FAQs

To book a course with us, first just give us a call and we can discuss your requirements in more detail and make sure you are booking the course which is right for you. We will then send you an invoice for the course fee, which has to be paid to guarantee your place. To pay for a course please see details on our payments page, click here.

• 50% of the payment is required at the time of booking. (25% of which is non refundable)
• Remaining 50% with 2 weeks to go.
• Full payment is required if booking is less than 2 weeks from the start of the course

1. More than 2 weeks before, 50% of the deposit will be refunded
2. Less than 2 weeks before, unfortunately no refunds will be available.

In life you pretty much get what you pay for. We don’t pretend to be the cheapest but the course will be on well maintained first rate craft, and run by highly qualified instructors who are guaranteed to teach current best practice. We have top notch facilities in a marina offering a great all-round experience. Check out the other relevant pages on this website to see what we mean.

We also would expect that by attending a course at You & Sea you will be viewed as a skipper or crew member who has trained at a centre respected for delivering high quality career enhancing courses.

Please click here to see all the information including the syllabus & pre requisites for the courses. Alternatively, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and ask to speak to Euan, our Chief Instructor. If he is out of the office then just send him a quick email – euan@youandsea.com

The International Certificate of Competence or I.C.C. is otherwise known as the ‘Charter  Licence’. This is accepted internationally and allows you to charter vessels up to 10  metres in length (if Powerboat 2) or over 10m in length ( if Advanced Powerboat) either on a bareboat or flotilla-type charter. It is obtained by  completing the I.C.C. Application Form and you will require the following:

1. Photocopy of your RYA Powerboat Level 2 or Advanced Powerboat certificate;
2. Photocopy of your Passport Details / Photo Page;
3. Counter-Signed Passport-Sized Photograph;
4. The fee of £43.00 (free for RYA Members).

Direct Assessments for the ICC are available. Please contact the office for details.

• Students will be briefed at the start of every course about the measures in place to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the training centre.
• Students will be asked to complete & sign a declaration stating they agree with the policy and are currently showing no symptoms of Covid-19.
• Students and Staff to use hand sanitiser every time they enter the building.
• If a student or instructor develops Covid-19 symptoms, then the course will be paused, and everyone will be asked to self-isolate they have tested negative. The course will then be rearranged at our cost.
• Face masks, hand sanitiser, paper towels and disinfectant will all be provided by You & Sea for regular use whilst in the training centre.

Do Not Attend a course if;

• You or any member of your family have any Covid-19 symptoms or are self-isolating.
• You have a high temperature.
• A new continuous cough
• A Loss, change in, your sense of smell

• Face masks will be required to be worn when social distancing of 1m cant be maintained.
• The building will be well ventilated with windows open so it might be cooler than normal.
• Hand sanitiser is available at the building entrance and in the main classroom as well as the kitchen.
• Course numbers will be reduced to ensure 1m distance between everyone in the large classroom.
• The small classrooms will be out of use for theory courses however can be used as passing points in the corridor.
• Radar, First Aid, VHF Radio – we have invested in additional equipment to ensure there is no sharing during the courses and everyone has their own equipment.
• Navigation – individual equipment will be issued at the start of the course.
• Regular cleaning of the classrooms, kitchen and toilet
• 1 person at a time in the kitchen area.
• Diesel and Sea survival – we cant run these courses at the moment however we are monitoring the advice from the government.

Motor Cruising:

• Face masks will be required to be worn when social distancing of less than 1m cant be maintained.
• Hand sanitiser will be available on board for regular use.
• You will be allocated a lifejacket for the duration of the course (if you require on)
• You will be allocated Wet Weather gear for the duration of the course (if you require them)
• The will a few changes to how we teach the course with less Helm changes and longer stints on the helm.
• When navigating from inside on Millbrook, the wheelhouse windows will be open (if possible) for ventilation.
• All courses (except Coastal Skipper) will be non residential for now.

• Face masks will be required to be worn when social distancing of less than 1m.
• Hand sanitiser will be available on board for regular use.
• You will be allocated a lifejacket for the duration of the course (if you require on)
• You will be allocated Wet Weather gear for the duration of the course (if you require them)
• The will a few changes to how we teach the course with less Helm changes and longer stints on the helm.
• Where 1m distancing isnt possible, face masks will be worn and you will be side by side with a fellow student.

You & Sea is full compliant with the new Data Protections regulations. Please click here for our full Data Protection policy.

Certificates which are issued after successful completion of an RYA certified course will always include the Royal Yachting Association logo along with the holders name. The course completion date will also be clearly marked, as some certificates do require revalidation. Some courses will require a passport size photograph as this will form part of the certificate; please check joining instruction carefully to see if this is required.

All course completion certificates are signed by either the training centre principal or chief instructor. They will also include the training centre at which the course was completed; this will either be You and Sea or You and Sea Kip.

Please note; Certificates of Competency are issued by the RYA Certification Department and will be sent via post on successful completion of an exam.

Our Address is:

Rhu Marina,
Rhu,
Argyll & Bute,
G84 8LH

https://w3w.co/builds.committed.hairstyle

This 3-word address refers to an exact 3m x 3m location. Click the link or enter the 3 words into the free what3words app to find the entrance to the You & Sea Training Centre.

