Sailing courses
TRIP is a sailing school authorized by he Finnish association of sailing instructors (Purjehduksenopettajat ry PORY) and organizes Sailing Crew and Inshore Skipper courses according to the PORY education system. The contents of courses is based on the Quality Handbook by PORY. The implementation of courses is done by PORY authorized sailing teachers and instructors, together with assistant teachers.
The Sailing Crew course is for beginners and the goal is to learn the skills needed for being a member of the crew on a sailing boat.
No sailing experience or navigation theory knowledge is required. The course provides basic sailing skills including knowledge of terms, ropework, sail handling, boat handling, steering, weather forecasts and general safety on boats.
More information about the contents of Sailing Crew course you will find from PORY’s website, here (unfortunately only in Finnish).
In spring 2024, Sailing Crew course in English was organized during weeks 18-22, it started with theory days and continued with practical training. The timetable depended on the group people chose and were chosen to. Sailings for one group are organized closely, typically during one week. The price of spring 2024 sailing courses is here.
In Autumn 2024, no Sailing Crew course will be organized in English.
The Inshore Skipper course (FIN) is for more experienced and the goal is to be able to skipper a sailing boat in familiar waters during day time.
The course focuses on preparations before departure and after arrival, steering under power and sail, mooring, basics of skippering, navigation, route planning and safety. The prerequisites for the course are a passed Navigation 1 or similar level exam (e.g. RYA’s Day Skipper) and a minimum of 100 nautical miles sailing experience as a member of the crew. No previous experience of being a skipper is required.
More information about the contents of Inshore Skipper course you will find from PORY’s website, here (unfortunately only in Finnish).
In spring 2024, the Inshore Skipper course was organized in English for the first time in TRIP.
In Autumn 2024, one Inshore Skipper course will be organized, in English. The course will be held during weeks 32-34 and 37, starting with theory days and continuing with practical training. The course timetable will be updated here. You will find the price list from here.
The sign-up for Autumn 2024 Inshore Skipper course is open.
Sailing courses are mainly organized at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, mostly in May. Courses are organized in the autumn also if possible.
Both Sailing Crew and Inshore Skipper courses last for 32 hours in total, which is divided into the shore-based theory part (8h) and the practical part (24h) in our keelboats. The theory part will be held during two or three weekday evenings as contact teaching in Otaniemi and/or online teaching. The lectures are naturally organized separately for courses with different contents. However, the lectures are common for groups of the same course level.
Each participant will be a part of a 3–4 person group. One course level includes multiple groups, at least the courses held in Finnish. The practical part, the exact time of sailings and the group’s boat, will be based on the group division. All of our 3 keelboats, FirsTrip, GinTrip and ElecTrip, are used on the courses. The boats are moored in Ruoholahti.
The implementation of the practical part depends on the group and includes teaching mainly on weekday evening or weekends. Earlier some groups have had sailings eg. entirely on weekday evening sails (6 x 4h = 24h), as a combination of weekday evenings and weekend whole day sails and as a combination of weekday evening sails (2 x 4h + 2 x 8h = 24h) and a trip sail, containing an overnight (2 x 4h + 2 x 8h = 24h). Weekend sailings can be organized as whole day sail, when the group will return to Ruoholahti during the same day. The other option is to organize it as a trip sail, which lasts for 2–4 days and contains 1–3 overnights. Four day sails with three overnights are not very common but there would be an opportunity to organize a sail like that in 2023. The amount of teaching on each day of a trip sail depends on the circumstances.
The sailings will begin and eventually end at our home harbor in Ruoholahti. All of the sailings actually last for more than 4 or 8 hours because those mentioned are just durations of the teaching itself. It also takes time to prepare the boat before embarking and cleaning and other procedures in the end. Also the safety and other instructions in the beginning and summing up the sail in the end will take some time. Naturally the weather also plays a role in the scheduling and duration of the sail.
During evening sails on weekdays (4h teaching) and whole day sails (8h teaching) sailing skills are gained on nearby waters in Espoo and/or Helsinki. There might not be a possibility to go ashore to new place and walk around during the evening and whole day sails that don’t include an overnight. However, there will be rehearsals of mooring the boat. The trip sail, on the other hand, includes 1–3 overnights in the archipelago, which makes it possible to get to wonder in new places and perhaps even go to sauna. Everyone has an own sleeping bunk in the boat and it is also possible to spent the night ashore, for example in a hammock. The destinations depend on the skipper, schedule and weather conditions.
Because of the short duration, evening sails don’t include a whole meal, but there is usually small snacks for the participants. Sailings organized on weekends, typically include either lunch or breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, the amount and contents of meals depends on the group and circumstances. Anyhow, some own snacks are recommended. Meals are prepared on the boats, so longer sails will include also cooking in the boat’s kitchen.
