Subject to the weather and other conditions, your instructor's aim will be to take you through the whole of the RYA's syllabus for this course.

• Knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat, her rigging and sails
  Sufficient knowledge to understand orders given concerning the sailing and day-to-day running of the boat
• Sail handling
  Bending on, setting, reefing and handling of sails
  Use of sheets and halyards and their associated winches
• Ropework
  Handling ropes, including coiling, stowing, securing to cleats and single and double bollards
  Handling warps
  Ability to tie the following knots and to know their correct use: figure-of-eight, clove hitch, rolling hitch, bowline, round turn and two half hitches, single and double sheet bend, reef knot
• Fire precautions and fire fighting
  Awareness of the hazards of fire and the precautions necessary to prevent fire
  Knowledge of the action to be taken in event of fire
• Personal safety equipment
  Understands and complies with the rules for the wearing of safety harnesses, lifejackets and personal buoyancy aids
• Man overboard
  Understands the action to be taken to recover a man overboard
• Emergency equipment
  Can operate distress flares and knows when they should be used
  Understands how to launch and board a liferaft
• Manners and customs
  Understands accepted practice with regard to: use of burgees and ensigns, prevention of unnecessary noise or disturbance in harbour including courtesies to other craft berthed alongside
  Aware of the responsibility of yacht skippers to protect the environment
• Rules of the road
  Is able to keep an efficient lookout at sea
• Dinghies
  Understands and complies with the loading rules
  Is able to handle a dinghy under oars
• Meteorology
  Awareness of forecasting services and knowledge of the Beaufort Scale
• Sea sickness
  Working efficiency is unaffected/partially affected/severely affected by sea sickness
• Helmsmanship and sailing
  Understands the basic principles of sailing and can steer and trim sails on all points of sailing
  Can steer a compass course, under sail and power
• General duties
  Has carried out general duties satisfactorily on deck and below decks in connection with the daily routine of the vessel