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...
| COURSE FULL 6th 7th Nov & 12th 13th 14th Nov 2027 @ Ipswich | £755 | Book Now |
| 7th 8th Nov & 13th 14th 15th Nov 2026 @ Ipswich | £755 | Book Now |
| COURSE FULL 7th 8th Nov & 13th 14th 15th Nov 2026 | £755 | Book Now |
| 16th to 20th Nov 2026 @ Ipswich | £755 | Book Now |
| COURES FULL 5th 6th Dec & 11th 12th 13th Dec 2026 @ Ipswich | £755 | Book Now |
| 6th 7th March & 12th 13th 14th March 2027 | £760 | Book Now |
| 26th March - 30th March Easter 2 x BH @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| COURSE FULL 3rd 4th April & 9th 10th 11th April 2027 | £760 | Book Now |
| 24th 25th April & 1st 2nd 3rd May 2027 ( one place left! | £760 | Book Now |
| 10th - 14th May @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 22nd 23rd May & 29th 30th 31st May 1 x BH | £760 | Book Now |
| 7th - 11th June 2027 @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 19th 20th June & 25th 26th 27th June 2027 | £760 | Book Now |
| 3rd 4th July & 9th 10th 11th July 2027 @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 12th - 16th July 2027 | £760 | Book Now |
| 24th 25th July & 30th 31st July 1st Aug | £760 | Book Now |
| 2nd - 6th Aug 2027 @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 21st 22nd Aug & 28th 29th 30th Aug Inc Bank holiday 2027 @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 4th 5th Sept & 10th 11th 12th Sept 2027 @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 20th - 24th Sept @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 2nd 3rd Oct & 8th 9th 10th Oct @ Ipswich | £760 | Book Now |
| 23rd 24th Sept & 29th 30th 31st Oct @ Ipswich | £760 | 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.
