Skippering a boat is fun and this RYA Day Skipper Course is about taking your first steps towards taking charge with the safety net of an instructor on board. Everyone will be given a chance to navigate and be skipper on short coastal passages with plenty of opportunity to co-ordinate manoeuvres under sail and power. You will be taught how to manage emergencies and health and safety procedures.
Learn big boat watch leader skills on deck, and navigational techniques below with GPS and radar and a how to plot a large chart table. Successful completion of the RYA day skipper course means you should feel confident enough to tackle short day passages as a skipper in tidal waters.
To make best use of your time on board the boat it is important that you feel happy with all the theoretical knowledge that is laid out in the RYA syllabus and covered in the theoretical courses. This will allow you to make best use of your time onboard the boat putting what you have learnt on paper into practice.
You will need to bring a passport sized ID photo in preparation for your RYA Day Skipper Certificate.
Previous experience required before booking a Day Skipper Course
- Sailing experience
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a minimum of 5 previous days at sea on a yacht, covering at least 100 miles and 4 night hours.
- Navigation and Theory knowledge
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it is assumed that you have the theoretical knowledge up to the level of ‘Day Skipper Theory’ . It is recommended you take part in a Day Skipper Theory course beforehand. Either online or in a classroom. It is approx 40 hours at evening classes or as a taught intensive classroom course….or taking as long as you like at home with one of our Day Skipper Theory – distance learning courses.
You need a good level of understanding of how to navigate, even if you have not had much chance to put it into practice at sea. The sort of things you will be expected to know will be fixing positions on a chart, working out tidal heights and streams, looking up port information, setting courses to steer, making ‘rules of the road’ decisions based on the COLREGS.
If you have experience of this already or have been taught a lot by other sailors, you don’t have to complete a Day Skipper Theory Course to sign up for a Day Skipper Practical Course, but it increases your chances of passing hugely.
- Boat Handling experience
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You should be happy tacking and gybing a boat and understand the difference between the two. You need enough wind awareness to trim sails on all points of sailing and steer by the wind, not instruments.
On Line Day Skipper Theory Courses – Learn Navigation at home
If you don’t have a clue what we mean by this then we suggest you give us a ring so we can explain the terminology and find out more about your sailing experience before you book. Telephone 0044(0)1872 580022.
