A show like the Nautic is the ideal place to easily meet several training organizations and sailing schools. It's the time to exchange and ask the usual questions to people who are, in general, busy on the pontoons, back from a training course or preparing the next one.
Define your needs
There is nothing more frustrating than visiting a trade show with no purpose or cause. You find yourself wandering around the wide aisles with no real interest in anything. In this case, our goal was to find the perfect sailing school for a neophyte. The people on the stands are very busy. While they may be happy to talk to you, the discussion will be smoother and more effective if you are clear about what you want:
- Theoretical training or practical training?
- Have you ever been on a boat at sea?
- Do you feel seasick?
- Can you easily leave your family for a week?
- How do you feel about working in a large group?
- Is your health compatible with the relative discomfort of a sailboat?
Of course, this list of questions is not exhaustive. It must be adapted to each person according to his character, his research and his desires. Have in mind your " nautical profile " will save thinking time and allow for learning.
Here are the results of our peregrinations in the aisles of the Nautic.
MACIF, a big machine with real results
MACIF has become an institution in the field of nautical training. And the stand of the sailing center insurer is the image of this institution. We feel we are dealing with people who master their subject, the offer and the content.
The welcome at the MACIF stand is warm and carried out by sailing instructors, the same ones who will be with the yachtsman on the boat during this training.
The sailing center's training offer for beginners is divided into two categories:
- Training " All levels "These tests are open to everyone. It is a test of knowledge and skills as well as a first contact with salt water. This training lasts from 2 to 3 days, during a weekend.
- Training " First edges "These courses are intended for boaters who have already been on a boat. The main objective is to discover the role of the crew member. This is followed by an introduction to sailing, with which the new crew member will not cross the Atlantic, but will begin to understand some of the principles and terms that he or she will hear on board. It is necessary to count one week in total for the whole of this training.
Training " All levels "These courses can be held in La Rochelle, Marseille or Toulon. The courses " First edges "are held in La Rochelle and Marseille.
Les Glénans, a school with a reputation
When we visited the Glénans stand, the welcome was unfortunately not up to the reputation of the sailing school, which sees thousands of trainees every year. If this does not prejudge the quality of the course, the hostess was content to hand out a catalog of adult training courses, accompanied by a " the coordinates are inside ". We probably didn't come at the right time.
However, the Glénans offers a training program for non-experts. Gleaned from the catalog, it takes place over 2 weeks. The first week of this 13-day course is " one week of initiation with accommodation at the base ". Named " Cruise level 1 "It is followed by a second week of " discovery of coastal navigation and life on board a sailboat ".
A version " light " is available. " The basics of sailing "proposes, in 4 days, an initiation whose description is rather unclear: " You sail on small boats designed for beginners and formalize what you learn during the topos ".
In both cases, training sessions are held in Paimpol, Vannes, Marseillan, Bonifacio and, of course, in the Glénan Islands.
VOG Week, the challenger that trains connoisseurs
Vog Week is the training offer of the crew exchange site " Vog with Me ". Here, we offer both the dream - sailing on beautiful boats - and the knowledge. Indeed, this navigation is carried out with a professional and educational skipper.
During the discussion on the stand, the conclusion was drawn that Vog Week's target audience was not composed of beginners. In fact, the training courses offered are in part advanced. For another part, they allow to become a skipper.
There is no training offer for beginners at Vog Week for the moment.
The Paris Cruise School, local but not only
The Paris Cruise School welcomes you on a very minimalist stand. Smiles, warmth and friendliness are the order of the day at this stand, which is not particularly impressive in terms of layout or size.
It doesn't matter, that's not the objective. Discussion and advice are the order of the day in this space where you feel welcomed by people who are passionate about both sailing and teaching. The ECP school boat is in the Port of Le Havre, which allows a training offer accessible to all people living in the north of France.
The training courses offered by the ECP are systematically supervised by a volunteer skipper and a volunteer skipper. The approach of this training center is to put " in the bath " on the first weekend. It's not a question of taking a whole shift on your own, of course. It is through active participation in the movements and maneuvers - always supervised - that the student learns here.
The typical training at ECP takes place in 2 seasons. Winter: the theoretical courses and the main principles. In summer, the navigation part "in the rough" . This is the approach that is proposed and recommended by the center's teachers.
It is a pack of several days that is proposed. The 13/18 days pack is recommended for a beginner. It includes the theoretical training when it is cold and 13 (or 18) days of navigation in the season. These days can be taken in one piece or in fractions during weekends of navigation.
In summer, these sailings leave the Channel/Brittany basin to go to more distant destinations ( Scotland, Sicily, Scandinaviaeuros ).
Groupe International de Croisière, people first
Social club ? A sailors' lodge? The International Cruising Group is at first elusive. When you arrive at the stand, you think you are following an initiation and adopting a rite. The message is not clear to the layman and, at first glance, the welcome does not have the joviality of the fishermen's bar on a Sunday afternoon.
However, when we talk to them, we know that we are dealing with people who want to enjoy their passion and share it. These enthusiasts are above all humans who want to be with others.
On the program of the GIC, cruises on all the seas of the globe. And, for those less used to it, " Maneuver " and " Low-key navigation ". These courses are proposed as learning the initial gestures that will allow to reach the goal of this group: to create crews.
Because that is the real purpose of this structure, to create crews. To follow the training courses of this school, you have to show your credentials. A letter of application must be written, explaining the motivations as well as the possible nautical experiences. Their absence is not a rejection clause, far from it. It is a possibility to integrate, with one's skills and know-how, a crew which is composed of people who are different from each other.
Sailing is supervised by volunteer skippers and skipper's. They are interchangeable to be able to act in case of accident.
Training " pebble shave " ( on board a UFO 345 ) are held in Granville and surroundings in May, July and August. As for the maneuvering courses, they are held from and to Cherbourg.
