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The ISPA Competent Crew Sail program consists of the essential knowledge and skills you need to acquire to actively participate in sailing and assist a skipper, as well as basic emergency maneuvers. During the course you will acquire theoretical knowledge of the sailing essentials, the sail aerodynamics, basic helmsman skills, safety on the sea, etc. . During the practical part of the course, special focus is on exercising elementary sailing skills. In small groups, each student gets enough time for trial and error and therefore gains skills to become an asset in any crew. Competent Crew Sail Course is based in ACI marina Split.

There are shore-based courses in spring and autumn. Participants have theory in the classroom in the morning, sail out in the afternoon and come back to home port in the evening. Sleeping is either offered on a boat in the marina or participants arrage their own accommodation on land. Shore based courses are usually held on First 27 Seascape (maximum 4 participants).

In the high season, we offer embarked courses. Participants will sail out to midlle dalmatian islands during the course and come back in Split the last day. Embarked courses are usually held on First 36 racer-cruiser (maximum 5 participants)

We encourage students to book in advance in order to have time to study the online theory course and pass the theory exam before the practical course. Theory will be repeated during the course.

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Competent Crew Program

• 10:00 Meeting with your instructor, general info about the course, safety briefing, personal equipment review
  
• Theory introduction to sailing (wind, sails, keel, reaches, reefing...) parts of the sailboat / Terminology
• 14:00 Standing and running rigging, basic ropework (fenders, lines), engine (on/off/gears), hoist main, reef, unroll JIB, winch usage
• 15:00 Undocking and setting sails. Basic sailing demonstration and exercises, steering in beam reach course
• 18:00 Berthing, tidying up the boat, knotwork
• 18:30 Short revision, Q&A

Day 2 - Monday

• 10:00 Theory of closehauled sailing, coming about. Reefing procedure. Intro to Safety at sea, Emergency procedures, VHF calls, fire, Life raft
• 13:00 VHF demo, Life on board, Cabin and deck inspection, Bending on the sails
• 14:00 Setting sails and sailing close-hauled, multiple coming about practice, safe sailing practices
• 17:00 Berthing, tidying up the boat, Short revision, Q&A

• 10:00 Theory of broad reach course, gybing. Theory aerodynamics of sails, telltales, trim of sails, apparent wind
• 13:00 Pre departure procedure practice
• 14:00 Setting sails and sailing broad reach, multiple gybing practice, safe sailing practices
• 17:00 Berthing, tidying up the boat, Short revision, Q&A

• 10:00 Theory introduction to Collision regulation. Anchoring and buoy principles. Theory longside docking, propeller walk. Intro to Berthing the boat on Adriatic mooring
• 13:00 Setting sails, sailing between the marks, recognising marks and priorities at sea, 360 degrees turns under sail, anchoring or picking a buoy in a bay
• 17:00 Berthing, tidying up the boat, Short revision

• 10:00 Theory Man Over Board, Heave up to position of the boat. Q/A CC workbook
• 13:00 Setting sails and MOB drills, MOB examination after the practice
• 17:00 Berthing, tieding up the boat

Note: Sailing is a weather-dependent activity, to make the best out of the course, the timetable can vary according to the forecast of the day. The instructor will let students know in due time the adapted program in case of change. There is a lunch break after morning theory, duration will be discussed with the instructor.