WITH VESSEL HANDLING & NAVIGATION COURSES
In these recently troubled times, insurance companies now diligently request evidence from prospective clients regarding their boat handling and navigation skills, to ensure that boat owners and handlers are better educated prior to taking their larger vessels offshore and on extended journeys.
Karla Herbert-Evans from Nautical Training and Marine Services conducts these courses, satisfying the needs of insurance companies and boat operators and owners. Successful candidates receive a Certificate of Completion which details all activities successfully undertaken.
One such boat industry worker to make use of Karla’s comprehensive courses is Emma Weale.
Emma is a well-travelled young person with a love of the sea and extensive experience, having already completed the widely respected Royal Yachting Association Certificate in the UK, and having spent time working on a yacht in France. Subsequently, Emma was elated to land her dream job as a Deckhand Stewardess on an 80-foot Superyacht in Australia.
Despite her previous yachting experience, Emma felt the need for more hands-on training to increase her vessel handling skills to better manage the superyacht’s outboard motor-powered rigid inflatable tender.
Specifically, Emma wanted to improve her vessel approach and departure skills when rafting the tender to the superyacht in adverse conditions, ensuring the safety of both passengers and crew while embarking and disembarking, anchoring, and mooring.
Emma approached Karla, outlining her previous experience, and discussing her desire to increase her capabilities on the water. Karla was very supportive and encouraged Emma to continue with her maritime endeavours, complimenting Emma’s existing skills and great enthusiasm as being a tremendous boost to her doing well in the superyacht industry.
“My main struggle was with docking. It is one of the major skills required for my job,” said Emma.
Together, they decided that the appropriate courses of study would be “Navigation Courses 1 & 2 Chart Plotting and Positioning” and “Advanced Vessel Handling & Close Quarter Manoeuvring”.
Emma’s next yachting destination was to the Whitsunday Islands and therefore, she was very keen to complete Nautical Training and Marine Services, Whitsundays Navigation course to be best prepared for their pending voyage.
Karla’s training covered the theory and, importantly, the hands-on practice needed to gain the necessary competence. Under Karla’s guidance, Emma completed her trip planning and forecasting, then docking and vessel rafting practice, prior to navigating Nautical Training’s vessel from the Australian Volunteer Coastguard dock in Loder Creek, Southport Qld to Runaway Bay fuel jetty for some docking practice and bunkering, then on to Wavebreak Island for anchoring practice, including stern-to-beach anchoring, before returning to the boat ramp to cover launch and retrieval to trailer.
As Emma said afterwards, “Initially, I felt some pressure but, once everything was explained in detail, it gradually became easier. I really enjoyed the process so that, of course, is an added bonus!”
Emma believes that a major aspect of the training was the confidence that she felt through being instructed by such a competent, empathetic, and knowledgeable female in a male-dominated industry.
As Emma said of Karla, “She answered all my questions in detail and with passion.”
Karla helped to build Emma’s morale for future challenges and her belief that she would achieve her goals.
As a testament to the success of the training, Emma wrote, “I would highly recommend the training as it was personalised and friendly. I would definitely go back to Karla for more training and would suggest that anyone who is starting out in the super yachting industry do so as well, as it is specifically tailored to each individual’s needs.”
Karla offers a range of services: Qld Boatsafe Training Courses; Recreational Marine Driver Licence Course; Personal Watercraft Course, AMSA Coxswain 3 Practical and Commercial Seatime.
One of Nautical Training’s most popular courses is their individually tailored ‘Onboard Practicals’ which can be conducted onboard your own vessel or Nautical Training’s commercial vessel. This course covers Vessel Familiarisation Knots, Lines and Hitches; Broadwater Navigation Vessel Handling & Manoeuvring; and Berthing, Docking & Anchoring. These practical courses can be tailored to individual needs, from the complete novice boater to commercial standards.
Their increasingly popular Navigation Courses, highly regarded for insurance purposes, are offered as:
- ‘Navigation Basics’ – which covers Iala Buoyage System; Chart Features; Latitude and Longitude; Compass True and Magnetic; Compass Bearings; Compass Conversions; Distance Speed Time; Tide Calculations; and Passage Planning
- ‘Navigational Positioning’ – featuring Chart Plotting Shaping a Course; Calculating Set and Drift; and Dead Reckoning Position Fixing, and
- ‘Night Navigation’ -helping sailors to master Night Navigation; Radar Positioning; Radar Plotting; Onboard Practical; and Navigating Broadwater or Moreton Bay Overnight.
To book these courses, or boat licence and jet ski licence training and assessment, contact Karla at
karla@nauticaltraining.com.au Ph: 0412 550 570
Published in print October-December 2023
