REVIEW: RYA Advanced Powerboat Handbook

[Poly]

Paul Glatzel sent us a copy of the Advanced Powerboat Handbook (2nd Ed), RYA Powerboat Handbook (2nd ed): Amazon.co.uk: Paul Glatzel, Pete Galvin: Books and so I thought it would be worth giving a ‘brief’ overview here for those of you who are either not aware there was a new version out or who were wondering about ordering it.

Only for people doing the Advanced Course?
I don’t think Paul will need to worry about invitations to the Booker Prize, but this is a book for people who are more comfortable in a dry suit than a tuxedo anyway! As with many of the RYA publications it comes across as though its not quite sure if it is a book (with a nice flow and logical progression through it) or a set of course notes. It is, after all, designed as a companion to people undertaking the RYA Advanced Powerboat course. I’ve not done that course nor seen the predecessor to this book so will leave it for others to comment in more detail on its utility for that – but as Paul Glatzel is so heavily involved in that type of training it is hard to imagine that he’ll have missed the mark.

While there are obviously people who have done the Advanced Powerboat course, and many who will be considering it, I suspect the vast majority of RIBnet users haven’t done the Advanced Course but have picked up a lot of knowledge through practical experience, and reading magazines and sites such as this one etc. I fall in that camp, and the question then is whether this book would add anything to that knowledge, or indeed be at a level way above our heads.

Getting advanced?
The introduction makes a point of saying that it won’t repeat ground that is already within the Powerboating Handbook or RYA Start Powerboating, but the first few chapters did seem to cover content I remember from my RYA PB Level 2 course. Perhaps almost inevitable, and possibly in marginally more detail but it did make me wonder whether trying to split the content between books was really effective. Perhaps most surprising is that the “kill cord” is never mentioned at all, and whilst hinted at briefly the CG66 is also skipped over. By the time you get to “Advanced” level you are presumably expected to make your own mind up about life jackets, but it might have been worth reviewing clothing (and the potential need for 275N jackets) for those who are progressing from short journeys to more adventurous trips.

The Boat Handling, Col Reg and Navigation sections make up about half the real content in the book and certainly deal with greater depth than covered in the PB2 course although most of it will be available in other publications or magazine “how to” sections gathered over a number of years.

Even for people who do the Advanced course, which can be undertaken in only one type of craft there is useful content here on twins, jet drives, shaft drives and forward facing drives steered with joysticks. If you are going to drive something different though then it will probably take more than digesting a few pages of the book to get the most out of it.

The navigation sections do assume a background level of knowledge beyond that typically taught at PB2 courses, and so recently qualified skippers may find a knowledge gap between the techniques in this book and the basics they already know. Experienced skippers are likely to have encountered many of these techniques or those who have undertaken one of the RYA’s navigation courses will have learned them. There is nothing revolutionary here, but if you’ve never given much thought to navigation or simply relied on a chart plotter there is some significant learning here. There are some helpful tips, and an understanding of how navigating at 30 knots in the open means “good enough” is what you need rather than micro-precision in many circumstances. Practical advice is surely what we would expect from such a handbook and I can understand the RYA’s desire not to promote a specific product, but advice like “choose a [hand bearing compass] which is easy to use and works effectively at night” and “choose plotting instruments that will work well on a small fast moving craft” aren’t really helpful. This is just stating the obvious – it would be far more useful if the book highlighted features of the generally available products that make them well suited to different applications – especially since so much purchasing is done on-line these days without the opportunity to touch and feel the product. Similarly with the “lifesaving equipment” section – which obviously depends on the individual application and environment so a universal recommendation is not possible – but a list of equipment with almost no discussion of the relative advantages of each left me wondering why it is really there.

The weather section assumes prior knowledge that anyone looking to go to sea really should have in order to understand the forecast properly. However it is one of the clearest illustrated meteorology sections I’ve seen in a marine publication for a while. However what it is lacking, as is often the case, is an explanation of what it means to the skipper in a practical sense.

Getting more advanced!
The section on buoyancy and stability was particularly readable and the wave theory chapter was one of the better explanations I’ve seen on this with a clear link between the environmental conditions and the actions of the helmsman. The chapters on rough water and higher speeds address questions which are asked here frequently. I was surprised to see only a couple of sentences on shock mitigation / whole body vibration given its ‘de-regueur’ in the commercial world at the moment, and the importance of the helmsman in that process.

