The price of the Yacht Skipper's navigation practices includes student insurance, 21% VAT and the necessary resources for its optimal development.
CY navigation practices: 48-hour journey from Barcelona to the Balearic Islands
48-hour journey with a minimum of 8 hours of night navigation. They enable you to motor sail around the world in pleasure boats of up to 24 meters in length and pleasure vessels of less than 3000 GT.
They are carried out, every month of the year, on board one of our sailboats of more than 15 meters in length, departing from the Port Olímpic of Barcelona.
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How CY navigation practices are organized
The Barcelona – Balearic Islands – Barcelona crossing will last 48 hours, with a minimum of 8 hours of night navigation.
The estimated departure from Port Olímpic will be on a Friday around 7:00 p.m. aboard a cruising sailboat of more than 40 feet.
The meeting point is at the Marina Dock of the Port Olímpic of Barcelona.
The destination will be the island of Majorca or Menorca.
In summary, the navigation and rest periods will be a minimum of 18 hours without stopping on the way out, anchoring upon arrival, and if possible, we will go down to the Island to eat, but whoever prefers to eat on board can do so. For the return, another 18 hours of navigation, also non-stop, carrying out the planned agenda of the practices on both voyages.
The sailboats are equipped with all the regulatory security measures, both for personal security elements and for communications. They have a location system that allows us to know where they are at all times.
Depending on the weather forecast, it is advisable to bring a raincoat and warm clothes. In addition to comfortable clothing appropriate for a journey and appropriate footwear.
During the navigation you will be able to rest while others will guard on deck, you will take turns.
As for food, it is recommended that you cook little on the boat, try to bring prepared food or things that are easy to do. The school will put coffee pot, coffee, infusions and sugar on the sailboat.
Agenda of the CY navigation practices
The objective of the navigation practices is to prepare you for long-term navigation. In its development we will work on navigation aspects oriented mainly to the journey, safe night navigation.
- Use of safety and fire-fighting equipment.
- Review of issues related to safety equipment, its stowage and maintenance.
- Maintenance, reviews and precautions for use.
- Life raft, with a mock abandonment.
- Use of the life jacket and recognition of its elements.
- Use of the accident location radio beacon.
- portable VHF. Operation, battery charge check and spare battery.
- Automatic Identification System.
- Preparation for defeat.
- Checking the charts of the area to be navigated.
- Checking the status and stowage of the sextant. Verification of the validity of the nautical almanac.
- Update of the notices to the navigators. Defeat plot.
- Documentation to carry on board.
- Weather forecasts and contrast with the local situation.
- Checks before going out to sea.
- Review of the critical points of the boat.
- Review of fuel level and autonomy.
- Engine start, and exhaust and temperature control. Battery charge check.
- Release of ropes and exit maneuver.
- Effective navigation guard.
- Effective surveillance. Visibility. Navigation lights. Precautions during night watch.
- Heading control. Government and march depending on the state of the sea and wind.
- Reconnaissance of the coast. Use of the course.
- Control of the state of the sea. positions on the chart.
- Physical condition of the crew.
- Navigation.
- situation in the letter. Situation by delays and distances.
- Use of GNSS equipment.
- Calculation of the current.
- Esteem navigation. Determination of the estimated time of arrival (ETA).
- Radar use.
- Navigation without visibility.
- Landfall.
Juan Ignacio Santamaría Llibre –
Human capital the best. Very good classrooms but they become small when overbooked (the number of places would have to be limited to facilitate feedback with the teacher). Good boats... But change the AIS to FORA NIRVIS, which is deficient and does not detect other boats pf.
Sarah –
Positively: – Excellent teacher, has great knowledge and a friendly person. Negatively: – Excessive number of students per class. It was IMPOSSIBLE to understand and follow a correct rhythm in the explanations – Not good planning of the course calendar. The same week as the exam, the syllabus cannot be finished explained. In my opinion, at the beginning of the course there should have been 2 classes per week and not at the end.
