The Royal County of Berkshire Yacht Club upcoming events

Mince Pies, Christmas Cheer and Sailing Adventures Ahead! (01 Dec 2026)

Tue, 01 Dec 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Mince Pies, Christmas Cheer and Sailing Adventures ahead!

Join us at The Binfield Club for a relaxed and festive RBYC Christmas get-together! There’ll be mince pies, plenty of Christmas cheer and the chance to catch up with fellow members as we round off another wonderful year of sailing.

We’ll be looking ahead to 2027, as Peter Hurley unveils the exciting RBYC cruising plans for the coming year. Find out where our adventures might take us and start dreaming of new destinations, fresh challenges and memorable days on the water.

Come along for a mince pie, a friendly chat and a little inspiration for your 2027 sailing adventures!

Open to club members and visitors. Free.

Zoom link to follow for anyone joining us remotely.

RBYC Christmas Meal (05 Dec 2026)

Sat, 05 Dec 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Ahoy, festive sailors! Swap your sailing boots for something more seasonal and join us for the RBYC Christmas Meal at The Rose Inn, Wokingham.

After another fantastic year of sailing adventures, it is time to come ashore for an evening of good food, great company and plenty of sailing stories.

Whether you have sailed hundreds of miles or joined us for just a few social events, we would love you to celebrate the festive season with us.

Dinner options

2 courses £40.38 (includes service charge and our PayPal fees)

3 courses £45.94 (includes service charge and our PayPal fees)

Use the link below to view the menu.

https://www.mcmullens.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/01/New-Heritage-Collection-Festive-Menu.pdf

This event is for club members and their guests.

RYA Essential Navigation Theory Course (09 Jan 2027)

Sat, 09 Jan 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Essential Navigation Course

Duration 2 Days, on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th January 2027.

The course will be run in conjunction with Island Barn Sailing Club at their club house

RBYC Member Cost: £130

Island Barn Member cost £130

Non Member Cost: £148 (This includes 6 months temporary membership)

No payment will be taken at this time, I will contact those who sign up for payment.

This course is a basic introduction to navigation and safety for anyone new to boating: sailors, powerboaters, sea anglers, divers and boatmasters. Also useful for experienced dinghy and keelboat sailors and inshore racers.

There is no prior experience required to undertake this course.

The material covered includes:

Charts and publications, safety, buoyage, tides, navigation, pilotage, rules of the road, anchoring, weather forecasts and passage planning.

After completing the course you should have basic knowledge of navigation and safety.

The course includes all the materials you will need to complete it.

You will need to bring your lunch, notepad and pen.

RYA Diesel Engine course (23 Jan 2027)

Sat, 23 Jan 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA diesel engine course

Duration 1 Day

Member Cost: £105

Non Member Cost: £123 (This includes 6 months temporary membership

RYA DIESEL ENGINE COURSE AIMS:

The RNLI tell us that the most common reason for call-outs is machinery failure. Many of these call outs would be avoided if more yachtsmen (sail and power alike) had a better understanding of how the engine works and how to;

carry out regular checks,
carry out routine maintenance and
perform basic, “get you home” maintenance

RYA DIESEL ENGINE COURSE PRE REQUISITES:

None. No previous mechanical ability or knowledge of engines is required. You will be surprised at just how straightforward most of the checks, fault finding and adjustments are.

RYA DIESEL ENGINE COURSE CONTENT:

This course teaches you how your diesel engine works, how to keep it healthy by using basic checks and maintenance procedures, and how you might get it started again in the event of a breakdown.

Whether you sail a yacht with an auxiliary diesel engine, are a motor cruising enthusiast or operate a workboat, this course can save you money, and one day could save your life.

Course topics include:

The four stroke cycle
Fuel system
Cooling
Air system
Engine electrical system
Spares and tool requirements
Winterisation
Servicing

Students have full access to a range of static marine diesel engines and a large selection of tools in the training room.

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN OUR RYA DIESEL COURSE:

Day of shorebased training
Use of our training engines and tools
RYA Diesel Course Notes
RYA Diesel Certificate
Tea & Coffee
Free parking

RYA DIESEL ENGINE COURSE EQUIPMENT:

The training room is equipped with some of the most common marine diesel engines you are likely to come across;

Brand	Horse Power	Size	Model	Typical Usage
Volvo Penta	18 HP	2 cylinder	MD 2002	24-29 foot sailing yachts
Yanmar	36 HP	3 cylinder	3JH2	30-40 foot sailing yachts
Volvo Penta	135 HP	6 cylinder	TMD- A	Displacement work boats & motor yachts
Perkins	135 HP	6 cylinder	Perkins 635	Larger workboats & large yachts
Perkins (pair)	175 HP each	6 cylinder	Perkins 6354	Larger workboats & large yachts
Volvo Penta	200 HP	6 cylinder	TAMD-B	Larger workboats & planing motor yachts
Caterpillar	420 HP	6 cylinder	Cat 3126	Larger workboats & planing motor yachts

The training engines are supported by an extensive workshop tool kit.

