RYA Powerboat Level 1 Course in North Wales

The RYA Powerboat Level 1 is a one-day practical introduction to powerboat handling and safety. You'll work on Seawake training RIBs from Menai Bridge, covering launching, boat preparation and the basics of handling in sheltered water. Classroom time sits close to the moorings so you can spend as much of the day as possible on the water.

🚤 Key Details

• Duration: 1 day, 9:00 to 17:30
• Meeting point: 40 High Street, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EF
• Minimum age: 8 years
• Group size: Up to 3 students to 1 instructor
• Certificate: RYA Powerboat Level 1

🔑 Key Skills

• Launching and recovering a boat from a trailer using slipways
• Pre-launch checks of safety and navigation kit
• Kill cord, engine controls and steer then gear handling
• Picking up a buoy, coming alongside and tying up
• Lifejackets, knots and awareness of other water users

👀 What to Expect

Launching and recovering covers launching and recovering a boat from and onto a trailer using slipways. We look at how we need to set up the boat prior to launching and potential problems that could arise. We talk you through how to recover a boat onto a trailer by both driving and winching the boat on, considering potential hazards. We discuss pre-launch checks that must be carried out for safe boating, checking all necessary equipment is present and in good working order, such as fenders, anchor, flares, fire extinguisher and spare fuel containers. We will also check the navigational equipment is working.

Boat handling covers all the basics of safe boat handling. We take you through the use of a kill cord, starting and stopping the engine, steering using the ‘steer then gear’ method and boat controls. The course will give you an understanding of how the boat is affected by wind and tide, how engine trimming works and introduce high-speed manoeuvres, as well as low-speed handling both backwards and forwards. We’ll go through picking up and mooring to a buoy, leaving and parking alongside a pier, pontoon or wall, tying the boat up correctly and safely, and towing a boat. During the course, we will also spend some time looking at the theory needed to operate a powerboat safely, including the importance of lifejackets and buoyancy aids, the main knots used on boats, local byelaws, insurance and awareness of other water users.

📍 Location

Our training centre is in Menai Bridge on the Isle of Anglesey, with a fully equipped classroom and access to the training boats within a five-minute walk. Menai Bridge offers generally sheltered waters that are ideal for a first day, and the boats can reach the Menai Strait on most states of the tide.

They say if you can navigate the Menai Strait then it sets you in good stead for any navigational boating challenge. During the day you'll see the sights of the area, including the iconic bridges, and the classroom is in the town itself, easily reached by taking junction 8A onto the A5 off the A55 at Britannia Bridge. There is parking across the road in a public Pay and Display car park.

✅ Prerequisites

You do not need any prior boating experience. Level 1 is a first day on the water for adults and for younger boaters, and it is open from 8 years old when a parent or guardian is with them.

Come ready for spray and wind. Wear warm layers, a waterproof coat and non-slip footwear, and bring lunch unless you plan to buy it locally. We supply lifejackets and buoyancy aids.

⭐ Why Choose Us

What makes a Seawake Powerboat Training course different is our team. We are all enthusiastic powerboaters with a vast amount of experience on the water, and our instructors teach using RYA guidelines, their own experience and their local knowledge of the Menai Strait and North Wales coast.

Theory is important, but we know that getting out on the water is the fun part for most. Classroom activities for Level 1 are done in our classroom close to where we moor the boats, so we can get maximum time on the water. Students tell us the relaxed but informative approach puts them at ease straight away.