INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED CERTIFICATION
RYA POWER AND SAIL TRAINING CENTRE
BOAT
BETTER
Learn to sail or powerboat with Topmast.
Why choose Topmast for your sailing lessons?
With our small class sizes, personalised attention and a focus on fun and safe boating, we’re here to give you the best sail and power training available in Canada.
We provide lessons for all levels of abilities, from someone having never sailed before, to advanced sailors looking for professional certification as Yachtmasters.
We are one of the few Royal Yachting Association (RYA) sail and power training centres in North America. The RYA is the most highly regarded sail training scheme in the world.
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RYA TRAINING - Royal Yachting Association courses from beginner to advanced, both sail & power.
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PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS - Our Instructors are trained to the highest standards in sail training worldwide.
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INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION - RYA certification is accepted all over the world. The ICC is your gateway to chartering in Europe.
TRAINING YOU CAN TRUST
When you learn to sail with Topmast, you can expect:
Professional and friendly instructors
Safety first
A fun and supportive environment
The best sail training from one of the few RYA Training Centres for sail and power in North America
Extensive resources
Small groups (maximum three students)
New ideas and advanced techniques
Endless possibilities
TOP COURSES
RYA Day Skipper or Competent Crew
5 days / 4 nights living aboard in the 1000 Islands with overnight stays at different anchorages and harbours.
Suitable for beginners with no sailing experience or those looking to step up their skills.
The focus is on learning, safety and fun.
ICC - International Certificate of Competence
An ICC or International Certificate of Competence is proof of your ability to skipper a boat when chartering in European countries.
Canadians and Americans may obtain the ICC through a RYA Training Centre such as Topmast with an on-the-water assessment over 2 days.
RYA Powerboat Levels 1 and 2
Best suited for beginners with no powerboating experience or those needing to achieve RYA certification for commercial work.
Covering a full day with both on and off the water training, the emphasis is on practical powerboat handling skills with a focus on learning, fun and safe handling.
RYA Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore
For advanced sailors, the most sought after certification is the RYA Yachtmaster designation, the ‘gold standard’ of yachting.
With 5 days of preparation and a two day practical examination, this is a serious test of your skills and knowledge
NEW COURSES FOR 2024!
Women only RYA Day Skipper or Competent Crew
For women students only, these courses offer a friendly, cooperative, low pressure environment, where you can focus on learning to sail.
5 days / 4 nights living aboard in the 1000 Islands with overnight stays at different anchorages and harbours.
Suitable for beginners with no sailing experience or those looking to step up their skills.
Week Long Adventure Sails and Courses
Our week long Adventure Cruises offer a bit more than just a sailing course, with a chance to take in some of the best scenery that you’ll see from the water in Eastern Ontario.
With trips around the 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river, you’ll have lots of sailing and learning.
Depending on the course you have the opportunity to achieve RYA Day Skipper, Competent Crew or Coastal Skipper certifications.
2 Day RYA Start Yachting Courses
Interested In sailing? This course is best suited to beginners with no sailing experience but who’d like to give it a try.
Running over 2 days, they provide a basic introduction to sailing with a focus on learning, safety and fun
If you happen to catch the sailing bug, it’s a great start before moving on to a Competent Crew course.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sailing lessons are for anyone who would like to learn how to get out and enjoy being on the water. Sailing isn't that hard to learn and a great instructor makes learning easy and fun. You can get started with our RYA Start Yachting classes for a taster or take our RYA Competent Crew course.
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You can have an introduction over a weekend with our RYA Start Yachting courses or take a 5 day beginner course that will give you the basics of crewing on a sailboat with our RYA Competent Crew course.
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Our RYA Competent Crew course will teach you to steer the boat, handle the sails, keep a lookout, sea terms and parts of a boat, safety equipment and precautions, man overboard procedures, helmsmanship and the basics of meteorolgy, just for starters.
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While anyone can buy a sailboat, it's highly recommended that you learn how to sail, so that you can safely enjoy sailing your boat and have an idea of what kind of boat you really like to sail. Our RYA Competent Crew/Day Skipper course can give you the basics of being able to safely skipper a boat.
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Our RYA ICC Assessment is one way to get an ICC to charter in Europe. It's two days on the water, testing your practical and theoretical knowledge. You need the equivalent of the RYA Day Skipper level of skills.
Alternatively, you can take the RYA Day Skipper course (and have equivalent to RYA Day Skipper theory), and upon passing, you can apply directly to the RYA for an ICC.
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If you have a 2 way radio onboard your boat, you are required to have a license from an authorized body to operate it. The RYA VHF Marine Radio course prepares you to take the RYA VHF (SRC) Radio exam and obtain your license.
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Yes, we have online courses for RYA Day Skipper Theory and RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory, taught through Navathome.
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Absolutely! We suggest our RYA Powerboat Level 1 and 2 course which teaches you to safely handle a powerboat and includes lessons in docking and driving.
You can also book private lessons to go over specific skills.
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