You will need to bring your lunch, notepad and pen.

RYA Sea Survival Course (24 Jan 2027)

Sun, 24 Jan 2027 09:00:00 GMT

A one-day course for anyone going to sea, providing an understanding of how to use the safety equipment on board your boat.

A genuine lifesaver

Cruising is one of the safest leisure sporting activities, and 99.9% of those afloat will never use their liferaft. However, if you are part of the unlucky 0.1% your chances of survival will be greatly increased if you understand how to use the equipment and how to help yourself.

It is a well-proven fact that, in the event of an emergency at sea, people with training are more likely to survive.

An important part of the course is a practical session in a swimming pool. Experience first hand the problems of entering an uncooperative liferaft and assisting others while fully kitted out in wet weather gear and a lifejacket.

Course topics include:

liferafts and the equipment they contain
survival techniques
the design of lifejackets
medical aspects of sea survival
search and rescue techniques

The RYA Basic Sea Survival Course Completion certificate is awarded on satisfactory completion of the course.
You will need old clothing like a tracksuit etc (not jeans) to wear in the water, and a towel. You may bring your own waterproofs and footwear, but these must be clean.
If you have your own lifejacket then this might be a good time to test it. Re-arming kits can be purchased in the Andark shop or other chandleries.
The course is classroom and pool based requiring a degree physical ability, please contact us with any questions. We have our own swimming pool on site.

COURSE INCLUSIONS

Course materials and manual
Certification
Tea and Coffee
Biscuits
Free Parking
Course run in the Andark onsite pool and classroom

RYA Yacht Master Theory - sign up (30 Jan 2027)

Sat, 30 Jan 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Yacht Master Theory

Depending on wishes of attendees the dates may be altered to fit in with mutual plans.

Click on this to register and payment instructions will be sent later.

Have you run out of things to do and want to enhance your sailing skills?

Do you want to get your Yacht Master theory completed ready for when you can get back on the water?

Do you prefer instructor led rather than internet only?

We are running this over 3 weekends. You can complete this course without having to take any holidays.

The price for this course is £330 for members and £349 for non members.

I will contact you to confirm payment.

What’s included: Two RYA practice charts The RYA Yacht Master course notes The RYA Yacht Master course exercises RYA Yacht Master assessment RYA Yacht Master certification on successful completion	What’s Covered: Position The Magnetic Compass Tides Lights Pilotage GNSS and Chart Plotters Echo Sounders Logs (speed & distance) Deck Log Meteorology Tidal Streams Passage Planning Safety at Sea Rules of the Road Navigation in Restricted Visibiity Marine Environment Buoyage

RYA Yacht Master Theory - sign up (06 Feb 2027)

Sat, 06 Feb 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Yacht Master Theory

Depending on wishes of attendees the dates may be altered to fit in with mutual plans.

Click on this to register and payment instructions will be sent later.

Have you run out of things to do and want to enhance your sailing skills?

Do you want to get your Yacht Master theory completed ready for when you can get back on the water?

Do you prefer instructor led rather than internet only?

We are running this over 3 weekends. You can complete this course without having to take any holidays.

The price for this course is £330 for members and £349 for non members.

I will contact you to confirm payment.

What’s included: Two RYA practice charts The RYA Yacht Master course notes The RYA Yacht Master course exercises RYA Yacht Master assessment RYA Yacht Master certification on successful completion	What’s Covered: Position The Magnetic Compass Tides Lights Pilotage GNSS and Chart Plotters Echo Sounders Logs (speed & distance) Deck Log Meteorology Tidal Streams Passage Planning Safety at Sea Rules of the Road Navigation in Restricted Visibiity Marine Environment Buoyage

RYA Yacht Master Theory - sign up (13 Feb 2027)

Sat, 13 Feb 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Yacht Master Theory

Depending on wishes of attendees the dates may be altered to fit in with mutual plans.

Click on this to register and payment instructions will be sent later.

Have you run out of things to do and want to enhance your sailing skills?

Do you want to get your Yacht Master theory completed ready for when you can get back on the water?

Do you prefer instructor led rather than internet only?

We are running this over 3 weekends. You can complete this course without having to take any holidays.

The price for this course is £330 for members and £349 for non members.

I will contact you to confirm payment.

