Sailing School Thailand
Questions
island spirit sailing school

Sailing School Thailand FAQ

What sort of qualification will I be awarded

A: IYT Passport and Certificate

International Yacht Training Inc. is an internationally recognized training organization that instructs both recreational and professional sailors. The Professional qualification is recognized by 29 countries worldwide including the UK, USA and Australia.

Island Spirit Thailand is an approved sailing school licensed by IYT to teach its recreational sailing courses.

All Island Spirit IYT students are issued IYT International passport which is a lifetime record of the courses they have undertaken and a log of their sailing experience. As each course is completed the school stamps and seals the appropriate IYT modules so the record can be examined by any skipper or sailing school to testify to your training.

In addition successful candidates will be awarded an IYT certification card which is a document produced by IYT in Canada which proves the student has successfully completed the course. IYT passports and certificates are accepted by all major charter companies world wide as proof of your competence in the subjects covered.

B: Registration with IYT

On completion of the course all essential information contained in the passport and certificate is sent to IYT headquarters in Canada so that the information can be verified in the future by any responsible school or skipper who wished to confirm the information presented.

What Boats will I learn on?

Island Spirit has at its disposal a fleet of 40 sailing and powerboats any of which will be used by the instructors depending on the student numbers and the type of training to be undertaken. You will certainly be sailing on both keelboats and catamarans that can vary in size from 32ft to 90ft.

Who will be my fellow students?

Island Spirit students come from all over the world but they all speak the English language and are of all ages and backgrounds but are typically between 30 and 50 years old with some sailing experience.

How many students are there on my course?

Island Spirit restricts the number of students per boat to no more than a maximum of 6 students but it is not at all unusual to be in a group of 3 or 4 students.

And the dining experience?

Thailand is justly famous for its wonderful cuisine and we ensure that all students are able to take full advantage of that fact at the restaurants in the Gulf of Thailand. In most locations European menus are available for those with a less adventurous palette. The course fee includes daytime and shipboard meals but you are on your own in the evenings to explore the local restaurants in and around the school. On board the cuisine is easy to prepare, delicious and nutritious.

What to bring with me?

Shorts and tee shirt are the order of the day but a hat and sunscreen are essential as we are only 12 degrees North of the equator. A rain jacket can be very useful in the event that you are caught out in a tropical squall which come through from time to time and can be windy and full of cold rain that usually lasts about 20 minutes.

What if I fail the course?

If you read the manual and follow the class instruction there is no reason why you should fail. but, if you do come to the end of the course and have not met the required IYT standard then you will not be awarded a certificate. We will be happy to offer you another place on the next suitable school course free of tuition, based on space available.

How will I pay?

Once you have decided on the course or package and the dates that you'd like to attend, call or send us an email to confirm availability and book your place. To secure your booking, you'll need to place a 50% booking deposit, and the remaining portion of the course fee is due 40 days before the course start date.
Payment instructions will be sent to you when you make a booking. We provide bank transfer instructions, and we offer online payment for a 4% fee.

How will I get there?

If you are flying into Bangkok and the course is at Pattaya then we will send you options for getting to the Sailing School base in our welcome email after you have signed up.

We are a couple - can we study together?

We have had excellent experience with couples on our courses and find that they come away with a good team spirit. It is a great way for one to introduce the world of sailing to another, or for you to both discover a whole new world together.

Can I bring my 12 year old son?

Yes we are keen that parents share the learning experience with their children so whilst we normally have a minimum age of 14 for solo students we reduce the age limit to 12 if they are coming with a parent or two.