JEDDAH, 13 August — A marine training course, described as Saudi Arabia’s first, begins at the Red Sea Marina, North Obhur, today.
“The course we’re offering is now a requirement of the Saudi Arabian Coast Guard for those wanting to obtain a captain’s license to sail in local waters,” Capt. Michael Williamson, yacht instructor at the Red Sea Marine Training School of Saudi Brothers Commercial Company’s Red Sea Marina, told Arab News.
There were inquiries from all over the Kingdom following the announcement of the training course.
The course is partly classroom-based and partly practical experience on several different classes of boats. Sessions last five days and are conducted in groups of five. Participants in the course are from Makkah, Madinah, Taif, Riyadh, Dammam and Tabuk, as well as f0rom Jeddah itself, said Robert J. Wetherall, the company’s director of business development.
Both Wetherall and Williamson explained that the primary objective of the training school was to keep the waters safe for all those who use them, and this could only be achieved through education.
On a tour of the facilities at the marina, Williamson said the school had three boats — new 10m and 12m twin outboard crafts, typical of the local fishing and diving boats, and a larger cabin cruiser with twin inboard engines which is used for longer voyages and navigation exercises.
The course, which is recognized internationally, includes berthing/mooring/ropework, VHF radio instruction, GPS and electronic navigation and charts, safety and engine troubleshooting, and first aid at sea.
“Class sizes will be kept down to five students per instructor, ensuring you get the individual attention you need. The course takes five days and concludes with an examination by the North Obhur Coast Guard and myself,” Williamson added.
Wetherall added: “The school has a curriculum that has been approved by the authorities that will enable a student to sit an examination. Upon passing it, he will be awarded a certificate signed by the instructor and the Coast Guard.
The course will enable students to go to sea on small- and medium-sized vessels, giving them the confidence to take day trips with their family and friends in the knowledge that they have the necessary skills to return safely to their home port.”
The marina, which is among a dozen such privately owned facilities in North Obhur, has a selection of motor yachts which call upon the many reefs within the Red Sea, as well as cruising to the creek and beyond and can be chartered.
The Red Sea presents an unlimited choice of destinations ranging from reefs to coastal sites. The unspoiled coral reefs are equal to the sights found on the Australian Great Barrier Reef and a wonder that should be experienced in the Kingdom.
The company has invested several million riyals to upgrade the marina.
“Its facilities now include berthing/dry storage for up to 300 boats, extensive workshop facilities for all boat repairs and refurbishment, a new fuel station for both petrol and diesel, operational charter services, a resident Coast Guard, a restaurant and a 60-ton boat hoist, aside from the new training school,” Marina Superintendent Kousay Samine explained.
