You are ready for your next step on the RYA ladder, and you are looking for more practical experience and extra nautical miles.

You are ready for a sailing trip to boost your skippering skills, under the watchful eye of an experienced skipper (RYA instructor).

Do you want to discover new coastlines, new ports, learn to handle strong tide, a far away destination ?  Exploring a beautiful and challenging sailing area ?  Then this Experience Builder is just perfect for you.

Experience Builder

"Exploring the amazing coast of South-Brittany"

The Ultimate Experience Builder in Sailors Paradise

Everything you’ve learned on your previous shorebased trainings and at our practical training sessions will come alive to be put in practise in Brittany ! There are rocks and islands, there are tidal calculations to make and currents to be taken care of in your passage planning.

Every day we will enter a new marina you’ve never been before, and it may dry out .There will be days with four seasons for your meteorology predictions, and the Atlantic ocean is under your keel. Ready to be challenged on your navigational and yacht handling skills?

Description of what to expect

Under the expert guidance of a C-MASTERS RYA instructor with years of experience sailing in Brittany, we offer an experience builder in this sailing paradise. You have already done competent crew or Day Skipper, you are aiming for Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore and are looking for a nice milebuilder (approx 200 to 300 NM), then our experience builder week in Brittany is the best opportunity for sharpening your skills.

In the well-known philosophy of C-MASTERS, we provide a mix of sailing days with challenges such as entering and pilotage through the many isles and rocks of the gulf of Morbihan, a passage to the amazing Belle Ile, plus practicing some night sailing. Without doubt you will be finding these passages very exciting and bringing a solid boost to your experience.  Equallly enjoyable will be the crowning of these expriences in the French-Breton tradition: joie de vivre of the après-sail in a picturesque setting, or maybe even at anchor in a remote bay after having tested your anchoring skills.

When you are on a training level close to your Coastal Skipper or working towards your Yachtmaster exam, you will have to play the role as the skipper for some days too ! Surely under the supervision of your RYA instructor, familiar with the local waters.

The destinations of this experience builder

As we sail mostly around the baie de Quiberon, protected by its peninsula from the ocean swell and literally around Brittany’s most beautiful island like Houat, Hoedic, Groix and Belle Isle (the island of Monet and postcard little harbours), the winds will always be present just like in the Bay of Biscay. This is why all the French ocean racers have their base here, their training camps and it’s also why the world’s most challenging regattas are organised here : Route du Rhum, Vendee Globe, Armen Race, Spi Ouest, …

Learning and enjoying will go hand in hand

Your RYA instructor is an experienced regatta sailor, knows the area like his home base and speaks Dutch, English and French. He will coach you in refining your sailing skills, your sail trim and manoeuvring experiences. Having sailed in South-Brittany for 25 years also means that he knows the good places. Yes, Brittany is a seafood and culinary paradise, you’re in France where the best wines are paired with this food, and by preference in picturesque little harbours and villages you’d never imagined they still exist. But : only if you deserve it after your well passed harbour manoeuvre and mooring technique.

Please note: this is not a fast mile builder, this is an experience building trip where we look forward to offer you the opportunity to build up as much as possible confidence in yacht handling and navigation.

We offer this Experience Builder on a beautiful 45 ft Grand Soleil. The yacht is a meticulously maintained beauty with nice comfort, 3 cabins and very good sailing skills. 

What's included

• Passage Planning Session at our training centre.
• Accommodation on board of our beautiful Grand Soleil 45
• Coaching by experienced instructor
• Approximately 200-300 NM to be added to your logbook
• Several exciting passages during daytime and night-time
• And an unforgettable sailing trip to one of the most beautiful areas in Europe

Not included in the fee is your travel to and from the yacht, meals and drinks ashore, and any personal expenses.

Supporting courses

In preparation of your experience builder we recommend doing the one day Masterclass on  Passage Planning and Pilotage, or one of the RYA navigation courses 

Supporting books

The C-MASTERS signature:

Passage Planning Session to successfully prepare yourself for this experience builder

We want to make sure that you'll get the most out of your experience builder on board. As always: "preparation is the key to a successful sailing trip".  Therefore we organise a one-day session at our training centre for all participants to jointly prepare your passages, several weeks before the start of your experience builder. We will put the charts of Brittany on the table, canculate the tides, look up information on great coastal harbours and start developing the passage plan that you will be executing as skipper when you come on board. This planning session will also provide you with the opportunity to get to know the skipper and the other participants.

What an adventure ! Great instructor and boat

The combination of my RYA training course and this sailing trip was ideal. 

It was an excellent opportunity to make lots of miles and explore a new sailing area. I highly recommend your Experience Builders.

I can't wait to join you for the next adventure.

-- Monica --