If you have any questions, please feel free to call us anytime or send us a quick e-mail. Our 0845 number is charged at a local UK call rate to you but rings straight through to us here in Mallorca.

One Day Taster Course – if you would like to try sailing to see if it is for you, this is a good place to start. One of our RYA instructors will take you out for the day in either Alcudia or Pollenca bays where you will be shown how to sail the boat. For lunch, you will anchor in a beautiful cove and have the opportunity for a swim. This day out is hands on and will introduce you to the joys of sailing on board a cruising yacht. For most people it is the highlight of their holiday. It also makes an excellent birthday or Christmas present and we provide you with a “ticket” that you can give to your friend or loved one on the day.

Learn to Sail – For many years we have been running a two day Learn to Sail course to serve as a short introduction to sail cruising. This is now represented as the RYA Start Yachting course. If you would like to try sailing, but are not keen on committing 5 days to living on board a yacht, then this is the course for you. It is like a taster course except that you will learn more about the sailing of the boat. In addition to this, you have the opportunity to stay on board the yacht during the “middle” night if you would like to see what it is like to live on board a cruising yacht. By the end of the course you will have experienced steering a yacht, sail handling, rope work and will have an awareness of safety on board. Another major benefit of this course is that, once you have your Start Yachting certificate, you can then “top up” this course and attain your Competent Crew course completion certificate. This 2-day course is designed for complete beginners wishing to combine the pleasures of sailing with the many delights of a holiday in Mallorca. Our aim is to give you an enjoyable and laid-back introduction to big boat sailing.

Learn to Sail Course in November

RYA Competent Crew - This is the basic introductory 5-day course for both the complete beginner and those of you who may already have some experience of either dinghy sailing or cruising. For this course you live on board one of our yachts and all food, refreshments, linen, fuel and berthing expenses are included. It makes an ideal low stress activity holiday and teaches you how to become an active crewmember of a cruising yacht. If you have already done a Comp Crew course it is often hugely beneficial and fun to do another one. You will always learn loads and you don't need to think about a Day Skipper course until you want to start to take charge of the boat.

2 Day Navigation Course – for several years we ran a two day theory course for those taking a Day Skipper Practical. We found that this worked well as a basic introduction to navigation and was a better period of time for those starting to acquire navigation skills. In 2007, the RYA introduced a 2-day basic navigation course, so the course now carries RYA certification. This course will suit those who cannot spare the 4/5 days required for the full RYA Day Skipper theory course but who would like an introduction to navigation. This course will introduce you to enough theory for day sailing and will enable you to complete a Day Skipper practical course with us. A major advantage is that the course does not overload you at an early stage; however, it will show you the importance of theoretical navigation knowledge and encourage you to want to learn more in the future. This course will also be very useful for those who have either studied a little at home and want some practical help from an RYA instructor or who have not been unable to complete a Day Skipper theory course by evening classes.

RYA Day Skipper Shorebased Theory - This course covers the basics of navigation, pilotage, weather, rules of the road and passage planning in far more detail. It covers both tidal and non-tidal situations and is intended for those wishing to learn the theory of how to take command of a yacht. This course takes 5 days in isolation or 4 days when combined with an RYA Day Skipper Practical course. The course will run from 10am until 6 pm each day and you can expect to have around 2/3 hours of homework on each evening during your shorebased course.

RYA Navigation Course

RYA Day Skipper Practical – this 5 day practical course is for people who already know how to sail a yacht and have the ability to undertake some simple navigation and pilotage. You will be introduced to taking command of a sailing yacht for the first time. We will show you how to skipper your vessel on short passages. This will involve planning the trip, briefing the crew, boat handling, seamanship, navigation and many other skills. Although not a requirement, you will find this course a lot easier if you have already completed the RYA Day Skipper theory course or the 2-day RYA Basic Navigation course. When you successfully complete the practical course, you will be able to skipper a small yacht in familiar waters. If you plan to sail in tidal waters, you can attend a two-day top-up course to RYA Day Skipper tidal.

Competent Crew to Day Skipper – this program is for complete beginners who would like to be able to sail and skipper a yacht on their own by the end of the holiday. This is a comprehensive course and ideal if you wish to take flotilla holidays or charter in the Mediterranean. As part of your program you can choose to either take a full RYA Day Skipper theory course or a shorter RYA basic navigation course. You will need 14 or 12 days respectively in order to complete the course, however, you may wish to factor in a couple of half days “off” during the course to do a little sightseeing or soak up some sun. We would recommend the 2 day basic navigation course as the best choice.

