Basic Skills in Keelboats

Pembrokeshire Performance Sailing Academy

Basic Skills

About The Basic Skills in Keelboats Course

This RYA Level 2 Basic Skills in Keelboats course will give you the basic skills and build your confidence in order to be able to sail on all points of sailing without the need for an instructor to be with you. You will revise and improve the following practical skills:

Rigging
Sailing techniques and manoeuvres
Ropework
Capsize Recovery
Racing
Tidal considerations

You will also gain a better understaning of:

Clothing and equipment used in a dinghy
Launching and recovery
Sailing background
Meteorology

Assumed Knowledge

It will be assumed that every student starting the course has already mastered the practical skills and absorbed the background knowledge required for Start Sailing. Both courses can be combined.

Start Sailing in Keelboats

Duration

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

Course Literature

You will have received the National Sailing Scheme Syllabus and Logbook and the Start Sailing Handbook as part of your Level 1 (Start Sailing) Course. If you wish to purchase this literature again or additional literature, please click on the images shown to pre-order the books which we will order to be with you for the start of your 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.

Basic Skills in Keelboats Course Dates

Date/Time	Event	Book
05/08/2026 - 06/08/2026 All Day	Basic Skills for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
18/08/2026 - 19/08/2026 All Day	Basic Skills for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
22/08/2026 - 23/08/2026 All Day	Basic Skills for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
26/08/2026 - 27/08/2026 All Day	Basic Skills for Keelboats <-Book Here Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy, Neyland, MILFORD HAVEN Pembrokeshire	4
12/09/2026 - 13/09/2026 All Day	Basic Skills 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.

https://www.ppsa.co.uk/rya-national-sailing-scheme-in-keelboats/rya-level-3-course-better-sailing/

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.

RYA Membership

Become a member of the Royal Yachting Association, our national governing body, just click the banner to find out more and sign up. Your membership will keep you informed and up to date on everything to do with sailing and powerboating both in the UK and further afield. Membership supports the improvement and development of the national boating programs in which you are taking part. You’ll also gain access to lots of great deals through the RYA.