WHO IS THE OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING AIMED AT?
As the exciting and testing sport of Ocean Rowing has grown immensely over the last two decades the need for specific training has also grown. We offer three variations of Ocean Rowing training programme, which all meet the training requirements of The Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
In particular the following requirements are laid down by the Spanish Authorities and form part of the rules of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
All competitors must gain certification in;
- RYA Sea Survival
- RYA First Aid
- RYA Short Range Certificate (VHF License)
- Navigation & Seamanship Training
HOW LONG IS THE OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING COURSE:
We offer three options to complete all four modules of this mandatory training.
- A 5-day program at our classroom in Southampton (or we can travel to you)
- A blended programme (2 days at our classroom plus 2 modules of online learning)
- A blended programme (3 days at our classroom plus 1 module of online learning)
Whichever option you go for, you will (assuming you attend and pass each module) emerge with all of the necessary safety training certifications to compete in the race.
All rowers compete at least 2 days of face to face training, there are then options on how to complete the rest.
| RYA Sea Survival, Southampton | RYA First Aid, Southampton | RYA SRC Course | RYA SRC Exam, Southampton | Nav & Seamanship | |
| 2 Day programme | ✅ | ✅ | online | ✅ | online |
| 3 Day Programme | ✅ | ✅ | classroom | ✅ | online |
| 5 Day Programme | ✅ | ✅ | classroom | ✅ | classroom |
ARE THERE ANY PRE REQUISITES FOR THE OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMME?
There is a minimum age of 16 and there are 3 hours self-study of the VHF handbook (which we will send you when you book) to complete before the rest of the course
WHAT IS COVERED ON GHTE OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMME?
- First Aid at Sea (including rowing specific ailments and body maintenance)
- Calling for help (VHF, EPIRB, PLB, SART, personal AIS, flares and sat. phone)
- Practical session on use of distress flares
- Practical life raft training (in the pool)
- Choice of life jackets and other survival equipment for ocean rowing
- Use of the safety equipment covered by the event rules
- Deployment of a sea anchor/drogue
- Practical marine VHF and DSC communications
- Search & Rescue procedures
- Medical evacuation by SAR helicopter
- Introduction to chartwork, navigation and tides
- Rules of the road, buoyage, coastal navigation
- GPS at sea
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMMES?
- RYA First Aid Certificate
- RYA Sea Survival Certificate
- RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Certificate
- Use of live VHF simulators at our centre
- Live flare firing session at our centre
- 2 hour pool session and use of life raft, life jacket etc.
- First Aid Handbook
- Sea Survival Handbook
- Navigation Handbook
- VHF Radio Handbook (ebook, see below)
- RYA Training chart and exercise book
- Handy plotter (required for the race)
- Dividers (required for the race)
- Tea and coffee at the training centre
- Free (on street) parking at the training centre
- 5 DAY CLASSROOM OPTION
- 5 days of shore based training OR
- BLENDED LEARNING OPTION
- 2 or 3days of shorebased training
- RYA Interactive Account
- Access to the necessary online module(s)
- Postage of the RYA training pack (training charts, plotter and navigation handbook), within UK
- Unlimited email support for the 2 E-Learning modules. The online Radio course must be completed before you attend the 2 days with us as we have to carry out a SRC exam while you are here. The navigation module can be completed before or after you attend the centre.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMMES?
- RYA Short Range Certificate Exam Fee (payable separately and directly to the RYA).
- Accommodation, (available locally)
- Meals
- Postage of the training pack if you are outside of UK,
WHY BOOK YOUR OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING WITH CHIEFTAIN TRAINING?
- Our 2-day blended learning option (combined with E-Learning at home) is the most time efficient option available on the market to ocean rowers. This reduces your associated costs such as hotel bills. Our 5-day option covers the same content but gives you the choice of completing the whole programme with face to face training rather than partly online training. The choice is yours.
- Our lead Survival Instructor has thousand of miles of ocean sailing experience and has been managing ocean race teams (sail) for many years, his knowledge of life rafts, survival and the conditions you will face come from years of immersing himself in this life.
- Our radio and First Aid instructors are experts in their specific subjects and also have considerable sea time
- Our Principal has been delivering safety training to Ocean rowing teams since 2008 and has taught Sea Survival, Navigation, VHF and First Aid for two decades
- We are a proud sponsor of both Force Genesis (a 3 woman, 1 man team in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2020) and Minds Matter ARC2022 (a pair of local firefighters in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2022). In addition to their training we advise them on the purchase of safety equipment etc. By joining their journeys to the start line (and onward to the finish line) we have gained an insight into the struggles Ocean rowers face both before the start and during the race.
- While our main centre in in Southampton, we can arrange bespoke courses for your team at other venues around the country.
OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING BOOKING CONDITIONS:
Where possible we recommend you attend the same dates as the rest of your team, in particular the life raft training in the pool is a good team bonding exercise, however this is not essential and you can train on different dates (or formats) if necessary!
The RYA SRC Handbook is sent to you as an E-book. In order to read it you will require an RYA ebook compatible device (Apple Mac, PC, iPad or Android tablet). If you prefer a hardcopy then there is a £10 surcharge which includes UK postage. You must tell us at the time of booking if you prefer the hardcopy book.
If you opt for the 2-day blended learning option then you will need broadband access and a device that meets one of the following minimum requirements
- Apple Mac running OS 10.13 and the latest version of Safari, Firefox or Google Chrome
- Apple iPad running OS11 and the latest version of Safari
- PC running Windows 10 with latest version of Firefox, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge
- Android Tablet running 4.1 and latest update of Google Chrome
OCEAN ROWING SAFETY TRAINING OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
The above package covers the mandatory training required by all rowers for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. We can bespoke additional training as required, options include:
- Offshore navigation
- Ocean routing, currents & meteorology
- Advanced first aid
- Bespoke training on the use of the electronics onboard your actual boat