Hiring a skipper for training

Why train on your own boat

Courses teach general skills, and every boat behaves differently. A skipper who comes aboard teaches you how your boat turns, backs, stops and reacts to wind, and how its systems work. Most new owners learn more in two days of this than in a month alone.

What to cover

• Boat handling: turning in tight spaces, docking, leaving the berth, in calm and in wind. See The art of Med mooring.
• Anchoring: choosing a spot, setting the anchor, checking it holds. See Anchoring rules: Posidonia, marine reserves, buoy fields and black water.
• Systems: engine room, electrics, water, gas, bilge. Learn where everything is. See Fuel tanks, gas installation, plumbing and holding tanks.
• Sailing: reefing, trimming, handling at the limit.
• Drills: man overboard, fire, flooding, radio calls. See Basic at-sea troubleshooting.
• Passage planning: weather, tides, fuel, and your first overnight. See Mediterranean weather from Barcelona: Tramuntana, Llevant, Garbí, Mestral.

Choosing a skipper

1. Ask for their qualifications. See Skipper licences in Spain: PNB, PER, Patrón and Capitán de Yate, and foreign licence recognition.
2. Ask about experience on your type of boat and in your marina.
3. Ask for references from other owners.
4. Ask how they teach: hands-on or demonstration.
5. Agree the plan, the daily rate and who pays for fuel before you start.

Insurance

Tell your insurer who will be at the helm. Some policies require a licensed skipper for a new owner in the first weeks. See Marine insurance: cruising limits, agreed value, winter storage.

Plan the schedule

• Day 1: handling in the marina and outside it.
• Day 2: anchoring, drills and a passage along the coast.
• Day 3: your own plan, with the instructor on board for support.

Related guides

• Your first 30 days as an owner
• The art of Med mooring
• Yacht management and crew for larger yachts