May 2010 Raymarine’s “hands-on” radar training has proved so popular that the marine electronics specialist has added more dates, with course attendees praising the tuition and format of the 2010 courses.  Delegates on the limited-entry events have a unique opportunity to work on their own top of the range Raymarine E120 multi function display, while receiving expert guidance from radar expert Alan Watson.

The courses are taking place at Pwllheli Sailing Club, Pwllheli Marina, North Wales on the 11th and 12th of June and are held in conjunction with local Raymarine dealer Rowlands Marine. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to sign up quickly at Raymarine’s website www.raymarine.co.uk/training.  

The courses have been designed to help users understand how radar works, learn new skills and improve boating abilities and safety practices. Alan Watson says “Everyone from beginners to experienced boaters have found the courses interesting and worthwhile.   In particular people say the guided tour of the equipment is extremely useful, and the section on how to interpret the information that MARPA gives, is a very useful element of the day’s course”.

Alan, who has over 30 years of experience, trained and served as a Merchant Navy Electronics Officer, and holds a Board of Trade Certificate for the maintenance of radar.  His lively and informative courses focus on helping attendees gain a greater understanding of radar, with technical advice and demonstrations on how the Raymarine multi function displays work with radar and AIS inputs. Understanding how to interpret images shown on screen will prove useful even for experienced radar users.

One delegate from Plymouth who attended the course said “I was really pleased with the course and found it informative, relevant and a good use of my time.”  
He continues, “Alan provided the learning in a relaxed and professional manner and took time to make sure all attendees were onboard at all times. The course was well structured and the first couple of hours were spent on the capabilities of the plotter. This was enlightening as there are very useful features in there I never knew about!
The radar learning was entirely new to me but now I feel confident about using it and look forward to putting my learning into practice. I would have no hesitation in recommending the course to others. Also the catering was excellent and the venue highly appropriate.”

The day long courses cost £99.88 inc VAT per person which includes lunch as well as morning coffee and afternoon tea, and can be booked online at Raymarine’s website at www.raymarine.com/training.