The pages on search patterns and helicopter work were also probably the most detailed I have seen anywhere. Whether they justify almost 10% of the book for skills which most skippers will never use is possibly a matter for debate, but they should at least be interesting to most readers.

The section on Radar is perhaps informative, but inevitably too scant to provide any real substance instead referring the reader to further training. Surprisingly though there is no real advice for the user on selecting an appropriate Radar Reflector (despite half a page on the topic!). Likewise the very brief section on AIS adds nothing of value as anyone who understands what is described there must already have a basic understanding of AIS.

Commercial users
For those looking to operate commercially there are sections covering this, although I suspect anyone looking to make a career out of it, or looking to start a new boating venture will find them wanting. Presumably in order to prevent having to constantly update the book and to keep it as international as possible the lack of substance here was intentional? However I think it could have done with more detail, not least to explain Categorized Waters (and “at Sea”) and also the manning requirements / qualification level for Categories of Vessel. Obviously that is a book in its own right (which the RYA provide to accompany its PPR course, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...XEJSROAZ4H3QFN)
but it would help people understand issues which cause questions here and which the MAIB has made observations about previously.

What’s it lacking?
There are a couple of areas I think this book could have been enhanced, perhaps adding to its wider value rather than simply a handbook for the course. The first is probably the most common questions asked here – buying a boat. It would have been nice to help buyers understand some of the issues from the SSR, VAT, and transfer of MMSI numbers which all lead to confusion to simply a guide or checklist to help people understand things to check during the purchase process.

Another area I was surprised got no mention at all was the Recreational Craft Directive, which would have lead nicely into “taking your boat abroad”. The RCD isn’t something necessarily that meaningful to most UK powerboaters, but that’s why I think it deserves a paragraph or two – even if only to emphasize that little should be inferred from a rating; and it is potentially more meaningful to those who wish to travel around Europe. Many an Advanced Powerboater will be looking to cross the channel and whilst the book will help them with the passage planning and execution it won’t provide them with any advice on paperwork, regulations etc. which need to be considered.

Lastly, given the amount of discussion here on trailers and towing then I think some of the issues around getting your boat afloat should have been covered. Obviously the basics of Launch and Recovery are described in the earlier books in the series, but understanding setting up trailers, reversing with trailers, and some of the lessons people have learned through experience would have made useful additions. There is a chapter on basic care and maintenance but nothing about servicing trailer bearings, brakes etc. The fact these things aren’t covered in any detail on RYA courses actually makes them all the more important.

eBook
The RYA, ever keen to keep up with the latest innovations have produced an eBook version too. Frustratingly (and I assume this is the case for all RYA eBooks) it isn’t available for the traditional/paperwhite Kindle only for Kindle Fire and iOS/Android app users. Presumably this is due to the large quantity of colour images which would be nowhere near as vivid in grey/white – and because they have enhanced the ebook with a couple of video clips. If ever there was a market for eBooks which work on low power devices like the standard Kindle surely it is the yachting one, where power and storage space are typically at a premium! The eBook is no cheaper to the consumer which of course isn’t an unusual model in publishing but is a bit frustrating when clearly the production cost is cheaper. I wish publishers would consider adding some sort of interactive /animated content to eBooks to justify keeping the price inflated. Clearly this sort of publication is crying out for animations / video clips to demonstrate concepts.

Overall
The book is well illustrated and accompanied by photographs throughout. It does feel, as with many of the RYA publications, that the design lets it down and if I’d just spent £16 on it I might be a little disappointed at the amount of white space and “filler” which all contribute to the feeling of it being a set of course notes rather than a book.

My initial feeling on flicking through the book was that it covered a lot of ground discussed elsewhere. I have a collection of “sailing” books on my bookshelf and many diagrams looked familiar, albeit with more modern graphic design. However there is some real powerboat specific content in this book and probably in greater depth than I’ve seen elsewhere. The diagrams and layout make the individual sections very accessible but I did find that the whole book wasn’t an enthralling read. That was probably never its intention. If you are looking for a book to put on your list for Santa as entertaining or interesting reading then Dag Pike’s book I reviewed last year (http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/book-rev...ike-55918.html) is probably more engaging. As a resource for improving your understanding of powerboating beyond the basics learned on a Powerboat 2 course it is certainly useful. For the typical RIBnetter wanting to extend the range of their cruising the navigation section will be particularly useful and accounts for the practicalities of navigating at speed on an open boat which is often ignored in “sailing oriented” publications.

