Practical Charter Skipper HOPA Charter Skipper Course

HOPA

HOPa

Hands On Practice advanced

Duration - 7 days
Zone - Athens, Greece
Price - 1150 EUR/ EUR spot in double cabin/ person

* the course can be paid in full or in installments

PRICE INCLUDES

7 days of theory and practice intensive, advanced level
Instructor CAPETAN, RYA YachtMaster Offshore/ Cruising Instructor
Minim 8 hours of practice per day
Accommodation on school boat with maximum 5 trainees + trainer
Boat hire
Equipment
Linen/ towels
End-cleaning
Access to pre-departure theoretical workshops
Night sailing hours
Feedback sessions and personal counselling
Necessary documentation in electronic format
Associated diesel/ marine/ water/ electricity costs
Deposit insurance
Shopping essentials for the week
Dedicated support before and during the course

does not include

Transport to and from the departure marina
Deposit 100€/ pers, refundable

THIS IS HOPA

HOPA is a personal challenge for those who already have some experience and want more: solo sailing, sailing in difficult conditions or working as a skipper in the charter industry.

HOPA FLEX

Duration - 7 days
Zone - Athens or other areas on request
Price - 1150 EUR/ EUR spot in double cabin/ person

*price valid from October to May
**courses can be paid in full or in installments

Same crash course, when and where you can!

choose the period
we agree the location together
come with friends or colleagues, or we complete the group ourselves
(max. 5 + instructor)

FLEX is perfect if you can't make it to your already-scheduled classes.

HOPA PRIVATE

HOPA Private

Duration - 7 days
Zone - Athens or other areas on request
Price - from 4600 EUR/ module

The price shown is an indicative starting price.
You choose the period, the location, the boat (from our offer), we add an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Capetan instructor and we get the final price.

HOPA REFRESH

Duration - 7 days
Zone - Athens
Price - depends on the boat chosen

REFRESH is for you if:

you haven't surfed for a while
you've finished HOPA Capetan and want to put what you've learnt into practice
want to get a bit of practice in before the season starts

How it works:

we help you choose and hire the right boat
choose who you want on board
choose one of the periods when a Capetan course is held

At REFRESH, the instructors are nearby - you practise safely, without pressure, but you can always ask for assistance.

PRACTICE

We give you the opportunity to put your shoulder to the wheel and practice as many manoeuvres as you need to sail properly.

CAMARADERIE

Join the CAPETAN community, a club of sailing enthusiasts that will always help you out when in need.

EXPERIENCE

The knowledge provided is designed to help you easily navigate situations that can arise when sailing a charter boat in a busy holiday destination with an inexperienced crew.

AVANSAT

Hands On Practice advanced

The Hands on Practice Advanced module follows a curriculum of theoretical topics and practical exercises through which we aim to provide the knowledge and practice necessary to develop advanced navigation skills and competences.

The module comprises two stages:
- The first stage, before travelling to Greece, involves individual study of the theory, with access to workshops on different themes.
- the second stage takes place in Athens, Greece and is intensive sailing and catamaran practice - 7 days, 8 hours a day.

BEGINNER OR ADVANCED?

Choose the practice module that matches your level! Hands-On Practice Advanced (HOPA) is designed for those who already have sailing experience and want to take their skills to the next level. The course focuses on correctly learning and practicing a wide range of advanced maneuvers, including single-handed and short-handed sailing. In addition, it aims to refine your skipper skills—both in leading a crew and responding effectively to challenging, less common scenarios.

HOPa

Hands on practice advanced

The Hands-On Practice Advanced event comes as a natural continuation of HOP.

In this module, you will practice on both monohulls and catamarans.

The Advanced course includes practicing all the maneuvers from the HOP program—this time single-handed—along with advanced-level scenarios, challenging maneuvers, and an introduction to the world of catamarans, covering key differences, unique characteristics, and, of course, specific catamaran maneuvers.

Maneuvers

manoeuvres under sails with crew
mooring buoy manoeuvres under sails with crew
training on heave to procedure
emergency steering with a drogue
med mooring under windy conditions
sailing with emergency tiller
mooring buoy under engine single handed
med mooring single handed
anchoring single handed
leaving mooring single handed
leaving anchor single handed

recap mechanics motor
single-handed sailing
single handed reefing
emergency procedures under sails single handed
sail trimming race & cruising
Night sailing - NO electronics - autopilot tips and tricks
recap boat aux - heads/electrical/mechanical/spares
NO electronics day
free practice
centralized feedback
Mono/Catamaran daily switch

HOPA

7 days of manoeuvres advanced

The HOPA, the focus is on single-handed and short-handed maneuvers.

Single-Handed - refers to sailing with one person on board, who is responsible for all aspects of the boat's operation, including navigation, sail handling and safety.
It is a demanding style of sailing, requiring advanced skills, autonomy and knowledge of specialized equipment that can assist in tasks that would normally require several crew members.

Short-Handed
Refers to sailing with a smaller crew than normally recommended for the size or type of craft. It requires effective teamwork, strategic use of automation and prioritization of tasks to compensate for reduced crew numbers.

Both styles emphasize efficiency, skills and the ability to adapt to challenges with a small crew.