Croatia Yacht Charters

Good Students come from Good Schools

Ever had that wild dream of traveling the way Captain Jack Sparrow did along with William Turner, Elizabeth Schwann and the Black Pearl crew? Well, I have. I’ve never really been on a big ship built to sail across oceans, though I have been on a small passenger boat and I really loved that feeling of the water moving underneath with the wind blowing my hair.

Anyway, since I am still not sailing out anytime soon, I figured that it would be really beneficial for me to learn a few things about people, ships and sailing, you know, for when I do travel the world on a cruiser. So here goes the product of my research.
 
Did you know that the person who is in command on a sailing boat or a ship is called a skipper?  A skipper is actually the equal of the liner’s captain. Since the sailboat is quite small, is it usually manned by 1 – 3 persons and the skipper has absolute command on it. There are times when the skipper doesn’t own the boat, but it doesn’t matter, when onboard he is the boss. Anyway, as another trivia, the word skipper came from the Dutch schipper which is derived from the Dutch word schip which means “ship.” The pronunciation of the word schip made the English speaking people coin the term “skipper”. However, in merchant naval and naval slang, “skipper” is the term for any commanding officer whatever his rank in the navy.

Before anyone could be called a skipper, he ought to have a certified skipper license. Skipper licensing is not really as easy ABC. The people who would give you a license would test you and would need to know a few things from you. Things like, if you have had an experience in handling a boat? Have you been in any of the sailing schools? Which of the sailing courses have you taken? Which sailing lessons have you mastered?

However, the quality of your skills is entirely based on the lessons your school would give you. There are schools that aren’t really the top picks because of the poor education that they give their students. There are some schools which are good in teaching theory but students fail when the practicum comes. So to be sure that your school is highly acknowledged you have to:

• Know if the instructors and teachers in that school are certified. Of course, for a good student to be a fantastic sailor, he needs to have a great trainer. You must find a school where their instructors have been tested on and off water and these mentors ought to be the best sailors in your area.
• Know if the school offers onboard lectures. Sure you may know what and how to do it, but you have to know why and how it all began and the theories behind these things. This is so you can be more flexible when the time to improvise comes because you understand the basic principles.
• Know if the schools give their students certification with a national authority. Yes, you know you are a great student and a great sailor but in order for others to acknowledge your skills, you need to get national authorization.
• Know how long these courses usually last so  you have an idea what to expect.
• Know what type of boat you would be learning on what materials you will be using. Every person learns differently so it is best if the sailing school you’re planning to enroll in has a curriculum that answers your sailing needs.