The Ocean Sailing Club of the South
Our Guarantee
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Sail Training
Sail Training...
Introduction to Sailing
$440
1 live-aboard weekend
Competent Crew
$880
2 live-aboard weekends
Yachtmaster Practical
$440
Exam Coaching live-aboard weekends
RYA Theory...
RYA Yachtmaster Theory
$990
3 weekends 8-4pm
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory
$990
10 4-hr standalone modules
Ocean Sailing...
Mate of Watch Course will be available on the
Sydney-New Caledonia passage in September 2023
And again on the New Caledonia-Bundaberg passage in October
Yachtmaster Ocean Qualifier will be available on the
Sydney-New Caledonia passage in September 2023
And again on the New Caledonia-Bundaberg passage in October
* See pricing note at foot of page
Important Information
Sailing Calendar
What you get for your money
Training weekend information
Student reviews
Global Ethics
Training enquiry form
Training Videos
We want our members to be great, safe sailors. So this is our guarantee to you: all our Sail Training comes with these benefits
Before choosing any establishment to teach you to sail, ask them these questions...
| Value for money | We do | Do they | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do they provide... | 18 hours of hands-on practical training for $400 |  |  | Meals and accommodation free of charge | | |
| Safety & Comfort | We do | Do they | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do they have... | an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor with proven communication skills | | |
| a patient trainer who remains patient if I make mistakes | | | a safe, stable training vessel | | | a proper toilet on board with washing facilities | | |
| a trainer who arranges tasks to suit my age, strength and capabilities | | | |
| drinking water on board and a meal if I'm on board at meal times | | | |
| an opportunity to do some serious sailing | | |
| Cancellations and weather | We do | Do they | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do they have a plan to... | keep me learning if the wind dies - or a strong southerly kicks in | | |
| reschedule my course if I can't make the dates | | | |
| get me back ashore if I feel unwell while sailing | | |
| Privacy & Gender issues | We do | Do they | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do they have... | separate accommodation for single women to share on board | | |
| double-berth accommodation for couples to share | | | |
| an equal opportunities policy in their training environment | | |
| Poverty Action | We do | Do they | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do they have a scheme... | for you or your company to support charity with a sailing day? | | |
Our Guarantee to You
Safety & Comfort
Will I be trained by a professional trainer or just an enthusiastic amateur?Absolutely professional - enthusiastic and professional!
Certificate IV in Workplace Training
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor:
50,000 miles offshore as skipper including three Atlantic crossings , one Trans-Pacific, two Tasman Sea crossings Bass Strait. Absolutely!
A lot of shouting on board is a sign of a skipper who's not in control. History shows that the great naval captains were the ones who planned ahead and thought calmly. Aggression is strictly verboten on this boat, sailing is for fun. You should never pay to get shouted at.
Very safe.
Undertaken in a properly controlled environment, sailing should be very safe. As with any sport, there are dangers, but your safety always comes first.
Winches - We have a rule on board that no-one is allowed, or even asked, to use any winches, ropes or equipment, until they've been shown how to use it safely and are confident about doing so. If that takes a little while, no problem. Safety first!
The boom - The size of our training vessel means that she heels less than smaller racing yachts and the boom swings safely past, 6 feet away from where you'll be standing. On most yachts - training and racing - the mainsail boom swings dangerously low, often at head-height over the cockpit. This can be a source of major injury on training boats - hence the old joke that it's called the 'boom' because it's the last thing you'll hear before they take you to hospital. Not if your standing in the cockpit of this yacht!
Life-saving equipment - Life jackets, man-overboard buoy with light, flares, harnesses: The equipment we carry is the same as for a voyage to New Zealand - more than enough to be safe in Sydney Harbour. Never! There's a proper toilet, washbasin and even a shower. No!
You can do as much or as little as you want. Of course, you'll learn more if you do more, but you'll never be asked to do anything you don't want to do. The youngest student so far is 12 and oldest were in their eighties, so come along and give it a try. No!
There's drinking water on tap, tea, coffee, cordial, snacks and fruit all freely available. And breakfast, lunch and dinner if you're on board when it's that time of day. Even a hobbit wouldn't go hungry. Absolutely!