Julio Dolz Colmenero –
There has been an excess of students in the class. There have been 28 of us, with very different levels. Some have been able to have a lot of time to do exam problems. Others have raised very basic questions. Overall, the excess of questions from the students and the need on the part of the teacher to explain the theoretical justification of the formulas has greatly slowed down the progress of the classes. There have been important topics (polar calculations) that have been given in a hurry the same week as the exam, without time to do problems and grasp the resolution system. Class dates were also moved, from Thursday to Wednesday for the teacher's convenience and also weeks due to expected parenthood. For me, who chose this school because it had the only class calendar that adapted to my schedules, it complicated my personal calendar extraordinarily. Overall, I think that too much time has been dedicated to theoretical justifications, that very little work has been done on individual problem solving and that the availability of the students' calendar has been played with (not because of parenthood but because of the change from Thursday to Friday). Wednesday).
Juan I. Santamaría –
Very good for: 1.- Raúl is very good and explains everything necessary until you satisfy your doubts about the course. 2.-A very healthy environment of camaraderie is generated. 3.-You are allowed to attend class if you do not take the exam and/or fail.
Chris –
The teacher and the facilities are excellent. Disappointed with the planning of the classes (the syllabus ran out in the same week as the exam), and there were too many people per class, it was impossible to follow the teacher's explanations.
Rodrigo Andrade –
Thanks for your comments Julio. Your criticism always helps us improve. Everything you mention has a common denominator: the excess of students in class. Even the date changes that you mention were made so that we could adapt to the dates that suited all (or almost all) of the students. Thanks to the fact that the course we offer is of high quality, word has spread among students in Barcelona and this has caused an enormous demand for places to take the Yacht Captain course at Escola Port. For our part, when we had new classrooms in 2017, we knew that due to capacity and space there would be no problems, but we did not take into account the differences in levels between students, which has caused the imbalances that you mention. The truth is, in all the years that we have been teaching recreational qualifications, we have never encountered a Yacht Captain course with so many students and I believe that few schools have encountered a similar situation. Yes, we find groups like this, or larger ones, in courses like the PER, for example, but since it is the simplest subject, there are usually no complaints about the number of students in class. For future Yacht Captain courses, with so many students, we will increase the hours of the course (of course, without affecting the price of the course). I have to tell you that Professor Raúl, as soon as the course started, in the second class, told me that the group was too large and that he would not be able to advance as he would like. My response was not to worry, to increase the hours of the course as necessary... and here we found ourselves with the unforeseen event of his wife's early pregnancy, which prevented us from being able to extend the hours as planned. In any case, we are very sorry for the inconvenience and discomfort caused by all the unforeseen events. We wish you and all your classmates an excellent result in the exam, and remind you that, if by misfortune you do not pass this call, for the next Yacht Captain theoretical course you have the doors of the school open at no cost. Best regards, Rodrigo Andrade Director
Rodrigo Andrade –
Thank you for your comments Sara, In response to your comment, we would like to say that we are very sorry for the inconvenience and discomfort caused by all the unforeseen events. As we have responded to your classmate Julio, the sum of several factors has resulted in what you mention. We wish you and all your classmates an excellent result in the exam, and remind you that, whenever you want to review material, in the next Yacht Captain theory courses you have the doors of the school open at no cost. Best regards, Rodrigo Andrade Director
Sarah –
I congratulate Professor Raúl Serrano for his great professionalism and experience, but even more so, for making the practice pleasant and relaxed, offering a feeling of security at all times. He is an EXCELLENT person! On the negative side, I consider that there are 3 bathrooms on the boat, 1 should be reserved for women, since throughout the trip it becomes unpleasant to use them.
Belen Herrador –
It has been a wonderful weekend of practices. The Bavaria 50 boat is very spacious and, even with 11 students + the teacher, we have had enough space for everything and everyone. On the other hand, with light winds the boat has sailed very fast. The internship group has been fabulous, despite not all of us knowing each other. A friendly atmosphere has been created and we have all collaborated in the guards, maneuvers, use of the sextant,….even, voluntarily, in scrubbing the pots!!!! The teacher has taken us to Mallorca and back to Barcelona without mishaps or damage to people. Thanks Raul!!! It has resolved our doubts, it has given us confidence when the wind has risen, and we have all laughed a lot together. I cannot compare the school and the facilities with others, because it is the first time I go to the nautical school. But the organization of the courses seems very good to me, and the level of teaching seems rather high and more than enough to pass if we study.
Luis Fondevila Puy –
EXCELLENT academic direction and teaching staff, modern facilities and VERY EFFICIENT administrative staff. Totally recommended.