- Course booked
- Flights booked
- Accommodation booked
Day Skipper Tidal here I come. 87 days to start, 99 days until I’m qualified.
Day Skipper (Tidal) is an intermediate qualification which is better than a sailing qualification and more expansive than a “Competent Crew” certificate. But it falls short of the various Yachtmaster qualifications. The “Tidal” part is slightly better than “non-Tidal” especially if you plan to charter someone else’s boat.
I’ve been thinking about this for ages – something a little more advanced than my dinghy sailing qualifications and now, in 2016, after a pretty damn-awful 2015, seems to be the first hint of peace and the first opportunity to do stuff for me.
Being trained and qualified doesn’t mean that I need it to sail. The sea is a relatively lawless place for a boat owner, especially in UK waters. I’m confident that I could take a 25′ boat around the coasts of Northern Ireland and wouldn’t do too badly based on my experience sailing last summer. Taking a wide berth around rocks, keeping an eye on the channel and the depth-sounder.
Of course, I don’t even have a dinghy at the moment (sold it to close off one more loose end) but that’s not going to stop me. There’s some money in the boat fund account and there’s also a course in woodworking and furniture design and production that I’ve signed up to. I figure it’s the best way to learn how to construct or repair the interiors of a cheap boat, including upholstery.
This summer will be camping and sailing and caravanning. I’ll be looking at stand-up paddle boarding, maybe even try my hand at surfing. And I’d like to try sea fishing.