Courses for new boaties

So you’ve got yourself a boat, or thinking about getting one. But do you know what to do with it? Find out more about our range of courses.

You wouldn’t jump in a car without knowing how to drive and the rules of the road, so don’t do it in a boat! What do all those markers mean? What’s the speed limit in different situations? What do I do in an emergency?

You don’t know what you don’t know, so get yourself sorted with our two most popular Boating Education courses before you think about taking your boat out for her maiden voyage. In fact we’d suggest that the best time to do the course is before you buy your boat. The knowledge gained will help ensure it’ll meet your needs and you will have a much better idea of what to look for in terms of required equipment!

Every boat should also have at least one other person who knows what to do in case something happens to you! Encouraging regular crew to do a course or two will give them confidence and help get them more involved.

Beginning Boating Course

Beginning Boating is a free online course designed for people who are new to boating and aren’t ready to take on the skipper’s role. This mobile friendly course covers the basics to help you become an informed crew member, and be more confident and relaxed on the water this summer. Read more about the Beginning Boating course.

Day Skipper Course

Before you take your mates or family out on the water there’s a bit you need to know. Day Skipper is the best course if you’re taking on the role of skipper for the first time, and it applies to a wide range of vessels. Read more about the Day Skipper course. 

Maritime VHF Radio Operator Certificate

Don’t let the first time you use your radio be when your feet are already starting to get wet! Do you know how to use your VHF to let Coastguard know where you’re going, the right things to say, or what radio channel to use?

And do you also know that in order to operate a VHF radio in a non-emergency situation you’re legally required to hold a VHF Radio Operator Certificate? It’s easy to get yourself sorted with your operator’s certificate, read about the VHF radio course here. 

And when you've got your VHF certificate...

Get your VHF Callsign. There are at least 126 boats called Kingfisher in our database, and a VHF Callsign is how we can uniquely identify your boat. You can use your Callsign when you get in touch with Coastguard Radio to log your trip report.

Your VHF Callsign stores information like the length, type of boat, its colour and safety equipment on board, as well as your emergency contact’s details, making it much easier for Coastguard to find you if we need to.

Having a Callsign is a legal requirement when using a VHF in non-urgent situations, so get yourself sorted and get yourself a callsign today.