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RYA Cruising Level 1: Start Sailing
A short introduction aboard a small cruising yacht — the shortest way to find out whether yachting suits you.
An entry-level practical sailing course.
RYA currently describes it as approximately two days afloat with no previous experience required.
It introduces:
- Who it suits
- Anyone curious about yachts who does not want to commit five days and a liveaboard fee to finding out.
- What it is not
- It is not a crew qualification. Nobody will take you on as competent crew on the strength of it.
Primary source: RYA training. Course structures and prerequisites can change; confirm the current version with the training body and school.
The course in context
Cruising Level 1 introduces sailing aboard a cruising yacht in manageable steps. It suits someone who wants to understand the basics before committing to a longer liveaboard programme. The emphasis is taking part: connecting the wind, sails and steering with what the boat does, rather than taking charge of the whole passage.
Before you start
This is introductory training. Tell the centre whether you have sailed smaller boats, whether this is your first time aboard a yacht, and whether boarding or moving around a deck presents difficulties. Ask how this particular course differs from its Start Yachting offering.
Skills you will develop
Getting oriented aboard
Learn where essential equipment is and how to move between cockpit and deck with the instructor’s guidance. Boat layouts vary, so understanding function is more useful than memorising one cockpit.
Basic sailing
Experience steering and sail handling while learning the language used for wind direction and turns. Linking instructions to visible actions reduces the confusion of an unfamiliar environment.
Working with the crew
Practise listening, acknowledging instructions and keeping lines organised. A calm, coordinated crew makes learning easier than everyone attempting the same job at once.
Training and assessment
Check the centre’s session structure, boat type and opportunities for hands-on participation. An introductory completion certificate is not a skipper qualification. Your instructor should explain which skills are established and what needs more practice.
Questions to ask the school
- Is this delivered as day sessions?
- How does it connect to Level 2 or Competent Crew?
- What clothing and equipment does the centre provide?
Related learning
Other RYA courses
RYA Sailing Pathway
The whole RYA cruising route in order, and where you are allowed to skip a step.
RYA Cruising Level 2: Basic Skills
The follow-on from Level 1, adding real boat handling on a small cruising yacht.
RYA Start Yachting
Two days aboard a cruising yacht, for complete beginners who want a genuine taste of yachting.
RYA Day Skipper Theory
The classroom half of Day Skipper: charts, tides, buoyage, collision regulations and passage planning.
RYA Day Skipper Practical Sailing
Five days in which you stop being crew and start being the person responsible for the boat.
RYA Coastal Skipper Practical
Skippering beyond familiar water and beyond daylight — longer passages, night pilotage, heavier weather.
RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore Theory
The advanced shorebased course: tidal work, passage planning, meteorology and collision regulations at Yachtmaster depth.
RYA Yachtmaster Guide
Not a course. An examination against a published standard, taken after qualifying sea time.
Australian schools using RYA
These schools advertise training under the RYA system. This does not confirm that every school currently runs RYA Cruising Level 1: Start Sailing; check the current course list directly.
Which course should you actually book?
Three questions — your experience, the boat you want to sail, and your goal — give you a starting course and the schools that teach it near you.