It’s a shame that there isn’t a genuinely complete book that covers everything in one place, that’s not a criticism of this book which has obviously been developed specifically around the Advanced Powerboat Course Syllabus and with some resulting cost / length constraints to avoid selling people content they probably already own.

[ShinyShoe]

EBook.... There should be interactive content in the eBook, based on the RYA strategy for ebooks.

That's probably why you need a fancier reader...

[jlandells]

I have the eBook version, and the animations are really helpful.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

EBook.... There should be interactive content in the eBook, based on the RYA strategy for ebooks.

That's probably why you need a fancier reader...

Originally Posted by jlandells

I have the eBook version, and the animations are really helpful.

I've tried both the Android versions and the Mac Desktop version and neither seem to have any animations. The only interactive content seems to be about 3 videos of Paul Glatzel talking...

[boristhebold]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review, interesting comments made. I think both books you mention will be on my Xmas list.

My experience of reading many books on different levels of training and having done many of the RYA courses I agree there is a certain element of things repeated in many area's but also in parts some more specific detail mentioned in the more advanced books and training courses generally speaking.

I guess its a difficult balance and the authors have a hard time getting that balance spot on, some people will feel some elements missed and others may feel some elements had too much book space. No real answer. If you had to cover all elements at all levels it would be a very big book or a very long course.

When feedback is given on courses its usaully at the end of the course and at the end of the day so I guess people want to gte out quickly so im wondering in general terms do the RYA get appropriate feedback or just quick feedback.

On the advanced courses and any advanced powerboat book I personally would like to see a chapter on the 'Milly' rib incident, having read the MAIB full report I learned a lot about boat stability issues and power versus stability, weight and boat capabilities and design. I think others would learn alot to, and on the RYA courses the element of boat stability, capability and issues doesn't really get any time.

Perhaps another area I would like to see in an advanced book or an advanced course is a section on the RNLI and Coastguard in terms of search and rescue and how for example the coatsguard operates during an incident and the information they need in certain situations, for example I was assisting with a missing diver incident recently and learned alot about what information the coastguard needs and could determin why they wanted it as I was relaying information they asked for, so next time I will know what they need and why and will be able to perform better.

Looking forward to reading those books.

[boristhebold]

And forgot to mention, I bet there is a good book of practical advice contained within all the posts on this forum ?

Anyone want to do one ? for charity ? profits going to x charity ? xmas sticking filler ?

[PeterM]

Best advice I had from Paul a few weeks ago ;

PG - Where are you off to ?

Me - Weymouth for lunch

PG - You're going the wrong way ......

[Trimix]

So, if I buy the book and read it, do I need to do the course ?

Given I've done Powerboat 1 and 2, and now had a while to mess about in my boat I was thinking about some more training.

• But will I learn stuff that matters in the real world, or just hypothetical stuff ?
• Will it relate to my RIB ?
• Anyone done the advanced course - can you recommend it ?
• Some of the stuff seems pretty obvious, or is it a case of having a hands on course making it easier to put in practice what you may have read ?

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Poly

Paul Glatzel sent us a copy of the Advanced Powerboat Handbook (2nd Ed), RYA Powerboat Handbook (2nd ed): Amazon.co.uk: Paul Glatzel, Pete Galvin: Books and so I thought it would be worth giving a ‘brief’ overview here for those of you who are either not aware there was a new version out or who were wondering about ordering it.

Only for people doing the Advanced Course?
I don’t think Paul will need to worry about invitations to the Booker Prize, but this is a book for people who are more comfortable in a dry suit than a tuxedo anyway! As with many of the RYA publications it comes across as though its not quite sure if it is a book (with a nice flow and logical progression through it) or a set of course notes. It is, after all, designed as a companion to people undertaking the RYA Advanced Powerboat course. I’ve not done that course nor seen the predecessor to this book so will leave it for others to comment in more detail on its utility for that – but as Paul Glatzel is so heavily involved in that type of training it is hard to imagine that he’ll have missed the mark.

While there are obviously people who have done the Advanced Powerboat course, and many who will be considering it, I suspect the vast majority of RIBnet users haven’t done the Advanced Course but have picked up a lot of knowledge through practical experience, and reading magazines and sites such as this one etc. I fall in that camp, and the question then is whether this book would add anything to that knowledge, or indeed be at a level way above our heads.

