Start Sailing in Keelboats

Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy

Independent sailing in light to medium winds

About The Start Sailing in Keelboats Course

This RYA Level 1 Start Sailing in Keelboats course provides an introduction to sailing for novices. By the end of the course you will have a basic understanding of small keelboat handling techniques and background knowledge. You will learn the following practical skills:

Rigging
Sailing techniques and manoeuvres
Ropework

You will also gain a better understaning of:

Clothing and equipment used in a dinghy
Man overboard recovery
Sailing background
Emergency equipment and precautions
Meteorology

Sailing is a fantastic and diverse sport. The RYA National Sailing Scheme (NSS) has been designed to help you enjoy getting onto the water

Assumed Knowledge

No previous knowledge is required to attend this course.

Duration

Approximately 16 hours (either spread over a series of sessions or 2 full days).

What’s Included

This is an ideal learning and reference tool packed with the essential knowledge that you need to get afloat, regardless of your age.

Each chapter guides you through essential information on areas key to learning the sport.

This publication is essential for everyone working their way through the RYA National Sailing Scheme, from Start Sailing to Championship Racing. It is the world’s leading small-boat sailing scheme, with over 80,000 people annually taking part in one of the many courses on offer.

Additional Reading

Please click on the image if you wish to pre-order this literature for your arrival on the course (min 10 days notice)

On Completion

On completion of the course, you will have a basic knowledge of sailing and be capable of sailing without an instructor on board in light winds.

Start Sailing in Keelboats Course Dates

If you can’t find dates that suit you below, please get in touch with PPSA.

Date/Time	Event	Book
30/07/2026 - 31/07/2026 9:30 am - 5:00 pm	Start Sailing for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
03/08/2026 - 04/08/2026 9:30 am - 5:00 pm	Start Sailing for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
15/08/2026 - 16/08/2026 9:30 am - 5:00 pm	Start Sailing for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
24/08/2026 - 25/08/2026 9:30 am - 5:00 pm	Start Sailing for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
01/09/2026 - 02/09/2026 9:30 am - 5:00 pm	Start Sailing for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4

Accommodation

Accommodation may be available with Neyland Yacht Haven should you require it here: www.yachthavens.com/neyland-yacht-haven/stay/haven-pod.

Next Steps

It is recommended that all participants consolidate this short introduction with the following RYA National Sailing Scheme Courses.

Now that you’ve finished your sailing course, what’s next for you on your sailing journey?

We hope that you’ve enjoyed your sailing course with us at PPSA. It really has been a pleasure to see you build your skills and confidence during your time at Neyland Yacht Haven. Now that you’ve reached the standard required for your RYA certificate, you may wish to do more. So, what’s next? There are a number of options that you may wish to consider. Have a look at those options below, if they appeal to you, or if you have more questions, please give us a call or send us a message

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PPSA Pirates

Our regular ‘club’ mornings. For those who have completed their first sailing course and want to continue. We run our Pirates sessions on weekends, either a Saturday or a Sunday depending on skill level and type of boat sailed.

If you want to develop the confidence and enjoyment of sailing in the skills you’ve learnt previously before moving onto the next level. Both chilren and adults are able to attend.

Advanced Courses

PPSA is able to deliver the complete suite of National Sailing Scheme Courses from Seamanship, Day Sailing, Sailing with Spinnakers and Performance Sailing. Get in touch with us to discuss your requirements

Bespoke Training

Individual Requirements

If you can’t find the sort of course you want in any of the other products, why not get in touch to design your own course, built to your own requirements? Do you want to practice mark roundings or starts, do you just want to concentrate on trapezing or crewing or anything else to help you move up the fleet? Half days, full days or longer can be catered for, just let us know.

Dates

If you can’t find any dates that suit you in the calendar, PPSA will endevour to find something that will meet your needs. Get in touch with the staff at enquiries@ppsa.co.uk

Instructor Training

Now that you’ve learnt to sail, you may wish to pass on those skills to others – a great thing to do.

For those that are already Dinghy Instructors, PPSA offers Keelboat Instructor Endorsement Course. The Chief Instructor is a fully qualifed RYA National Sailing Scheme Trainer and can arrange for Dinghy Instructors Courses up to Senior Instructor and endorsements to be run at your club/centre should you want it.

These great skills can be used as a volunteer at the club level or as a leg up into the waterbased training industry. Again, if you want more details, please get in touch with the PPSA Office.

Shorebased Knowledge

Do you want to increase your background knowledge before moving onto your next practical course? We have a range of theory based courses that will improve your understanding and application for your progression.

Some of the subjects include First Aid, Navigation, Marine VHF Radio, Sea Survival. For the commercial users, we also delier the the Professional Practices and Responsibilities Course. More details can be found on our Shorbased Courses page.

Powerboat Courses

RYA Powerboat Scheme Powerboat Level 2 Course

If you’re a member of a sailing club elsewhere or if you’d like to get a powerboat qualification, PPSA can deliver entry level and courses useful at the club level.

To discover what’s next in the powerboating scheme, please go to our Powerboat Courses pages.