RYA Powerboat Level 2 Course in North Wales

The RYA Powerboat Level 2 is a two-day practical course aiming to give you the experience and confidence to handle a powerboat in familiar waters during the day. The Level 2 certificate also lets you obtain the ICC, which is often needed if you want to drive or hire a powerboat abroad and as an entry requirement to many boating jobs in the UK. Seawake runs this on a ratio of 3 students to 1 instructor.

🚤 Key Details

• Duration: 2 days, usually 9:00 to 17:00 each day
• Meeting point: 40 High Street, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EF
• Minimum age: 12 years
• Group size: Up to 3 students to 1 instructor
• Certificate: RYA Powerboat Level 2, with eligibility for the ICC

🔑 Key Skills

• Launching, recovering and pre-launch boat checks
• Kill cord, steer then gear, trim, and high and low speed handling
• Emergency stop, man overboard, coming alongside and picking up a buoy
• Navigating the Swellies as a team
• Charts, compass, buoyage, tides and basic VHF

👀 What to Expect

Day 1 starts at 9:00 with tea or coffee and a plan for the two days, then you get kitted up and walk down to the boats. From 9:30 you're looking at launching and recovering from a trailer, pre-launch checks of fenders, anchor, flares, fire extinguisher and spare fuel, and the first handling drills. After lunch you work through charts, compass, passage planning, buoyage, tides, tidal streams and basic VHF, then go back on the water for steer then gear, trim, high and low speed handling, coming alongside and picking up a buoy.

Day 2 starts with a review of what you learned, then a morning practical session. Lunch includes building a passage plan you will actually follow. From 14:00 you run that plan on the water, including the Swellies when conditions allow, plus emergency stop, man overboard, towing and how different boats handle. We review the two days at 17:00 and issue your RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate when you have shown the handling and theory needed for familiar waters by day. If you already have powerboating experience, a one-day direct assessment is available, with coaching in the morning and an assessment in the afternoon.

📍 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, and the proximity to the Menai Strait makes for challenging but great learning.

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

✅ Prerequisites

You do not need any prior experience. Level 2 is open if you have no powerboating background, and it is also the usual next step after Level 1.

Come ready for two days of spray and wind. Wear warm layers, a waterproof coat and non-slip footwear, and bring lunch each day 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 2 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.