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 Galway Hooker, Hooker familiarization such as rigging. It will cover general maritime knowledge of tides, weather and charts and 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.
Learning to rig a Galway Hooker at Claddagh Quay
This course also gives you a good insight into our 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.
Course Content
The 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
Course notes, articles & learning materials are supplied during the course (digital versions only).
Course Dates & Times
Our last course for 2024 commenced on Oct 8th. The next course will be Feb 25th 2025. If you would like us to email you next Feb with confirmed dates for this course please fill out our Expression of Interest form with your details.
Cost of Course
€100
Note: All proceeds from the course are re-invested back into our club to fund boat-restoration, training & community projects.
Course Location
For the first session we meet at the Claddagh Snooker (Darts) Hall, Claddagh, Galway. H91 A6Y6. At that session is will be decided the meetup point for the following sessions.
How to Book
Before you book, 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 the 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. 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.
Not decided yet - Add your name to our waiting list for the next course?
You can add your name to our Expression of Interest form, and we will contact you as and when the next course dates are announced in the coming weeks.