Neither of the courses includes an exam but previously Inshore and Coastal Skipper exams have been organized on TRIP’s boats, organized by the test participant themselves. If asked, the course educator can fill in the PORY Record of Competence and Logbook, which can be ordered when filling in the registration form. A separate certificate of participation in the course will not be provided.
You’ll gain experience and new skills for seafaring safely and with guidance of competent and authorized TRIP members.
The courses are a good way to use knowledge and skills, from eg. navigation courses, in practice.
Leading skills learned in Inshore Skipper course can be useful in situations outside of sailing too.
You will get the chance to enjoy nature experiences and most likely see new places and harbours.
The Inshore Skipper course gives a great base for TRIP’s own Skipper exam or PORY’s Inshore Skipper exam. The latter can be independently organized on TRIP’s boats or done via another operator.
After the Inshore Skipper course you can participate to a Coastal Skipper course and exam outside of TRIP or organize an exam independently on a TRIP boat. The Coastal Skipper exam is one of the requirements for being a captain for FirsTrip.
Inshore Skipper exam or Coastal Skipper exam are an official proof of practical seafaring skills when applying Traficom’s International Certificate of Competence (Kansainvälinen huviveneenkuljettajankirja).
And let’s not forget that in the courses you’ll get to know new like-minded people and perhaps find new friends for future sails!
Sailing courses like other TRIP’s courses are for members only. If you aren’t a member yet, now it’s a good time to join – you can click this to get to the registration form. By joining Teekkaripurjehtijat you will automatically join also Suomen Purjehdus ja Veneily ry (SPV), because TRIP is it’s member association. Being a member of SPV are entitled to If’s accident insurance. Read more about the insurance from here (unfortunately only in Finnish).
We organize courses in Finnish and in English. Starting from 2024, both Sailing Crew and Inshore Skipper courses are available in Finnish and English – but of course depenant on the availability of educators and the interest of members. You can learn about the courses in Finnish here.
No previous knowledge or skills in sailing is required for Sailing Crew course – the sheer interest to learn is enough. However, to be able to participate in the Inshore Skipper course, you should have passed a Navigation 1 or similar level exam (eg. RYA’s Day Skipper) and sailed minimum 100 nautical miles as a member of a crew. No previous experience of being a skipper is required. The registration to Inshore Skipper course doesn’t guarantee acceptance to the course, because certificates will be checked before confirming the spot.
Expenses will be caused by the course and material payments, trips to Ruoholahti marina, and possible voluntary costs in the harbour (like sauna). The price list for courses and materials is available here. Please notice that membership of TRIP has to be valid in order to participate in the course.
Course payments cover the course itself and expenses of food, harbour payments, boat usage (like fuel) and possible rents of spaces. There is usually some small snacks during the evening sails (4h) – but not a whole meal. Weekend sails typically include either lunch or breakfast, lunch and dinner, at least breakfast, which are prepared in the boat. However, the amount and contents of meals depends on the group and circumstances.
Course payment doesn’t cover an exam or a course certificate cause they aren’t included in the course.
We confirm your spot on the course as soon as possible after registration, so please don’t pay the course and material payment until that. We will return your payment if you already paid and there wouldn’t be space in the group you chose.
After confirming your spot in the course, please pay the bill with the details you received automatically to your email after you filled in the registration form. Remember to use the right reference. You have 14 days to pay the bill after you have sent the registration form. Take a receipt of the payment with you when you pick up the materials.
Education activities produce income to the association, because the educators teach on a voluntary basis. The incomes are used to support TRIP’s activities.
A coursebook and note taking kit are needed in the theory part of the course. The Record of Competence and Logbook by PORY is a nice addition, but not mandatory. The coursebook for Sailing Crew course is Reeds Skipper’s Handbook by Malcolm Pearson. It cannot be ordered via TRIP, but it is available in bookstores – both as e-book and paper book.
The voluntary course book for Inshore Skipper course in English is Illustrated Seamanship by Ivar Dedekam, but it is not possible to order via TRIP. It can be ordered from e.g. Adlibris for 17,30€ + delivery fee and it is available in audio/e-book services Storytel and Bookbeat (these were checked 16.7.2024).
The Record of Competence and Logbook can be ordered via TRIP when filling in the registration form. The price list of materials offered by TRIP can be from here. Materials can be available also second hand or found from the library. You can also send an email to TRIP’s board to address hallitus@teekkaripurjehtijat.fi and ask if there are materials available in our storage.
Materials are given during the first theory lectures – so please be ready to show a receipt.
For the practical part you’ll need different pieces of equipment, depending on the way the sailings are carried out. You can find gear lists from here. The site will updated shortly.
To get more information about the sailing courses, please send a message to TRIP’s board to the email address hallitus@teekkaripurjehtijat.fi. If you are already a member of Teekkaripurjehtijat ry, we recommend you to send your question on the slack-channel #koulutus.
Also a visit in PORY’s website can be useful. You can click on the site (unfortunately only in Finnish) from this link.