Join Croatia Saling Academy: Basic skipper course
Sailing Course – Basic
- Professional instructor
- No previous experience needed
- Start and finish in Pula
- Read the full info
Sailing Course Objectives
During the seven-day beginner course, you will set sail on the southeast Istrian coast. The course is carefully curated to give you the necessary knowledge for independent sailing.
Croatia Sailing Academy is a skipper academy that offers an intensive course to acquire the knowledge needed for a safe stay on board as a skipper for both professional and private purposes.
You will reside on the boat accompanied by your instructor and sail on around the waters of Pula, the Kamenjak cape, and the Brijuni National Park.
The Academy provides theoretical and practical knowledge.
The objective of the course is to enable the candidate in 7 days to independently, confidently, and safely operate the vessel according to obtained permit gained through theory, practice, and passing the exam. In addition, participants will get acquainted with the most common problems they may encounter while navigating and how they are solved.
The navigational route and the training schedule of individual elements depend on weather conditions and the efficiency of participant knowledge acquisition. The knowledge that the candidate adopts during the course is boat maneuvering, navigational skills, safety, mechanical problem-solving, and skipper skills.
The course consists of a theoretical and practical part performed simultaneously over 7 days.
No prior sailing experience is required for attending the course.
The course is organized in a way to introduce the candidates to the instructor and go through boat familiarization (Check-in) on the first day, and then exercise how to sail in and sail out within the starting marina on the next day. On the third day, a pre-planned route is underway.
During the sail, each day in a different location, are trained in some aspects of maneuvering, sailing, anchoring, navigation, and everything else needed for safe boat management. Return to starting marina is planned on the last day.
The program is carried out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During the course candidates reside and live on the boat with the presence of a skipper-instructor, simulating real situations that can occur during the stay on board.
What you'll learn
Boat maneuvering
- Mooring of the boat, by stern and flank
- Departure from the mooring site, secluded and between other boats
- Approaching the dock, by stern and bow
- Various anchoring techniques
- Tying the mooring buoy
Navigational skills
- Meteorology
- Map using knowledge
- Navigation plan and course specification
- Navigational instruments usage
Skipper's skills
- Knowing the responsibilities, duties and rights of a skipper
- Trimming of the sails
- Nodes
- Preparing the boat for navigation
- Introduction to the basic sailing rules
- Check-in and check-out process
- Internal crew communication
Mechanical problems solving
- Introduction to the main characteristics of the propulsion system
- Motor and propulsion system control
- Recognizing and solving the ship’s most common system failures
- Recognizing and solving the most common sailing mistakes
- Correct usage of the mooring winch
- Avoiding the most common boat damages
Safety
- Locating and inspection of onboard first aid
- Most common injuries and avoidance methods
- Safety at sea
- Everyday practical work on VHF radio station
Route:
- Saturday: Pula – meeting and getting to know each other
- Sunday: Pula aquarium
- Monday: Pula – Unije
- Tuesday: Unije – Mali Lošinj
- Wednesday: Lošinj – Ilovik
- Thursday: Ilovik – Susak
- Friday: Susak – Pula
- Saturday: Pula – Exam

Over 500 participants
Join Croatia Sailing Academy
No previous sailing experience needed
Sailing Course – Basic
No previous experience needed
Our Basic Skipper course is suitable for both beginners with no previous sailing experience and those with prior experience looking to further their skills.
Meeting point
The starting and ending point is Marina Polesana, Pula
Included in the price
Onboard accommodation (in a shared cabin)
Skipper instructor (Yacht Master)
Boat fuel
Marina and mooring expenses
Preparation for getting the license
Tourist taxes
Final cleaning of the boat
Croatia Sailing Academy Skipper certificate (participants who meet CSA
criteria)
CSA T-shirt
Price does not include
Food during the course (for you and the instructor) (approximately 100€/week)
Transport to the departure marina
The exam for the licence B (optional) – 160€
Cancellation policy
If you cancel up to 30 days (or more) from the start of the course, we will refund your deposit (50% of the full course price).
If you cancel less than 30 days from the start of the course, there is no refund provided.
Notes
- The route greatly depends on the weather conditions, so note that daily modifications are possible
- The listed prices refer to double cabin accommodation. Surcharge for the use of a single cabin is 60% of the stated price