Our training vessel is an ocean-going thoroughbred. She has clocked over 14 knots at sea for hours at a time and regularly clocks 10+ knots in the harbour (for those who don't know, 14 knots is about as exciting as you need!) Regarding racing and things, our trainer has worked on Sydney 38s match racing in Pittwater and enjoys hard sailing as much as anyone - so long as the crew are enjoying themselves!
Will people be patient if I make mistakes?
How safe is your training vessel?
I've heard horror stories of having to use a bucket as a toilet ! - Tell me that's never going to happen!
Will it be too much physical work for me to handle?
Do I have to bring my own food and drinking water
But we will get to do some serious sailing, won't we?
Cancellations due to personal circumstances or weather
What if the wind just dies - or a strong southerly kicks in? Will my weekend be wasted?No!
Because our vessel is a fully equipped ocean-going yacht, we have lots of choices (no drifting under a baking sun for us!) Our 70 HP motor will take you to an anchorage where you can have lunch or tea then switch to some essential theory - there's VHF radio, radar, ropework, charts, the opportunities are endless. And if there's too little wind, there's the inflatable dinghy to learn to drive, the rigging aloft to inspect (er.. that bit's voluntary). Or maybe try a swim - to enhance your understanding of the boat's underwater geometry, of course - and then there's more tea, coffee, cordial, cake. No!
These things sometimes happen. So long as we've kept in touch as plans change, if you've paid in full, We will always offer you a future date, mutually agreed, when you can try again. No!
You can be taken ashore (met ashore if need be) and we will always offer you the chance to rejoin a course at a future date, mutually agreed again, to complete what you've started.
And if you simply don't get on with sailing - maybe you're one of those unlucky people who gets sea-sick in the bath - we'll get you ashore somewhere near a bus or train station and let you transfer the unused part of your course to a friend - how's that?
What if life catches me out and I just can't do the weekend I'd planned to do, will my money be wasted?
What if I'm unwell or it's one of those days and I'm not up to staying on board? Will my money be wasted?
Privacy and Gender issues
I'm a single woman, will I have to share a cabin with anyone?
Yes, possibly with another woman.
We never put women and men in a shared cabin (well, not unless they're happy to share, of course!) Bookings are always scheduled with this in mind. There are two twin-bunk cabins and a double-berth cabin, with it's own shower-room. When you book, you'll be asked to stipulate if you want to share with a friend. Sometimes, if the numbers stack up that way, you may be asked to share with another woman. Yes.
There are two twin-bunk cabins and a double-berth cabin, with it's own shower-room. When you book, you'll be asked if you are coming with a friend and bookings are always scheduled with this in mind. Sometimes (very, very rarely) the mix of women, men and couples means that a couple may be asked if they'd sleep separately - that is to say each share a twin-bunk cabin with another person of the same gender. Absolutely!
Our trainer has sailed thousands of miles and crossed oceans with all girl crews: the Atlantic with only his two daughters aged 11 and 15 as crew and New Zealand to Sydney with two French women and a Canadian teenager. He has also sailed the Med, the Caribbean and brought the yacht from the UK to Australia with just his wife and daughters. They all participated fully - handling sails, steering, keeping watch and still enjoy sailing with him now! Everyone has the chance to do as much as they want and, as with any proper team, if you get tired someone else will come and give you a hand - female or male is of no importance.
We're a couple, will we be able to share a cabin?
Is this an equal opportunities yacht?
Poverty Action
Can I arrange a company or club sailing day to raise money for a charity?Yes!
We are happy to set up days when our trainer could teach groups of 6 to 8 on a weekday as a fund-raiser. There are some pre-requisites laid down by NSW Maritime, the Tax Office and by NSW fund-raising authorities which we have to observe, for example, the charity has to be Australian Registered.
* Important Note: As an Australian non-profit organisation, all transactions are deemed to take place in Australia and under NSW Law. The Ocean Sailing Club charges membership and product prices in Australian dollars, however The Club may accept payment in the local currency of where their yacht is at the time. The Club may refer to prices in currencies other than Australian dollars, those prices are indicative only of the actual Australian prices and are shown for comparison purposes