This unique Whitsundays sailing experience combines two separate but complementary components:
Together, they create the perfect opportunity for sailors looking to advance their skills, gain offshore confidence, and build valuable sea miles and qualifying passages.
Departing from Coral Sea Marina in Airlie Beach, this extended voyage heads south along the Queensland coast to the stunning Magnetic Island before returning north to the Whitsundays.
The RYA Coastal Skipper course is designed for experienced sailors who are ready to move beyond Day Skipper level and begin taking command of a yacht on more challenging coastal and offshore passages.
The course focuses on developing:
Unlike short local courses, this format allows students to learn while undertaking genuine offshore passages in real-world conditions.
Training is delivered by experienced RYA instructors to internationally recognised standards, helping students build both competence and confidence as skippers.
Separate from the course itself, the voyage also functions as a dedicated offshore milebuilder.
This gives sailors the opportunity to log substantial sea miles while gaining practical experience in:
For sailors working toward future qualifications such as RYA Yachtmaster Offshore, gaining offshore miles and qualifying passages is essential — and this voyage delivers exactly that.
A major highlight of this milebuilder voyage is that it includes four qualifying passages that can be logged toward future RYA certification requirements.
The journey includes multiple offshore and coastal passage legs between the Whitsundays and Magnetic Island, allowing students to gain meaningful and recognised sea time in a relatively short period.
For many sailors, collecting qualifying passages can take a long time. Completing four during one professionally guided voyage is an outstanding opportunity.
Magnetic Island is an ideal offshore training destination.
Located off the coast near Townsville, the island provides a perfect mix of open-water sailing, navigation challenges, sheltered anchorages, and changing conditions that create valuable learning opportunities for developing skippers.
Along the way, students experience:
And beyond the training, the destination itself is spectacular — with granite headlands, tropical bays, clear blue water, and the relaxed atmosphere that makes North Queensland sailing so special.
This combined Coastal Skipper + Milebuilder experience is ideal for sailors who:
Whether your goal is chartering overseas, owning your own yacht, or preparing for future offshore sailing, this voyage is a major step forward.
There are few better ways to improve your sailing than spending extended time offshore with experienced instructors while exploring one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world.
Combining the RYA Coastal Skipper course with a dedicated offshore milebuilder voyage gives sailors the best of both worlds: internationally recognised training and valuable offshore experience.
From Coral Sea Marina to Magnetic Island and back, this is far more than a sailing course — it’s a genuine offshore adventure.
Coral Sea Marina
Shingley Drive
Airlie Beach
QLD 4802
AUSTRALIA
Postal address
PO Box 890
Cannonvale
QLD 4802
AUSTRALIA
Lat: 20° 16′ South
Long: 148° 43′ East
Phone: +61 402 429 152
