Seasense sailing school provides keeler sailing courses for people at all levels - from absolute beginner to those looking to skipper their own vessel offshore or start a career in the marine industry. RYA

YachtingNZ Introductory course, 5 days,3hrs/day $545
Liveaboard RYA/CBES courses - Competent Crew, Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper - $1545 (all inclusive).

Manaia is a 10.2 metre cruiser-racer from famous kiwi yacht designer Bruce Farr. With over 120 Farr 1020's in NZ and Australia, they are a winning blend of comfortable, offshore-capable family cruiser and a competitive racer.

She is fractionally rigged - allowing the crew to bend her mast a little to optimise sail shape - and carries up to three sails - a main, headsail and sometimes a spinnaker. She has a 20HP Volvo-Penta inboard diesel engine, and is steered with a tiller.

Down below she has a gimballed gas stove (to allow cooking on a lean), a built in fridge-freezer that is driven by the engine, a bathroom with toilet and shower, and a forward cabin with a berth big enough for two strangers. A dinette seats six for dinner and provides two single berths at night or can be converted to a double and a single berth.

There is a chart table on top of the freezer and a three quarter size berth tucked in beside the cockpit at the back of the cabin.

The cockpit is big enough for six adults, and is open at the stern, with a sturdy gate of wire ropes across it to prevent anyone leaving unintentionally. Beyond the gate is a full-width "scoop" - a handy platform from which your instructor can watch the action and an easy way of getting in and out of dinghies and the water.

There are four winches in the cockpit. The two on the coamings (or back rests) look after just one line each (the headsail sheets), while the two on either side of the main hatch each have up to five lines leading to them. These winches look after raising the sails, reefing the main, adjusting the spinnaker and holding the boom in position. The engine control (forward and reverse and throttle combined) is on the side of the cockpit well, a compass, depth sounder and a log (or speedo) are at on the bulkhead at the front of the cockpit

Her cockpit seats are hinged, and big lockers underneath hold the liferaft, fenders, buckets, docklines, gas bottle, fishing lines and assorted junk. A couple of full-length cushions look after crew bottoms, while the blue canvas dodger across the front of the cockpit makes a handy place to duck behind when a shower of spray comes your way.