Hooker Skills Course
This practical course is aimed at beginners who have a love of adventure & general interest in boating, or seasoned sailors who wish to learn more about Galway’s traditional sail/workboats. The course covers the history, construction and restoration of the boats, rigging and other Hooker familiarization as well as general maritime knowledge of tides, weather and charts. You will learn the skills needed to become part of a sailing crew, as well as discover the unique maritime history of these exceptionally beautiful traditional sailboats.
This course also gives you a good insight into the club, its members and how we maintain and sail our Hookers. Please note: If you are interested in joining our club, you must complete this course first.
Running regularly throughout the year - usually on a weekday evening and one weekend day, this course is broken into both theoretical and practical modules, with time taken to explore the history and cultural elements of Galway’s maritime history. The final session is a water based, on one of our motor boats.
What you will learn;
The History of the Galway Hooker
Traditional Hooker Customs
Nautical Theory
Knowledge of sea terms & parts of the boat
Navigation & Meteorology (Weather / Tides)
Ropework and using Sea Log Books
Rigging and sail handling
General Seamanship / Seawomanship duties
Helmsmanship
Personal safety & fire precautions
Man-overboard & emergency equipment
All course notes, articles & learning materials are supplied. All proceeds from the course are re-invested back into our club to fund boat-restoration, training & community projects.
Course Dates
Our next course dates have not been published yet, please check back again or keep an eye on our social media channels where we first annouce our upcoming course dates.
Cost of Course
€100
Course Location
Claddagh Snooker Hall, Claddagh, Galway. H91 A6Y6
How to Book
To book your place on the course, make sure the course dates suit you as attendance at the first session is mandatory. Click the Book Now button to take you to our Online Shop where payment is taken. Please enter the email address and number you wish us to contact you on. Once payment is received we will email you to confirm your place.
Please note: We need a minimum of 6 people to run the course, with a max of 12. It is rare that we need to reschedule (we usually sell out), but if it happens we will contact you as soon as we can, at least 24 hours before the course start date to reschedule a new date or to arrange a refund.