Irish National Sailing School
RYA Senior Instructor Course
Overview
The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School is delighted to announce our upcoming instructor training courses.
RYA Senior Instructor Course
The course runs over a 4-day period lasting approximately 40 hours. The assessment will be continuous and will be made by at least two Trainers. On successful completion of this course you will be able to:
- Organise and manage RYA National Sailing Scheme and Youth Sailing Scheme sailing courses.
- Organise and control group sailing tuition of all ages and abilities.
- Supervising, direction and assisting a team of Instructors and Assistant Instructors.
2025 Course Dates
- Saturday 19th, Sunday 20th, Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd April, running from 9am daily until at least 5pm each day
The course will definitely proceed as we already have sufficient bookings from our in-house candates.
Course Prerequisites
Candidates must first be an RYA Dinghy Instructor and must fulfil the following criteria prior to the SI course:
- At least two years intermittent or one year full time instructing since qualifying as an RYA Dinghy or Multihull Instructor (for Dinghy Senior Instructors) or as an RYA Keelboat Instructor (for Keelboat Senior Instructors).
- Sailing ability to at least the standard of RYA Instructor (an assessment may be necessary if sailing ability cannot be adequately demonstrated during the training course)
Candidates must hold the following certificates / accreditations:
- Signed recommendation from the Principal of an RYA Recognised Training Centre.
- Valid RYA Instructor certificate in the discipline for which you wish to train as an SI
- First aid certificate – list of accepted certificates here.
- RYA Safety Boat Certificate
- RYA Safe and Fun certificate
- Complete Pre-course workbook (send out ahead of course by instructor trainers)
- Valid RYA Membership
Course Fees
The course fees are €400. Please note that this includes use of wetsuits/watersports gear as needed.
Accommodation
Please note this is a non-residential course. There is plenty of good quality accommodation available in the area. All are well connected by frequent bus or train service to our clubhouse:
There’s also a very nice B&B located about 250m from our clubhouse, Connaught House, located on Crofton Road. The family who run the B&B look after our yacht instructors and RYA examiners regularly. They can be contacted on:
- T: 00353 (0)1 280 5502
- E: info@connaughthouse.ie
Got A Question?
Please feel free to reach out to us on 00353 (0)1 284 4195 or by email to sailing@inss.ie.
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Competent Crew Course - Excellent Instructor - Having done a few courses with the INSS over the summer of 2023, and some sailing on the Mediterranean, doing the Competent Crew course with others who were doing the Day Skipper course at the same time was the highlight of my time learning how to sail. The reason it was the highlight was largely due to the course instructor Shona O'Dowd (I made certain to get her full name before leaving to give her the credit she deserved). Huge knowledge and experience mixed with a great attitude, with friendliness, patience and approachability making Shona stand out and make each day of the course something to look forward to regardless of weather or experience level. Shona guided practical use of all facets of sailing knowledge excellently and never micromanaged or tried to exert too much control, thereby never limiting the learning that can take place for students.
This teaching style is difficult to find, having seen a variety of instructors and their styles, in different countries and even within the INSS, and so you will be very lucky if you get Shona on your boat when it comes your turn to learn the ropes (literally). All in all, the Competent Crew course was very enjoyable, and I just wanted to give credit where it was due.
Maps57686967283
20/08/2023 - Excellent experience all round. Best of all was how real every dimension was approached, from sailing as a theoretical and practical activity, with complexity and simplicity in balance, to great food, great feedback, honesty and integrity. bobsS9026OX
21/01/2024 - Great experience - Came here with my mom for a stand up paddle board rental, the staff went above and beyond to be super friendly and the experience was great and good value! lizzyvallely
28/07/2020 - Rockpooling & kayaking - We did once off rock pooling and kayaking and it was great fun. The kids had great fun and they allowed me to go ith them too. In the end the kids jumped off the pontoon and it was just pure giggles and laughs Shyamis
05/08/2018 - Great sailing school in the tidal waters of Dublin Bay - I have just done the RYA Competent Crew course here, five-days aboard the 36-foot Beaufort Venture under the guidance of instructor Gary Curran. The whole week surpassed my expectations, and I cannot praise Gary's teaching style highly enough. We covered the syllabus with clear, safety-focused instructions, followed by lots of hands-on practice. He was patient when things didn't always go right first time, and challenged us to step up our skills when he thought we were ready. We got lots and lots of sailing in conditions ranging from 10 to 30 knots of wind, and the Beaufort Venture is a comfortable and forgiving boat to sail. I won't name check my wonderful shipmates, but I can say that after this week of instruction and encouragement I've raised my sailing ambitions to a higher level. The INSS under Kenny Rumball are super-well organised, and supported us with all the advice, equipment, clothing and food we needed. A great week, and I strongly recommend the INSS to anyone wanting to start sailing or to build their skills. PatrickKinsella
01/07/2017 - Amazing! Well worth it and I enjoyed every bit of it! - Firstly, Jess (our instructor) was amazing! I was a bit nervous starting this course as I didn't know what to expect but Jess made it so easy to understand everything and I absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it! As a result, I'll be booking more courses with them soon.
I think the school is excellent, the structure of the courses are excellent and the instructors are very very good at what they do and I just want to thank Jess and everyone else involved for not only making it an excellent weekend but also giving me an interest in something that I want to stick with for the rest of my life!
If there were 100 stars to choose from instead of just 5, I'd choose 110 ;) 1V426
12/09/2022
