ADVANCE YOUR SAILING SKILLS – CYA COURSES
A Whole New World of Lifetime Opportunities

Canadian Yachting Association Courses (CYA)

  • Intermediate Cruising
  • Coastal Navigation

The top seven reasons for you to take one or both of these courses:

1) Qualify to captian boats from charter fleets around the world
2) Improve boating safety
3) Meet new people and have fun
4) Personal challenge and satisfaction
5) Become the crew member everybody wants
6) Increase racing performance
7) Stepping stone to becoming a CYA Cruising Instructor

CYA Intermediate Cruising Course

12th January to 30 March, 2010 (12 weeks – Tuesdays, 7pm - 9 pm) RNSYS Saraguay House

The objective of this program is for a person to be able to cruise safely in familiar waters as either skipper or crew of a sailing yacht of 8 to 12 meters in moderate wind and sea conditions by day.  The standard emphasizes on-the-water skills at a level acceptable for bareboat chartering.

The complete learning objectives and curriculum outline for this program can be found on the Canadian Yachting Association website at:

http://sailing.ca/education_and_training/levels/intermediate_cruising_standard/

Note that sailors with some experience may get the Basic Cruising Standard by challenging the exam at any time.  The same applies for any of the CYA cruising standards; contact Mike Whitehouse, CYA Instructor Evaluator at 434-6808 or mwhitehouse@rnsys.com. Mike will also be giving the Pleasure Craft Operator’s Course on a regular basis or you can contact him to challenge that test also.  There is a fee for challenging any examination.

It is our intention to add an electronic navigation component to this program.  Fugawi, www.fugawi.com, the Canadian navigation software company will grant students a trial copy of their software for the duration of the course.  This will require a Windows based laptop.

Note:  The Intermediate Cruising standard requires an on-the-water practical demonstration of the “afloat skills” listed in the standard in addition to the theory examination.  Students may challenge the exam or take the practical portion of the course on the water next spring in Halifax or in Florida in April if there are enough students to support the Florida option.

Cost of Program 

The cost for the theory portion of the Intermediate Cruising program, which includes the CYA Cruising Logbook and the Sailing Skills and Seamanship text book, is as follows:

RNSYS Members: $260. + HST                       
Non-Members: $300. + HST

CYA Coastal Navigation Course

14th January to 1 April, 2010 (12 weeks – Thursdays, 7pm - 9 pm) RNSYS Saraguay House

The Coastal Navigation program covers the theory necessary to navigate on offshore passages.  We will add an electronic component to the course which will require a Windows based laptop.  However, the emphasis will be to have students navigate with paper charts, dividers, parallel rules and pencils.

The complete learning objectives and curriculum outline for this program can be found on the Canadian Yachting Association website at:

http://sailing.ca/education_and_training/navigation_courses/

Anyone who feels they have already mastered these skills may challenge the exam by contacting Mike Whitehouse at 434-6808 or e-mail at mwhitehouse@rnsys.com.  There is a fee associated with challenging the examination.

Cost of Program 

The cost for the theory portion of the Intermediate Cruising program, which includes the CYA Cruising Logbook and the Sailing Skills and Seamanship text book, is as follows:

RNSYS Members: $260. + HST                       
Non-Members: $300. + HST

About the Instructor

The instructor and examiner for these programs is Mike Whitehouse.  Mike has been sailing, teaching sailing and racing in sailboats for over 30 years.  He is an Instructor Evaluator with the Canadian Yachting Association, an Advanced Sailing Instructor with the American Sailing Association and a Category 3 Sailor with the International Sailing Federation, ISAF.

 In 2009 Mike competed in the Marblehead to Halifax Race in the Double-Handed category with spinnakers and he is now training to compete in the same category in the 2010 Halifax to Saint Pierre Race.

Registration

Contact:  Bernice Keddy, RNSYS – Phone (902) 477-5653, Ext. 114; Fax (902) 477-6298
E-mail: bkeddy@rnsys.com

Applications for the program can be downloaded from the RNSYS website or picked up at the Club.

RNSYS Navigation Form (click here)

RNSYS Intermediate Cruising Form (click here)