Nanny Cay has recently become home to Sailon BVI, the only provider of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) courses in the BVI. Previously located in Manuel Reef, Nanny Cay’s provision of dock, shoreside, and training facilities enabled Sailon BVI to retain its status as a “RYA Recognised Centre” and continue to provide world-class RYA training in a leading Caribbean marina.
The Royal Yachting Association (RYA), is the UK’s national body for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrowboats, and personal watercraft. It offers100 courses to professional and recreational boaters, which are right up to date with safety issues, regulations, and emerging trends.
There are 2,250 RYA recognised training centres in the UK and abroad, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, USA and of course, the British Virgin Islands. These deliver over 170,000 training courses annually.
An RYA qualification is known and respected all over the world and training is designed to meet the needs of boaters with varying skills and knowledge and caters to both recreational and professional boaters alike.
UK organisations that have adopted RYA training include the Royal Navy, RNLI, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the MoD, the Police and the Fire Service.
Sailon BVI offers the following RYA courses:
- Powerboat Level 1: This course is primarily for those using small powered crafts such as RIBs and sportboats. Level 1serves as an introduction to boating techniques and is a one-day introduction to powerboating.
- Powerboat Level 2 provides the skills and knowledge needed to drive a powerboat. It is a 2-day course that enables students to become a self-sufficient powerboater in the right conditions, aware of their own limitations and those of the craft.
- A safety boat course is also offered and teaches rescue techniques to students. An RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate must be held prior to this course.It is a 2-day course that will enable students to provide safety or support to a range of craft.
The courses have already been taken up by tourists, locals and even Nanny Cay employees looking to improve their sabot handling skills. Nanny Cay has already signed up several more employees to complete the Powerboat Level 1 and 2 courses. Richard Patterson has been the first Nanny Cay staff member to complete the Level 2 course.
Richard Patterson on the RYA Level 2 Powerboat Course at Nanny Cay
Successful completion of the RYA Level 2 course entitles students to the International Certificate of Competence needed to legally drive powerboats worldwide.
Sailon BVI is owned and managed by husband and wife team Colin Bramble and Alison Knights Bramble. In addition to Alison’s experience as an RYA Principal and Senior Instructor, Alison is the National Director and Coach of the BVI Special Olympics team. She has a long history of teaching children and adults in the BVI and UK to swim, sail and drive powerboats.
For more information or to sign up for a course contact Alison Knights Bramble on [email protected].