What’s included: Two RYA practice charts The RYA Yacht Master course notes The RYA Yacht Master course exercises RYA Yacht Master assessment RYA Yacht Master certification on successful completion	What’s Covered: Position The Magnetic Compass Tides Lights Pilotage GNSS and Chart Plotters Echo Sounders Logs (speed & distance) Deck Log Meteorology Tidal Streams Passage Planning Safety at Sea Rules of the Road Navigation in Restricted Visibiity Marine Environment Buoyage

12 Volt marine 2 day Electrical course (27 Feb 2027)

Sat, 27 Feb 2027 09:00:00 GMT

12 volt marine electrical course

Duration 2 Days, on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February 2027.

Member Cost: £200

Non Member Cost: £218 (This includes 6 months temporary membership)

Are boat electrics a mystery to you? If something is not working on a boat do you know where to start trying to fix the problem. Many things are a loose wire, blown fuse or bulb. This hands on course will help you be more comfortable with the electrics on a boat whether it is your own or a charter boat

WHAT IS COVERED ON THE 12 VOLT MARINE ELECTRICS LEVEL 1 COURSE?

Overview of AC & DC

Electrics
- Overview of AC & DC
- Voltage and Current
- The DC circuit
The 12 Volt Circuit
- Lights, switches and fuses
- Resistance and power
- Calculating the correct fuse
- Selecting the correct cable/wire
- Relays and switches
- Intro to circuit diagrams
12 Volt DC Fault Finding &Troubleshooting
- Using a multi meter
- Testing continuity and circuit
- Circuit faults
- Charging faults
- Engine battery systems and power management
12 Volt Connections
- Crimping
- Heat sealing
- Soldering
- 12V tools
- Connecting batteries
- Following a 12 Volt circuit diagram
12 Volt Batteries
- Batterytypes and choice of battery
- Charging (shore power, alternator, wind and solar)
- Battery management
The Vessel
- Bonding
- Galvanic protection

What's included with the course?

2 days of training & use of simulators / training boards / tools
12 Volt Marine Electrics Certificate (PDF sent by email following the course)
Access to the Chieftain Training Essential Electrics eBook
Free Parking
Tea & Coffee

RYA Day Skipper Theory - sign up (06 Mar 2027)

Sat, 06 Mar 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Day Skipper Theory

Sign up and I will contact you on how to pay.

Have you run out of things to do and want to enhance your sailing skills?

Do you want to get your navigation skills ready for when you can get back on the water?

The course is run for 5 days over 3 weekends so no holiday needs to be taken to complete the course.

Do you prefer instructor led rather than internet only?

The price for this course is £320 for members and £340 for non members.

What’s included:

Two RYA practice charts
The RYA Day Skipper course notes
The RYA Day Skipper course exercises
RYA Day Skipper assessment
RYA Day Skipper certification on successful completion

What’s Covered:

General seamanship

Navigation

· Tidal Streams

· Passage Planning

· Tidal heights

· Collision regulations

· Electronic navigation

· Weather

· Buoyage

RYA Day Skipper Theory - sign up (13 Mar 2027)

Sat, 13 Mar 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Day Skipper Theory

Sign up and I will contact you on how to pay.

Have you run out of things to do and want to enhance your sailing skills?

Do you want to get your navigation skills ready for when you can get back on the water?

The course is run for 5 days over 3 weekends so no holiday needs to be taken to complete the course.

Do you prefer instructor led rather than internet only?

The price for this course is £320 for members and £340 for non members.

What’s included:

Two RYA practice charts
The RYA Day Skipper course notes
The RYA Day Skipper course exercises
RYA Day Skipper assessment
RYA Day Skipper certification on successful completion

What’s Covered:

General seamanship

Navigation

· Tidal Streams

· Passage Planning

· Tidal heights

· Collision regulations

· Electronic navigation

· Weather

· Buoyage

RYA Day Skipper Theory - sign up (20 Mar 2027)

Sat, 20 Mar 2027 09:00:00 GMT

RYA Day Skipper Theory

Sign up and I will contact you on how to pay.

Have you run out of things to do and want to enhance your sailing skills?

Do you want to get your navigation skills ready for when you can get back on the water?

The course is run for 5 days over 3 weekends so no holiday needs to be taken to complete the course.

Do you prefer instructor led rather than internet only?

The price for this course is £320 for members and £340 for non members.

What’s included:

Two RYA practice charts
The RYA Day Skipper course notes
The RYA Day Skipper course exercises
RYA Day Skipper assessment
RYA Day Skipper certification on successful completion

What’s Covered:

General seamanship

Navigation

· Tidal Streams

· Passage Planning

· Tidal heights

· Collision regulations

· Electronic navigation

· Weather

· Buoyage