Directions:

From Glasgow, it is about a 50minute drive. Follow signs for the Erskine Bridge on the M8. Once you are over the bridge follow the A82 towards Balloch. Continue on the A82 and then turn off at the Arden roundabout onto the A814. Continue on the A814 into Helensburgh. Drive down to the seafront and turn right at the last set of traffic lights. Rhu Marina is about 2 miles along the road on your left hand side. As you turn into the marina the road swings right and you will see our bungalow and the large You & Sea sign in front of you. Park outside the building.

Click here to go to google maps

There is plenty free parking available outside our offices.

If you anticipate that you are going to be late for a course then phone 01436 640303 or 07732 518858 at the earliest opportunity to let the instructor know.

Lifejackets and wet weather gear (excluding shoes/boots) are provided by the us for use on all of our practical courses. However you are more than welcome to bring your own.

Please bring clothing relevant to the time of year – this should include some or all of the following: waterproof clothing, waterproof boots/shoes, hat, gloves, sunglasses, sun cream. We don’t expect your clothes to get wet but it’s always worth bringing a spare change of clothes just in case.

All powerboat courses are non-residential but some of the motor cruiser courses are residential and you will be staying on board. All our sail cruising courses are residential. Please bring collapsible bags as space on Millbrook and Sequel is limited.

The courses all start at 9am unless otherwise specified. Powerboat Level 2 and intermediate courses should finish around 5pm. Part of the advanced powerboat course will require a night navigation exercise which will normally be conducted on night one. The duration of the night passage is normally between 2.5 and 3 hours.

Motor cruising course timings vary greatly. The start time is normally 9am and the majority of the courses will require evening work, either theory sessions alongside in the marina or night exercises.

A normal powerboat level 2 course will start and finish at Rhu Marina. During the course we will take in the sights and sounds of the River Clyde, Gare Loch and Loch Long, visiting places such as the Gantocks, Holy Loch Marina, and James Watt Dock.

The Intermediate powerboat course will go further afield to more challenging waters such as the Kyles of Bute and the upper River Clyde to practise vital skills such as pilotage, electronic navigation. We chose Rhu Marina as our base because of its location and easy access to the Clyde and because of the endless possibilities for teaching in all weather conditions.

Motor & Sail cruising course will go even further afield and take in places such as Campbeltown, Loch Fyne, Ardrossan.

Yes. Sailing, Motorboating and Powerboating are inherently safe sports when practised correctly – which a You & Sea RYA Training Course always is.

Be assured you will be supervised and supported by a competent and professional Skipper or instructor who is RYA qualified. We recognise that many customers, particularly those new to boating, may be apprehensive about going to sea on what is considered a ‘small vessel’ (that is, one under 24 metres).So one of our main aims is to allay those fears and instil confidence – all our courses include a thorough introductory explanation and safety briefing – but we find that the best way to alleviate concerns is to actually go out on the water, get on with the course, and start to enjoy yourself.

Our instructors pay close attention to the weather forecasts and will never go out in conditions that are unsafe. All our vessels are designed with safety and performance as a priority. They are also subject to very stringent equipment and safety requirements with regular inspections administered by both the RYA and MCA (Maritime & Coastguard Agency). This also applies to our safety management systems and standard operating procedures – the safety and comfort of our customers is paramount.

We have 3 boats in our fleet. ‘Mustang’ is our powerboat and is a Humber Ocean Pro 6.8m rib. She has a single 150hp Evinrude E-tec engine, a deep-V hull and is capable of 35+kts.

Our Motor Boat is ‘Millbrook’. She is a Nelson 42, ex pilot boat and still retains much of her pilot boat layout today. She operates with twin 180hp Volvo Penta engines with all the latest navigation equipment and has a cruising speed of 7-10kts.

The latest addition to the fleet is Sequel, a Beneteau 393. She is perfect for training and cruising due to the spacious layout of the 3 cabins and saloon. She is currently undergoing an extensive refit to prepare her for her first training course in 2018. She will also be kitted out to a high level with the latest in Raymarine equipment including AIS.

Please click here to see pictures and more information about our training boats.

There are no toilets on our powerboat however we are never very far from facilities. There are 2 toilets (heads) on both Millbrook and Sequel.

Yes, we are on the edge of Loch Lomond national park in a tourist area and there are lots of hotels & B&Bs in the area. Click here to view a list of local hotels and B&B’s.

We will provide everything you need to complete your RYA shorebased theory course.  However, if you intend to do any of your own sailing or yacht-chartering then it would be a good idea to purchase your own set of plotters/dividers etc which are used to navigate using paper charts and are essential for maritime navigation. A good quality set will cost between £20 & £30, and should last a lifetime if treated well. These can be purchased either online or in the Chandlery in the marina.

The Essential Navigation & Seamanship Course Pack comes with a set of plotters/dividers for you to keep, so purchasing additional ones is not necessary if you are doing this course.

All of our Practical courses start at 09:15 on the first morning unless stated otherwise in your course joining instructions. Please arrive promptly.

Our training centre has a toilet as well as a small kitchen with kettle and microwave. There are also toilets and a café in Rhu Marina. There are a couple of hotels within walking distance of the marina or alternatively Helensburgh town centre is only 2 miles away.

You are of course more than welcome to bring your own packed lunch. Tea,coffee and snacks will be provided during your course.

Please click here for a copy of the SQA Privacy Policy