Getting advanced?
The introduction makes a point of saying that it won’t repeat ground that is already within the Powerboating Handbook or RYA Start Powerboating, but the first few chapters did seem to cover content I remember from my RYA PB Level 2 course. Perhaps almost inevitable, and possibly in marginally more detail but it did make me wonder whether trying to split the content between books was really effective. Perhaps most surprising is that the “kill cord” is never mentioned at all, and whilst hinted at briefly the CG66 is also skipped over. By the time you get to “Advanced” level you are presumably expected to make your own mind up about life jackets, but it might have been worth reviewing clothing (and the potential need for 275N jackets) for those who are progressing from short journeys to more adventurous trips.

The Boat Handling, Col Reg and Navigation sections make up about half the real content in the book and certainly deal with greater depth than covered in the PB2 course although most of it will be available in other publications or magazine “how to” sections gathered over a number of years.

Even for people who do the Advanced course, which can be undertaken in only one type of craft there is useful content here on twins, jet drives, shaft drives and forward facing drives steered with joysticks. If you are going to drive something different though then it will probably take more than digesting a few pages of the book to get the most out of it.

The navigation sections do assume a background level of knowledge beyond that typically taught at PB2 courses, and so recently qualified skippers may find a knowledge gap between the techniques in this book and the basics they already know. Experienced skippers are likely to have encountered many of these techniques or those who have undertaken one of the RYA’s navigation courses will have learned them. There is nothing revolutionary here, but if you’ve never given much thought to navigation or simply relied on a chart plotter there is some significant learning here. There are some helpful tips, and an understanding of how navigating at 30 knots in the open means “good enough” is what you need rather than micro-precision in many circumstances. Practical advice is surely what we would expect from such a handbook and I can understand the RYA’s desire not to promote a specific product, but advice like “choose a [hand bearing compass] which is easy to use and works effectively at night” and “choose plotting instruments that will work well on a small fast moving craft” aren’t really helpful. This is just stating the obvious – it would be far more useful if the book highlighted features of the generally available products that make them well suited to different applications – especially since so much purchasing is done on-line these days without the opportunity to touch and feel the product. Similarly with the “lifesaving equipment” section – which obviously depends on the individual application and environment so a universal recommendation is not possible – but a list of equipment with almost no discussion of the relative advantages of each left me wondering why it is really there.

The weather section assumes prior knowledge that anyone looking to go to sea really should have in order to understand the forecast properly. However it is one of the clearest illustrated meteorology sections I’ve seen in a marine publication for a while. However what it is lacking, as is often the case, is an explanation of what it means to the skipper in a practical sense.

Getting more advanced!
The section on buoyancy and stability was particularly readable and the wave theory chapter was one of the better explanations I’ve seen on this with a clear link between the environmental conditions and the actions of the helmsman. The chapters on rough water and higher speeds address questions which are asked here frequently. I was surprised to see only a couple of sentences on shock mitigation / whole body vibration given its ‘de-regueur’ in the commercial world at the moment, and the importance of the helmsman in that process.

The pages on search patterns and helicopter work were also probably the most detailed I have seen anywhere. Whether they justify almost 10% of the book for skills which most skippers will never use is possibly a matter for debate, but they should at least be interesting to most readers.

The section on Radar is perhaps informative, but inevitably too scant to provide any real substance instead referring the reader to further training. Surprisingly though there is no real advice for the user on selecting an appropriate Radar Reflector (despite half a page on the topic!). Likewise the very brief section on AIS adds nothing of value as anyone who understands what is described there must already have a basic understanding of AIS.

Commercial users
For those looking to operate commercially there are sections covering this, although I suspect anyone looking to make a career out of it, or looking to start a new boating venture will find them wanting. Presumably in order to prevent having to constantly update the book and to keep it as international as possible the lack of substance here was intentional? However I think it could have done with more detail, not least to explain Categorized Waters (and “at Sea”) and also the manning requirements / qualification level for Categories of Vessel. Obviously that is a book in its own right (which the RYA provide to accompany its PPR course, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...XEJSROAZ4H3QFN)
but it would help people understand issues which cause questions here and which the MAIB has made observations about previously.

What’s it lacking?
There are a couple of areas I think this book could have been enhanced, perhaps adding to its wider value rather than simply a handbook for the course. The first is probably the most common questions asked here – buying a boat. It would have been nice to help buyers understand some of the issues from the SSR, VAT, and transfer of MMSI numbers which all lead to confusion to simply a guide or checklist to help people understand things to check during the purchase process.