International Certificate of Competence - this certificate is often required by yacht charter companies and authorities in Europe. If you are a British Citizen or resident you can apply to the RYA for an ICC if you have an RYA Day Skipper Practical course completion certificate or you can take a test designed to assess your abilities to approximately this standard. The level of training required in order to prepare for the test may vary according to your degree of prior sailing experience and training. We would be pleased to advise you what would be an appropriate amount of training suitable for you.

RYA Training at Saracen Sailing Mallorca

Saracen Day Skipper Improver- these courses are suitable for those who have taken an RYA Competent Crew course but would prefer to reinforce these skills before moving on. Equally, the RYA Day Skipper practical course will provide you with all the knowledge and skills you need to get out there sailing without an instructor or skipper on board. It is, however, sometimes a bit daunting to suddenly be out there on your own with perhaps just a little skippering and parking practice under your belt. In particular, if you only sail once or twice a year, you will find that a “refresher” at this stage of your learning could be invaluable. An improver course will reinforce your knowledge and ensure that techniques are fresh in your mind. We schedule refreshers over either two or five-days so you can choose what best suits you.  We will take you over the key syllabus area of the courses you have taken so far and work with you on any weaker areas and, then, if you are moving quickly ahead, we will get you started on the next level of your training. This is a great way to keep your sailing skills current, simply enjoy a short sailing break and perhaps some Winter sunshine or as a preparation for bareboat charter.

Private Courses- All of our RYA Sail Cruising courses may be taken privately. We take a flexible approach to our group courses however a private course allows for an even more tailored approach to your own holiday and training requirements. Perhaps focusing on specific training areas or you may like to learn a little less and relax more, have a more intensive training experience or some people in your group may want to come along but not necessarily learn how to sail. We can also offer 7-day private course for those wanting a longer sailing holiday and we can run theory courses privately, perhaps bringing the course to you if this would be more convenient.

Own Boat Tuition- if you have your own sailing yacht based in Mallorca and would like some training to help you to get the most out of your boat, we can come to you and provide you with RYA training on board your own boat. We can help with specific techniques, teach your family or crew to improve their skills, provide you with guidance with regard to yacht maintenance and, as an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) test center, we can take you through a test for the ICC.

Corporate Events and Team Building-within the Saracen team we have a variety of skills that can be drawn upon to provide you with an effective team building or corporate event on the water. These skills include senior HR and business management and organising conferences, client entertainment and financing road shows for major World businesses. These skills have been applied throughout Europe and in the USA. We have also been frequent participants rather than organisers in team building and off-site exercises. In our experience, bringing together groups of employees on a sailing yacht is an excellent platform to work on building co-operation within a team. In a fun and stimulating environment your team may find the usual hierarchy is altered. The challenge for them is to adapt by drawing upon the new found strengths of the team in order to achieve the common objective of sailing the boat effectively. Interacting in a completely different situation can dramatically improve the communication between employees and encourage greater camaraderie and team spirit.

Blue Olive Breaks- are designed to provide you with a restorative short break on Mallorca. They are either 4 or 7 nights in duration and combine hotel accommodation with a few days of relaxing sailing on your own private skippered yacht. Accommodation has been chosen to provide you with a glimpse of the rustic sophistication of the “other Mallorca” and has been specially selected to be distinctive in style, character and location. We arrange all the necessary practical issues for you during your stay so can simply relax and enjoy your break.
Day Sailing Courses- The RYA sail cruising scheme is predominantly geared to training whilst living on board a yacht. We appreciate, however, that a lot of people enjoy day sailing in the bays here in Mallorca and prefer to return to their villa or hotel in the evening. Sometimes not all the family sails and so, whilst you may want to get out on the water, it is preferable to spend valuable time with the family in the evening. In this instance, we can still provide you with the sail training you require and would be pleased to explain how these training programmes work in more detail.

Family Sailing Adventures – We have many years of experience of providing our clients with a family holiday combined with sail training. You can find more details and suggestions in the family sailing section of the website.
                                  
N.B. all RYA courses conducted in the Mediterranean are 'non-tidal'.

Price Guide
5 and 7 day PRIVATE course	£1500-£4200
Group 5 day practical course	Prices from £350 to £650
1 day Taster and 2 day Learn to Sail Courses	Prices from £150 to £380
Theory  Courses	Prices from £175-550

DOWNLOAD SCHOOL BOOKING FORM The booking form is a Word file. Download the form and print it out, fill it in and fax to us. Or save as a Word file, fill it in on screen and email to us Saracen Sailing Mallorca Yacht Charter Holidays & Sailing Courses