Become A Qualified Yacht Skipper in Two Weeks

Dufour 405 Skipper

Have you ever wanted to skipper your own yacht? Well, now’s your chance! Whether you are a complete novice with no experience - or a seasoned sailor in need of a qualification to prove your skills - we have a skipper’s course to suit you.

We’ll get you trained in a week and turn even beginners into proficient Flotilla Skippers by the end of a two week Stay Sail holiday. Our courses are run in the Greek Ionian - the perfect place to learn to sail in sunshine and calm conditions - where our chief instructor and yacht team teach you everything you need to know in just 5 days on our comprehensive fast track courses in yachting.

Once complete, you’ll go home with an International Yacht Training (IYT) certificate which is a lifetime qualification for worldwide yacht charter - so there will be no future issues with proving your qualifications for chartering.

About our courses

We have courses for Beginner Flotilla Skippers, more experienced Bareboat Skippers, Crew courses and Family courses. You can join our tuition yacht as a solo or book it privately for your group. Kids (age 14+) can even learn their IYT Crew course alongside Mum and Dad as they take their Skippers course.

We teach the International Yacht Training scheme because (unlike other qualifications) we can fast track beginners to gain their Flotilla Skipper license without any prior sailing experience, and in just 5 days. We operate a ‘continual assessment’ method of learning which makes it more enjoyable, easier and fairer on candidates - with no stressful exam at the end.

View the syllabus >

Another successful week of IYT pupiles getting their certificates

Get qualified to charter like this: our Dufour 382 or Sun Odyssey 379

For Beginner Skippers

Unlike other courses, our Flotilla Skipper course doesn’t require you to have any prior experience. You really can turn up with limited knowledge, and, so long as you are keen to learn, we will successfully train you in 5 days to skipper your own yacht.

We recommend you join our flotilla for a second week [after your training] so our yacht team can look after you as you take your first steps in skippering your own yacht, with your family or friends aboard. They’ll be on hand to help you practice your newfound skills; and all in the beautiful Ionian islands where the conditions are calm.

Will I Pass the course?

At Ocean Elements we love introducing new people to sailing and yachting. It’s our mission to ensure that every one of our pupils - be they total newcomers to sailing or more experienced - pass the course in a week so they get to skipper their own yacht for the first time, (in week two).

Passing the course is within everyone’s capabilities so long as you are willing and keen. We have not had to fail anyone yet, and nor do we intend to. If skippers need a little extra coaching on certain topics, then that will be covered too.

The continual assessment nature of our course makes it easier on pupils; and even the end-of-course exam (approx 20 minutes of set questions) is made easier by the fact that if you get it wrong, it will not necessarily fail you - but go out to the group for open discussion. The emphasis is on learning. Not failing.

Get the kids hooked on sailing in a week at Surf Hotel Beach Club whilst you get qualified on our tuition yacht at the marina

We recommend taking the course on a Stay Sail holiday

Our course is best taken as a two week Stay Sail package so we can ensure you learn all the skills required during week one, then practice skippering on your own yacht with our lead crew close by.

Spend week one getting trained up (5 days, 8 hrs a day) while your family enjoy the facilities at our club. Then join then for your penultimate day - maybe to cram in some dinghy sailing - before you head off to the marina for week two.

The south Ionian is known for its calm waters and idyllic beginner conditions. There’s no complicated tides to worry about and navigation and route planning will be made easy for you with line-of-sight sailing to your next port of call.

View the syllabus

Why choose Ocean Elements?

We are all passionate about sailing and have chosen to keep our yacht programme small and personal. This way, we can deliver a higher quality service and focus more attention on our newly trained skippers in this exciting time in their yacht career. Our yachts are modern [and better] than many of our competitors; and our IYT course is a far superior qualification to those taught by some of our competitors. The IYT is very comprehensive and will enable you to charter yachts worldwide - with anyone you choose - and not just with us.

Bahia at Surf Hotel Beach Club