Another area I was surprised got no mention at all was the Recreational Craft Directive, which would have lead nicely into “taking your boat abroad”. The RCD isn’t something necessarily that meaningful to most UK powerboaters, but that’s why I think it deserves a paragraph or two – even if only to emphasize that little should be inferred from a rating; and it is potentially more meaningful to those who wish to travel around Europe. Many an Advanced Powerboater will be looking to cross the channel and whilst the book will help them with the passage planning and execution it won’t provide them with any advice on paperwork, regulations etc. which need to be considered.

Lastly, given the amount of discussion here on trailers and towing then I think some of the issues around getting your boat afloat should have been covered. Obviously the basics of Launch and Recovery are described in the earlier books in the series, but understanding setting up trailers, reversing with trailers, and some of the lessons people have learned through experience would have made useful additions. There is a chapter on basic care and maintenance but nothing about servicing trailer bearings, brakes etc. The fact these things aren’t covered in any detail on RYA courses actually makes them all the more important.

eBook
The RYA, ever keen to keep up with the latest innovations have produced an eBook version too. Frustratingly (and I assume this is the case for all RYA eBooks) it isn’t available for the traditional/paperwhite Kindle only for Kindle Fire and iOS/Android app users. Presumably this is due to the large quantity of colour images which would be nowhere near as vivid in grey/white – and because they have enhanced the ebook with a couple of video clips. If ever there was a market for eBooks which work on low power devices like the standard Kindle surely it is the yachting one, where power and storage space are typically at a premium! The eBook is no cheaper to the consumer which of course isn’t an unusual model in publishing but is a bit frustrating when clearly the production cost is cheaper. I wish publishers would consider adding some sort of interactive /animated content to eBooks to justify keeping the price inflated. Clearly this sort of publication is crying out for animations / video clips to demonstrate concepts.

Overall
The book is well illustrated and accompanied by photographs throughout. It does feel, as with many of the RYA publications, that the design lets it down and if I’d just spent £16 on it I might be a little disappointed at the amount of white space and “filler” which all contribute to the feeling of it being a set of course notes rather than a book.

My initial feeling on flicking through the book was that it covered a lot of ground discussed elsewhere. I have a collection of “sailing” books on my bookshelf and many diagrams looked familiar, albeit with more modern graphic design. However there is some real powerboat specific content in this book and probably in greater depth than I’ve seen elsewhere. The diagrams and layout make the individual sections very accessible but I did find that the whole book wasn’t an enthralling read. That was probably never its intention. If you are looking for a book to put on your list for Santa as entertaining or interesting reading then Dag Pike’s book I reviewed last year (http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/book-rev...ike-55918.html) is probably more engaging. As a resource for improving your understanding of powerboating beyond the basics learned on a Powerboat 2 course it is certainly useful. For the typical RIBnetter wanting to extend the range of their cruising the navigation section will be particularly useful and accounts for the practicalities of navigating at speed on an open boat which is often ignored in “sailing oriented” publications.

It’s a shame that there isn’t a genuinely complete book that covers everything in one place, that’s not a criticism of this book which has obviously been developed specifically around the Advanced Powerboat Course Syllabus and with some resulting cost / length constraints to avoid selling people content they probably already own.

Maybe Polys got his eye on a Booker!

[jlandells]

Originally Posted by Trimix

So, if I buy the book and read it, do I need to do the course ?

Given I've done Powerboat 1 and 2, and now had a while to mess about in my boat I was thinking about some more training.

• But will I learn stuff that matters in the real world, or just hypothetical stuff ?
• Will it relate to my RIB ?
• Anyone done the advanced course - can you recommend it ?
• Some of the stuff seems pretty obvious, or is it a case of having a hands on course making it easier to put in practice what you may have read ?

I've just done my Advanced and can highly recommend it.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by boristhebold

I guess its a difficult balance and the authors have a hard time getting that balance spot on,

yip - not really a criticism just trying to give folks a realistic expectation before it arrives as most people won't be able to find this on a shop shelf to flick through.

On the advanced courses and any advanced powerboat book I personally would like to see a chapter on the 'Milly' rib incident, having read the MAIB full report I learned a lot about boat stability issues and power versus stability, weight and boat capabilities and design.

there is a good amount of stuff on stability, high speed etc. although I don't think the hooking type issue is covered (or not in any real detail).

Perhaps another area I would like to see in an advanced book or an advanced course is a section on the RNLI and Coastguard in terms of search and rescue and how for example the coatsguard operates during an incident and the information they need in certain situations,

you'll certainly find the search patterns section interesting then. you might be left wanting for more - but I guess then its not powerboat specific either...

