Compass Sea School

One for all those 23 and under

It’s been a hands on learning few days for our Day Skipper theory students - we have got to grips with many new topics but the favourites seem to have been “Build a Buoy” and driving our fleet of plastic vessels around the desks!
That’s Part 1 done ✅ now to consolidate that learning with some revision to come back next week for some more!
Great job everyone 🥳⛵️🛥️

Wow - what an amazing success story! The humble lifejacket saves the day.
For all those that say ‘but I can swim’ or ‘we aren’t going far’ or any other excuse not to wear a lifejacket this amazing story really should bring it home to you! You simply can’t swim and keep afloat in the cold waters around our coast. Even with the very best personnel at the end of an emergency phone or radio call it will still take time and some brilliant search and rescue expertise to find you.
When you go afloat please always wear a fully serviced and functioning lifejacket and have some way of raising the alarm - a vhf radio, a PLB or a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch.
It’s a lonely and cold place 🥶 in the water waiting rescue!
Hats off to the brilliant Maritime and Coastguard Agency, RNLI and other rescue staff in making this a positive outcome!

You should always wear a lifejacket when you’re on the water. Even if you're a strong swimmer, the water can be unpredictable, and it can really be a lifesaver in unexpected situations.

Check out this eye-opening story about the importance of wearing a lifejacket, no matter how confident you are in your swimming skills: https://marineindustrynews.co.uk/rescued-woman-speaks-out-about-strong-swimmer-mentality/

Safety first, always!

🐶🐾🥳 Celebrating International Dog Day - Labrador Orla is a regular on many of our courses from handing out lots of cuddles on our Shorebased courses to being a great lookout on our afloat courses on board M/V Celtic North.
Also likes cuddling up with her Nessie 🦕.

Happy International Dog Day everyone 🥳🐾🐶

How great does S/V Northern Star look underway in the Beauly Firth today 🥰⛵️

Congratulations Sam and John on passing their RYA Day Cruising (Intermediate) Powerboat Course on board RIB Endeavour. It’s been a breezy couple of days which has tested our navigation, passage making and close quarter handling skills.
Great job! Course taught by our Chief Instructor Power - Kath

Any guesses what our Day Skipper Sail students have been up to today?? It was a breezy old day 💨⛵️⁉️

🤞⛵️ good luck to this weeks Day Skipper practical course - it’s definitely a changeable week of weather with ex-hurricane Ernesto popping by later in the week!
☘️good luck David, Duncan and Nick ☘️
Course taught by our Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor Mandie Cran on board our lovely ⛵️ Northern Star 🌟

Congratulations to Chris, Karen, Lewis, Paul and Scott on completing their one day Sailing Taster session with us on board our training yacht Northern Star. Course taught by Mandie Cran.
If you are thinking about getting into sailing then this one day taster is the perfect introduction.

Dates still available for September 2024 - book online at: https://compass-seaschool.co.uk/sailing-taster-day/

We have ONE space remaining on our RYA Day Cruising (Intermediate) Powerboat Course running Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th August.
If you already hold your PB2 and have theory knowldge to Day Skipper standard then this course is the next one for you.
Book your space online at:

Day Cruising (Intermediate) Powerboat Course Day Cruising (Intermediate) Powerboat Course The Day Cruising course aims to teach you to take the powerboat beyond just line of sight destinations and learn more about both traditional and modern …

It’s been a busy day for the commercial traffic on the Caledonian Canal today - think we got photos of all the passenger boats today.

European Waterways Caledonian Discovery Hebridean Island Cruises
Scottish Canals

📣🚨⛵️ ONE space remaining on our Day Skipper Practical (Sail) course running from Inverness Mon 19th - Fri 23rd August ⛵️🚨📣

Course is fully residential on board our Bavaria Yacht with food provided for all on board meals. Duration 5 days.

Book your space at: https://compass-seaschool.co.uk/courses/sail-cruising-courses/day-skipper-practical-sail/

The perils of using auto-route - Navionics found 16 hazards along our 1.4nm route today! Always a good idea to zoom in and manually check any hazards no matter what they are!
Departed Thomas Telford Corpach Marina & Slipway Fort William at 0830hrs and arrived at Banavie Top Jetty - 11 Lock gates later at 1630hrs!
It was also a super breezy day with gusts topping 50kts which did not help the close quarter handling up Neptune’s Staircase! 😳🛥️
8 hrs to move less than 2nm - averaging less than 0.25nm per hour!
Roll on tomorrow - onwards to Laggan Locks hoping for a better average!

