First of all, be sure to be familiar with the Sail Canada path to cruising certifications.

The Advanced Instrcutor conducts courses with live on board, including navigation by day and night.

Candidates must previously have a strong experience in sailing with live on board, and also a solid experience as a Basic instructor. It is important to note that the certification is not a training but an evaluation of the candidate's abilities. It is therefore essential to be well prepared before you apply, and the best way to be ready is by being mentored by either a sailing school or a certified instructor.

For complete details about the content of the certification, read the document on the Intermediate cruising instructor certification on the Sail Canada website.

Overview of the prices and calendar

Payement for the first part of the certification (298$) is due for January 20th.
Payement for the on water session is due for May 15th.

Prerequisites

• To be 20 or older;
• To be an up to date and active Intermediate Cruising Instructor;
• To have at least 300 hours of experience as a Sail Canada Cruising Instructor, 50% of which afloat, and have taught at least 2 live-board courses leading to the Intermediate Standard;
• To be able to prove at least 30 days of experience as a skipper, including a minimum of 5 overnight passages;
• To be recommanded by an homologated sailing school and by an Instructor Evaluator;
• To submit your sailing résumé (please download and use our template).

These prerequisites must have been obtained and transmitted to the FVQ before January 20th.

Certification steps and process

Part 1 : application and registration

The registration deadline is January 20th.

Following the examination of your application, at the condition that your prerequisites are all submitted, we will inform you by February 1st if you have been selected to join the certification process. Payement will only be processed for candidates who have been selected.

You may first send us your Résumé so that we can inform you if your application can be accepted. Be aware that this does not change the deadline for submitting the complete application.

To join the process, use the registration form.

Part 2 : Examinations

If you have passed one of the exams during the last 12 months and have obtained the required mark you may be allowed not to retake it, at the condition that the examination paper can be provided.

Examinations :

Part 3: On water session

The on water session takes place on a weekend.

Candidates are evaluated on their ability to teach elements of the Advanced Standard, on their skills when skipping the boat alone and with a crew, and on their capacity to react during emergency situations.
Students will provide a course program leading to the Advanced Standard.

All certifications are valid for a period of three years until the 31st of December of the third year.

Keeping your certification up to date

Sail Canada annual membership

In order to work as a sailing instructor, to give Sail Canada certification, and to benefit fromSkipper's Plan Instructor liability Insurrance, you need to pay yearly your Sail Canada Membership. Being a Sail Canada instructor is therefore conditionned by your membership, which can only be paid if all your requisites and certification are up to date.

Staying active, which includes paying your annual membership, has also consequences when it comes to updating your certifications.
Every three years, at the end of your certification validity period, if you have been active every year you will have the opportunity to recertify for the next three years byu attending seminars at the FVQ annual Conference. For instructors who have not kept an active profile, the recertification process is both more time taking and more expensive. They will need to attend the Pedagogy workshop and to pass one exam.
Note that after ten years, if not updated, certifications will be lost.

Instructor Physical Competency and Medical

Every instructor has to prove that his physical condition allows him to skip and manoeuver the boat alone.Physical condition is verified by Transport Canada doctors who will deliver Marine Medical to the instructors(list of doctors accredited by Transport Canada).

For basic cruising instructors who do not give any courses with life on board, Marine medical can be replaced by an Instructor Physical Competency Evaluation. To pass the evaluation, the instructor must show that he is able to do all the elements of the basic cruising instructor on water session alone. New instructors can therefore use their succesful on water session as a Physical Competency Evaluation in order to complete their Sail Canada instructor profile without having to pass their Marine Medical, at the very condition that they will not give any course with live aboard.

The Marine Medical or the Physical Competency Evaluation must be renewed for each recertification, which means every three years.

Registration

With you Sailing Résumé (to dowload our template click here) and pictures of your prerequisites at hand, click here to access the registration form.