handling and command skills.

VHF Radio Operator Certificate:

This one day course covers all aspects of VHF radio operation including DSCC function covering both emergency procedures and normal use of the radio for ship to shore communications.

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Test of knowledge

If you wish, we can send you a pre-study test so that you can assess your level of knowledge before you sign up for a course.

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Complete the IYT application form

We will email you an application for which will detail your basic data and your sailing experience. From this form we will be able to advise you on our opinion on the course you should consider taking.

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Book a Date

Check out the schedule and select a date that suits you then jump on the contacts page and send us an email with the date requested and we will be back to you within 24 hours to confirm.

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Deposit and Manual

Once booked you pay the deposit of 8,000 baht either with Pay Pal and a credit card or by bank transfer and we then email to you the relevant manual for bed time reading and pre school study.

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To stay with us or not

We generally book bungalows at Ocean Marina for the Pattaya based courses and rooms at the Island View Resort for the Koh Chang events. If you would rather arrange you own accommodation then you can deduct 2500 baht off your bill.

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Arrange transportation

Our students come from all over the world so it is not beneficial for Gulf Charters to attempt to arrange air transportation, you will do better with local vendors. However once on Thai soil we will be happy to arrange accommodation, ground transfers, Thailand exploration and trips to Cambodia to entertain and inform students before or after the course.

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