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Trimix

So, if I buy the book and read it, do I need to do the course ?

well different people learn in different ways but if you bought the "roadcraft" book do you think that would instantly make you an "advanced driver"? I suspect if you are thinking of doing more training it would be sensible to buy, read and digest the book before the course so you get maximum from the practical stuff. The point I was making though is it takes a wee bit of effort to read it - because (I presume) its structured around a course syllabus it doesn't necessarily flow beautifully.

Given I've done Powerboat 1 and 2, and now had a while to mess about in my boat I was thinking about some more training.

well there is an intermediate course after that (and before this) and the advanced course expects a reasonable level of nav. skill that you might need to do the day skipper theory for.

• But will I learn stuff that matters in the real world, or just hypothetical stuff ? it depends what you want to do with your rib. If you want to cruise further afield, in more challenging conditions or explore new areas with fun navigation then you'll learn relevant stuff. If you mostly want to buzz around the same bays with a ringo on the back then you might see it as hypothetical.
• Will it relate to my RIB ?
  I think so. Its aimed at open powerboats. The book (and if you pick right the training provider) also covers some of the issues around twins v's singles
• Anyone done the advanced course - can you recommend it ?
  Lots of people here have - can't recall anyone criticising it.
• Some of the stuff seems pretty obvious, or is it a case of having a hands on course making it easier to put in practice what you may have read ?

Well stuff always seems logical on paper with a diagram and only one version of reality written down. Doing it for real, intuitively at the right time and understanding what you need to do, when rather than the correct answer to a clear question is always the challenge. The book will help but at about 15x the price you'd hope the course was better!

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Maybe Polys got his eye on a Booker!

the only Booker I'll get is a cash n carry!

[Trimix]

Cheers Poly, I didn't realise there was a course in-between - I think I need to speak to a few trainers and see if they could do one or the other or both and do them using my RIB.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Trimix

Cheers Poly, I didn't realise there was a course in-between - I think I need to speak to a few trainers and see if they could do one or the other or both and do them using my RIB.

I'd get some more hours under your belt first. Personally I find that doing a course on a subject I "think" I know can often be more informative & educational than a course on a new subject. I'm probably not explaining this very well I.e. When you've been out & made mistakes or seen things that you don't understand, you can come to a course loaded with pertinent questions & real scenarios that you can present to the instructor & ask advice, rather than sit there & take everything he says as gospel & not have the experience to apply the content to real world experiences/situations.

[Trimix]

Yes, I know what you mean. I've learned quite a bit by trying it out for real and doing more of that is probably a good thing.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Trimix

Yes, I know what you mean. I've learned quite a bit by trying it out for real and doing more of that is probably a good thing.

Unless you want to become an instructor or work in the commercial sector PB2 should be adequate enough for what you need as a leisure ribber.

Get out with your mates and other ribnobbers and enjoy your boat is what I say.

Bit like driving a car once you pass your test you never actually stop learning.

[PeterM]

Have to disagree with Kerny...doing the advanced course polishes skills of a pb2 and gives you the ability to go beyond nice days out into night and more technical ways of navigating and for when you plotter packs up etc etc...

[paulbrown22]

Agree with PeterM. Especially for people starting out with longer distance RIB cruising, whilst reading the book is good, actually doing an Intermediate/Advanced course and putting the theory into practice under guidance of an experienced instructor is very valuable. An instructor should be able to add far more value than just repeating the contents of the book back at you, and especially on the Advanced course, the opportunity to practice night nav with an instructor onboard gives you much more confidence if it's your first time, and hopefully means you would then manage at night yourself, if either you chose to do a night passage, or get stuck out at sea for whatever reason. For people that already have Yachtmasters or the like, maybe Intermediate/Advanced is of more limited value as similar things should have been covered (albeit at a lower speed) on the YM exam, but if coming from "just" a PB2, I think it can make a big difference to your skills, abilities and confidence.

But I do agree with PikeyDave as well. For people with their own boats, it can be very valuable reading the book and practicing yourself. And then maybe lookign at the course as a way to refine your knowledge, pick up some additiona tips and test your skills.

[Trimix]

Mmmm, all good comments.

I think I shall read the book and then practice myself and gain some more hands on experience.

Then Id like to get some training one on one on my RIB.

I will just be a leisure ribber, but I do expect to explore stuff off the beaten track, longer distances, evening/dawn, interesting weather and the odd bumpy sea. All as and when my confidence builds.

It would just be nice to have someone telling me I'm doing it right or wrong. But you cant buy experience, just learn it.