Ship’s Dog 🐶 Orla takes her watch keeping duties very seriously whether out at sea or alongside!
Currently keeping watch at the top of Neptune’s Staircase so that her humans can have some well deserved time off!
It has been a BREEZY ascent up the staircase testing our close quarter handling skills - mostly Orla was on the flybridge looking cute for the tourists!
Neptunes Staircase Scottish Canals

Cruising into Sunday 🛥️☀️🐾

📣🚨 15% off our RYA Powerboat Level 2 course running Sat 10th and Sun 11th August from Inverness Marina 🚨📣
Save nearly £50 off the RRP!!! We have 2 spots free!

No prior experience required - bag you discount using discount code: LASTMINUTEPB2-AUGUST2024

Book online at: https://compass-seaschool.co.uk/courses/powerboat-courses/powerboat-level-2/

We offer free onsite parking and will kit you out in high spec waterproofs and fully serviced lifejackets.



Come and join the fun

Powerboat Level 2 Powerboat Level 2 Course Learn to drive a powerboat in just 2 days! This two-day course provides the skills and background knowledge needed to to become a competent powerboat driver by day in famil…

Wonder what it’s like on board our Sailing Yacht Northern Star for a 2 day Start Yachting course then check out this great video made by one of this weeks students Lee - great job Lee!

RYA Start Yachting - Inverness & Moray Firth with Compass Sea School Some video clips and commentary about my experience doing the RYA Start Yachting course with Compass Sea School, based in Inverness Marina, over 2 days and 1...

Loch Ness really is VERY deep! 🦕👀
Getting to grips with our super new Simrad NSX 15inch widescreen MFD with our Halo radar brand new to the Uk market on board our Motor Vessel Celtic North 🛥️.

Today’s picture shows the chart and radar split screen with a Picture in Picture window of the new engine camera. Great quality returns on the radar!
All our motor cruising students will be using the new equipment from beginners through to Yachmaster Offshore!

New kit recently fitted by the brilliant Andy Stone from Stone Maritime Services

simradyachting

Bumpy day on Loch Ness

18th Inverness Sea Scout Group you’ll need to hang onto your hats today! Waterproofs at the ready 👍 have a great week of adventures ⛵️🚤🛥️

🦕 off Nessie hunting 👀

Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises

🥳🥳⛵️⛵️ CONGRATULATIONS ⛵️⛵️🥳🥳
Well Done to Stewart, Hamish and Patrizia on passing their RYA Competent Crew course with us this week.
It has been a week filled with new experiences, new friendships, dolphins and cake 🎂!

Course taught by our Chief Instructor Sail Mandie Cran on board our training yacht ⛵️ Northern Star

This morning we combined our Powerboat Level 2 and Competent Crew course together for an introduction to charts, planning and buoyage. A great hands on session to get to grips with some of the basics before heading back out afloat to put it into practice.

Congratulation to Gianlucca, Craig and Donald on passing their Powerboat Level 2 course with us today.
A great couple of days afloat on board RIB Endeavour taught by Chief Instructor Power - Kath.

Day 1 for our Competent Crew students Stewart, Hamish and Patrizia getting essential pre-sailing briefings from our Chief Instructor Sail Mandie Cran. The weather is looking great for this week - here’s to a fantastic week afloat learning new skills and chalking up some great new experiences on board our beautiful Bavaria 32 Northern Star.
Happy Sailing and Fair Winds ⛵️☀️🌬️

RYA Scotland Bavaria Yachts Inverness Marina

We are Competent Crew ready!
Weather is looking good for the week 👍

With such a beautiful moon (waxing gibbous) this evening it seemed rude not to get the sextant out for some celestial navigation practice.
Currently we are on Neap tides heralded by the crescent moon which is over 400400km away!

If you want to learn more about using a sextant and celestial navigation then join our RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course running over 2 long weekends starting 29th November 2024.

https://compass-seaschool.co.uk/yachtmaster-ocean-theory/