About this course...
Competent Crew Course.
Practical courses are run from Beacon Marina St Peters Dock Rd, New cut East IP3 0EA, just 1 hour from Liverpool Street. (Comp crew courses are run with all day skipper practical dates) Over 5 consec days (incorps a weekend) or 2 x weekend one being a long weekend (see below for dates) A small deposit secures your place, so book asap to get the place and date you want
This course teaches you the basics of sailing and all the skills you need to be an effective member of a yacht crew. It is suitable for complete beginners or those with limited experience who want to ensure a sound foundation before the next level.
You will learn how to steer the boat on a compass heading, how to set and trim sails, operate winches, how to prepare a boat to enter and leave harbour and lock, how to pick up moorings and anchor, and ropework and knots.
You will live aboard the boat with the instructor & other Comp crew and Day skipper students (you will be allocated a bunk on the first day) Each day will involve a mixture of short passages from port to port and intensive exercises. We will be in harbour or anchorage every night but on one evening you will get a few hours experience of night sailing.
The courses are always great fun. All meals are provided aboard but there will be opportunities to go ashore during some evenings.
Achievement: RYA Competent Crew. You will be welcome as crew aboard any yacht. Many owners and skippers are looking for crew and this certificate could be your passport to lots more sailing.
We will send you a link to Joining instructions and booking conditions please read them.
Some recent feedback
Fantastic experience and a fantastic instructor. Mark (Hamilton) takes you through each syllabus clearly, channeling his vast sailing knowledge into easy to follow language & direction. I have trained with Mark and have seen his care and attention to detail first hand. He instills a level of confidence in his students that allows them to push on to the next level of training or sailing capabilities with real belief and a sense of accomplishment. I just completed my first course with Hamilton Sailing, and was impressed enough to book a further two straight after ! You’ll be hard pushed to find a better or more experienced instructor as far as i’m concerned. Very friendly, approachable; he brings a calm sociable to the table. I was really REALLY surprised at how much we had covered when our group recapped our 5 days onboard. It didn’t feel like a rigid stuffy course, but areas of the coursework just soaked in. The boat too is beautiful and so easy to handle. I'm gonna have a hard time sailing with an ordinary tiller after being spoilt rotten onboard Sirius. Again, fantastic course and fantastic instructor ! .... Steve
Really enjoyed the course -
Chris was a great instructor - always relaxed and knowledgeable as well as being good company so I think we all learnt a lot from him
The boat was perfect - comfortable and with everything we needed.
Can’t fault the food on board either . . Dickon
Oil skin waterproofs are supplied free of charge
All courses held at Beacon marina Ipswich St Peters Dock Rd, New cut East IP3 0EA
Maximum student:instructor ratio 5:1
Available dates for this course...
| 14th to 18th July 2025 @ ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 26th 27th July & 1st 2nd 3rd Aug two weekends @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 4th to 8th Aug 2025 @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 16th 17th Aug & 23rd 24th 25th Aug 2025 Two weekends and BH @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 6th 7th Sept & 12th 13th 14th Sept 2025 Two weekends @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 15th to 19th Sept @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 27th 28th Sept & 3rd 4th 5th Oct Two weekends @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 18th 19th Oct & 24th 25th 26th Oct two weekends at ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
| 1st 2nd Nov & 7th 8th 9th Nov @ Ipswich Two weekends | £750 | Book Now |
| 15th 16th Nov & 21st 22nd 23rd Nov two weekends @ Ipswich | £750 | Book Now |
How to book...
- If you're ready to book now, just select one of the dates above to go to the booking form.
- If you just want more information, click here to contact us,
or phone us for a no obligation chat on 07990 777 129. - Request a call-back, and we'll contact you to arrange the booking.
