Looking to get powerboating qualifications

effluent

Hi all,

I'm thinking about up skilling myself and bossting my CV by getting some powerboating qualifications, as the job involves working on a RIB off the coast. I've been looking over the Irish Sailing Academy website and saw some courses that would benefit me. But it didn't mention when they run these courses, do they only run them during the summer or is it year round(weather depending)?

Also I was looking to do a Sea survival course. Can you do this course elsewhere besides the National Maritime College?

I was supposed to get training in these areas in my last work placement but it was cut.

Just for the record I have no other qualifications relating to powerboating and I've little experience of being on RIB's, did everything else besides get in one.

HeidiHeidi

Not sure about powerboat courses, but I did my Sea Survival cert with this crowd http://www.seaandshoresafety.com/ - they used Mespil pool in Dublin 4 - if/when I'm doing it again I'd do it in the Maritime College, sounds like a much more realistic set-up.

ETA - not knocking the course I did! They were really good, it was two full days if I remember rightly, and very intensive. Full half day in the pool.

fergal.b

Try these guys for the powerboat courses, sometimes if you can get a few guy's/girls together they will come to you.
http://www.marinetraining.ie/powerboat.html

Alkers

There is also this crowd in DL for the powerboat courses. The courses are expensive though, I guess a lot goes on fuel. If you know someone who is competent, get them to teach you and then you can pay a school just to sit the exam and get accredited. Might be a cheaper way.
I have done the Personal Survival Techniques course in the NMCI, it's pretty good! The final exercise is in pitch darkness but for a snap-light on each person and the occasional flash of lightning, there is proper waves (people have gotten sick in the raft before), intense rain and even thunder! You have to step in from a height (side of a ship), right a life-raft etc and it's mad how much a difference it is doing it in the bad conditions compared to when you went through everything beforehand in a calm pool with perfect visibility.

effluent

Thanks for the feedback.

Some of them do seem a little pricey but I think it'll be worth it if I want to upskill. It sounds like the Maritime college is the top spot to do the Survival course in, but I was looking at the centre in Westport who say they are running them, still waiting for feedback from them.

Just another question, would you need to do a sea survival course before you do a power boat course, would it stop you from undertaking the power boating course?

fergal.b wrote: »

Try these guys for the powerboat courses, sometimes if you can get a few guy's/girls together they will come to you.
http://www.marinetraining.ie/powerboat.html

Thanks for that, I don't know how I didn't hear of these guys, sounds right up my street.

Alkers

No, the powerboat course would not need sea survival. What line of work are you in? IIrc, sea survival is only a requirement for the likes of fishing boats etc where you would be sleeping on board.

effluent

Simona1986 wrote: »

No, the powerboat course would not need sea survival. What line of work are you in? IIrc, sea survival is only a requirement for the likes of fishing boats etc where you would be sleeping on board.

I had been working with the fisheries (IFI) and i wasn't allowed to go on the RIB because I hadn't a Sea survival course completed, they'd normaly patrol waters 12 miles off the coast, it must have had something to do with the companies health and safety procedure to have a Survival course complete.