I finished my Day Skipper with MSA about a month ago and I’m already thinking about Coastal. But I’m wondering — should I get more sea time under my belt first, or just crack on while everything’s fresh?
I’ve done about 200nm since qualifying, all day sailing around the Bay of Palma. I feel fairly confident in calm conditions but haven’t really been tested yet.
What did you all do between qualifications?
There’s no substitute for sea time. When I was learning, my father used to say ‘the sea is the best teacher, the classroom just teaches you the language.’ Get out there as much as you can. The Coastal will be there when you’re ready.
We waited about 18 months between Competent Crew and now doing Coastal. In hindsight, I wish we’d done more sailing in between rather than just reading about it. Get on the water!
My honest advice? Get more sea time first. Not because you’re not capable, but because the Coastal Skipper will mean so much more if you arrive with real questions from real sailing. Do a few longer passages, experience some different weather, maybe do a mile-building trip. Then when you’re in the classroom, the theory will click because you’ve lived it.
I’d agree with James but with a caveat — don’t wait too long or you’ll lose momentum. A season of sailing (say 500-800nm) is a good target. Try to sail with different people and on different boats. Each boat teaches you something new.