Basic Cruising Course

The 19 Wing Comox Yacht Club is a member of Sailing BC and by affiliation Sail Canada.  Each year, the Club offers a comprehensive Sail Canada accredited Basic Cruising Course (BCC).  Upon successful completion, members will receive an internationally-recognized certification and be trained to act as a skipper on any of the Club keelboats! For the full Sail Canada Basic Cruising curriculum, please click-on their logo (left)

What's involved?

The Basic Cruising Course consists of home study, in-class training, practical on-water sailing, a knowledge test, and a skills test. Classroom and on-water training normally takes about 40-50 hours. Prior to starting our BCC, members need to hold a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Certificate - Marine (ROC-M), as-well-as a Pleasure Craft Operator's Card (PCOC).  Links to online courses for those prerequisites are in the "Costs" section (below).

Classroom Training

Every 19 Wing Comox Yacht Club BCC member will get a copy of Sail Canada's Basic Cruising Skills textbook to study and keep. The formal classroom review session is done on a Saturday morning. The on-land written theory Sail Canada exam is done on the Wednesday evening 11 days later. All classroom and written exam sessions are conducted in the 19WCYC Clubhouse.

BCC members who study the book and complete all the practice quizzes in-advance of the classroom sessions are the most successful on the written exam.  While acting as a skipper, the safety of yourself, your crew/guests, and your vessel itself, depends on the skills and knowledge that you learn during your training; it is highly recommended that members fully engage with their textbook and all aspects of the course!

On-Water Training

This is the best part!  The Club Training Team will build 3-student + instructor crews (largely based on what days/times the members are available to train).  Our instructors are enthusiastic Club members whose passion is sailing.  You'll spend a short time alongside (dockside), learning vessel systems and how to get ready to sail.  Soon after, you'll head-out into the waters off HMCS QUADRA/Goose Spit and experience the exhilaration of sailing!    Each on-water training session is 3-4 hours, and members typically take 32 - 40 hours to become proficient.   On-water sessions will be recorded in your Keelboat & Power Logbook (also supplied), and after completion of your training, the Club's Sail Canada-certified examiner will join your crew (without your instructor) on a final trip to ensure that you are ready to command a vessel on your own.

Costs

• The Basic Cruising Course tuition for 2024 is $350 (same price as last year), and includes textbook, logbook, vessel use, knowledge & skills evaluation fees, registration with Sail Canada and all the taxes.  This course is highly subsidized by the Club with a large cadre of volunteer instructors and organizers, and doesn't come close to covering the maintenance and depreciation costs of the boats;
• Active Club membership is required when signing-up for the course; please consult the membership section to determine yearly fees; and
• For those who are new to being sailors, you'll need to obtain a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Certificate - Marine (ROC-M) and a Pleasure Craft Operator's Card (PCOC).  The ROC-M is available as a hybrid online self-study/Zoom exam for $125 with the Canadian Power Squadron,(Maritime Radio Course with DSC - recommend you choose a BC CPS Unit, as you'll be in the same time zone as your examiner) while the PCOC can be done entirely online with the Power Squadron for $50.
  
  

How Course Payments Can be Made:

Once a Club member has been confirmed on a Course, full payment may be made in-person (debit or credit card) or over the telephone (credit card only) by contacting the Wing Fitness & Community Centre (FCC) at 250-339-8211, ext 8315 (Please do not attempt to pay for your course until advised by the Training Officer).  The Centre is open 0600-2100 Mon-Fri and 0700-1800 on the weekends.

Refunds:

The custom crew scheduling that this course entails involves a firm commitment when you sign-up.  If not sure that you can attend all (or nearly all - with advance permission) of the sessions, consider taking a future course when you have more time.  Please note our refund policy: 

• Textbooks & Logbooks once issued are 100% non-returnable & non-refundable under every circumstance. No exceptions;
• The tuition (portion of the total course cost less the issued books) is non-refundable after 1 March 2024, except when the Club is required to cancel the course, or an exigent military situation arises and a military member is required for an unforeseen deployment; and
• The instructors will do everything possible to set-up their students for success, however, the Club is unable to consider refunds for those who are asked to depart the course for non-attendance or an obvious skill development deficit.
  
  

Who can apply & how are students chosen? 

As space is limited and applications for the Basic Cruising Course normally exceed capacity, we have fully transparent priority loading criteria:

1. First priority are Regular members;
2. Second priority are Ordinary Members; and
3. Third priority are Associate Members.

Please consult our Membership Page to determine priority status. Because there is a significant time commitment to take this course, we have found that a number of first-priority members decide that they are unable to plan for all the training, once they fully appreciate the scope.  As such, it is common to have both Ordinary and Associate Members being able to be registered.  As a component of the registration process, the Club Training Team contacts all applicants and an in-person or telephone interview is the last phase of applicant selection.

To attend one of the two Information Sessions (details below), contact: [email protected]. Be sure to indicate whether you are planning to attend in-person or via ZOOM!