Dubai, April 25 – 26, 2010. Following the Dragon Boat Race at Dubai Festival City, Paul Michael Gledhill, Director and Co-Founder of Xpert Learning and Captain of the e-Learning boat (which came last within the dragon boat race), developed a real taste for the seas, besides his passion for e-Learning. Paul has enrolled himself for a boating course!
JPS Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental (LLC), a company based in Dubai, will be conducting the two-day Royal Yachting Association (RYA) course which will take place at the Dubai Creek and Yacht Club, in Deira, on the 25th and 26th of April 2010. The RYA is the national body for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrow boats, and personal watercraft.
One of the great things about being on the water is that one never stops learning. The RYA is a leading maritime publisher, with some 80+ book, DVD and multimedia titles on its current list relating to all matters marine from Get Started books, books for children to more advanced pilotage and weather books and more.
Their publications are highly regarded internationally and RYA titles have been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages. They are developing special southern hemisphere editions of their leading training titles to meet demand from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and a co-publishing agreement is in prospect for the USA.
The two-day course content being offered by RYA is broken down into 2 levels, namely PowerBoat Levels 1 and 2. A description of these 2 levels is provided below:
PowerBoat Level 1
This course is an introduction to boating techniques for launching and recovering a boat from a road trailer, everyday boat handling and the use of safety equipment.
PowerBoat Level 2
This two-day course provides the skills and background knowledge needed to drive a powerboat and is the basis of the International Certificate of Competence. It includes close quarters handling, high speed manoeuvres, man overboard recovery and collision regulations. The course can be taken inland or on the coast and the certificate will be endorsed accordingly.
No matter how challenging the courses are, Paul is really looking forward to earning the certifications. “After tasting the water too much and suffering the aches and pains of rowing on the Dragon Boat, it seems that PowerBoat sports are a lot easier,” said Paul. “Perhaps, leisure cruising will be a less strenuous option than the Dragon Boat racing”, he further added.
We wish Paul all the best for his endeavor. Aye Aye Captain Paul! May the force be with you!
