New to sailing? Learn, then crew
You do not need an ocean crossing behind you to start crewing. Some captains welcome beginners and will teach you on board, and a short course before your first passage can help. This page points to where people start.
Start with the beginner guide
The guide takes you from your first profile to your first passage: how to apply, what a course covers, and what to ask.
Courses that start people off
- Reported The RYA Competent Crew course is a practical course of five days. It can be run as three weekends, as three days plus a weekend, or as three or four days after Start Yachting. No prior experience is assumed. The syllabus covers sea terms, rigging and sails, sail handling, ropework, fire precautions, personal safety equipment, man overboard, emergency equipment, meteorology, seasickness, helmsmanship and general duties.Source: RYA (organiser or official source), seen 1 October 2026. Check with RYA: Competent Crew practical course before you rely on it.
- Reported RYA Start Yachting is a two-day course for people with no experience. It is open to over-16s, and to younger people if accompanied.Source: RYA (organiser or official source), seen 1 October 2026. Check with RYA: Start Yachting course before you rely on it.
Minimum ages and prices differ by school, so ask the school before you book.
Training bodies, for the current courses and a school near you:
Last checked 1 October 2026. The facts above come from the sources linked beside each one. We have not opened every source page ourselves; check with the organiser before you rely on it. Dates, fees, deadlines and entry rules change, and only the organiser or the authority can state them.
Passages that welcome learners
Captains can mark a passage as welcoming learners. Switch on that filter on Find passages, read what the captain expects, and apply with a message that says what you have done so far and what you hope to learn.
Passages that welcome learners
Once you have a profile you can switch on "I am new to offshore sailing" in your sailing CV. It is private. We point you to passages whose captain welcomes learners, and a captain you apply to sees a friendly note. It is never used to hide passages from you or to count against you.