small white sailing yacht with a red downwind spinnaker sail, sailing with 3 people out of Mylor Sailing School Cornwall

Silver Sailors RYA Beginner & Intermediate

Are you of a retirement age and want to learn to sail? Silver Sailors Beginners or Intermediate is the course for you!! 4 x half sessions spread over 4 weeks.

More course information

Next course dates are;

APRIL/MAY 2025 –

Level 1 (beginner) – MONDAYS 28th April, 5th, 12th, 19th May 2025 – 9.30am-12.30pm

Level 2 (intermediate) – MONDAYS 28th April, 5th, 12th, 19th May 2025 – 1.30pm-4.30pm

JUNE 2025 –

Level 1 (beginner) – MONDAYS 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd June 2025 – 9.30am-12.30pm

Level 2 (intermediate) – MONDAYS 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd June 2025 – 1.30pm-4.30pm

SEPT 2025 –

Level 1 (beginner) – MONDAYS 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th Sept 2025 – 9.30am-12.30pm

Level 2 (intermediate) – MONDAYS 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th Sept 2025 – 1.30pm-4.30pm

Silver Sailors Level 1 beginner and Level 2 intermediate courses

A 4 week course of a half day per week. Sign up to this course and come and learn to sail in the most wonderful Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, here in Mylor Yacht Harbour, near Falmouth.

Our Fal Estuary is the perfect place to dinghy sail with its sheltered waters.

Most of this course is spent on the water sailing but there are also some theoretical aspects of the course that will be taught in the classroom ashore.

Course content will include rigging, wind awareness, ropework, sailing techniques & manoeuvres, launching & recovery, some sailing theory and background, clothing and equipment, meteorology, capsize recovery

PRICES

Group Size	Price
Group is a maximum of 4	£185 plus RYA logbook of £7

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So great to be in a group of people my age! Really great place to learn.

Frequently asked questions

When do these courses run?

This course is 10am - 1pm on a Monday morning There are 3 lots of 4 week courses run throughout the year, April/May, June/July and Sept/Oct. All in the school term time. Pre-booking is essential.

What is Silver Sailors?

This course is for people of retirement age. It is set at a cheaper rate to get local people on the water and keep them there.

I have never done it before, is this ok?

This is a very frequently asked question! Yes of course, this is what we are here for! Around 60% of our customers are absolute beginners. If you have any apprehensions at all then please contact us and we will endeavour to put your mind at rest.

Can I just pay a deposit to secure my booking?

At the checkout you have the option to either pay in full or click on 'Klana' which is a free payment instalment platform where you can spread the payments.

I sailed a few years ago but am really rusty, is this the right course for me?

We would normally recommend that you join this level to start with and see how much of the information comes back to you and if we need to fast track you to the next level then we can.

I have sailed yachts in the past, shall I book onto a more advanced dinghy sailing course?

Transferring your skills from a yacht to a dinghy is quite a different experience. The principles are the same, but we will need to show you some new skills to be able to handle a sailing dinghy, so best to start on Level 1.

What kind of boats will we be sailing?

We have 4 larger double handed boats, similar to Wayfarers and also some smaller single handed boats if you are keen!

What happens if it is really windy?

During the 4 week course we allow for 1 of these sessions to cover essential other aspects of the syllabus ashore. If we then encounter another week with adverse conditions, we will cancel this and tag another session on the end of the 4 week block. We will always let you know if the session is not going ahead.

If it rains, will it still be on?

Yes, we still go sailing in the rain. Most of the time you are going to get wet anyway! We provide all wetsuits for the smaller wet boats and waterproofs for the larger, drier boats to keep you as comfortable as possible. We also provide all the safety equipment.

What do I need to bring?

We provide all the clothing and equipment you will need. If you are going in a smaller boat then you will get wet. Here at Mylor Sailing School we have plenty of wetsuits for all ages and sizes. If you are going in a dryer boat then we will provide waterproof jackets and trousers to go over your clothing. The only thing we do not provide is footwear so you will need to bring something that you don’t mind getting wet, like wetsuit shoes or trainers. If you are wearing a wetsuit you will also need to bring your bathing suit for underneath this and a towel. This will all be explained in your booking confirmation once you have confirmed your booking.

Do I have to wear a helmet?

It is the policy of Mylor Sailing School for all beginners to wear helmets. Once adults have completed their Level 2 and their skills are current we start to take the helmets off.

Do I need to capsize?

Here at Mylor Sailing School we will never make anybody do anything that they would not like to do. For the more elementary stages of sailing you need to understand what to do in the event of a capsize and this will be talked through/demonstrated when you are booking onto the RYA courses. Normally once you have had a practical experience of a capsize in a controlled environment then any fears are normally alleviated.

I cannot swim, is this ok?

Yes this is absolutely fine. You will always be wearing either a buoyancy aid or a life jacket that will keep you floating if you do enter the water. We normally ask this question on the booking form but it is just for our instructors information.

How many people in a group?

For the Silver Sailors Level 1 course, we only put a maximum of 4 people in a group. If we have more than this, then we will create another group. We like to keep the groups small for the beginner level.