Skippering a yacht for the first time can be a intimidating yet exhilarating experience. The RYA Day Skipper Practical Course is designed to teach you how to take charge of a yacht safely and confidently. A skipper does much more than navigate. They are also responsible for the complete safety and well being of the yacht and crew. These responsibilities include weather forecasting, victualling, engine maintenance, sail selection and handling, passage planning, watch keeping, navigation and pilotage.
(Seafarer Training)
This course gives you the chance to take charge and skipper the boat on short passages, under instruction, with plenty of advice and support from our instructors. Time is spent demonstrating and practicing basic seamanship with emphasis on boat handling skills. We explore the practical solutions to navigation and build confidence during pilotage exercises.
Students live aboard for the duration of the course in single occupancy or shared cabins and visit many different harbours and anchorages to practice pilotage techniques. We have a flotilla operating in the area and often join them in the evenings and excellent way to make new firneds and share sailing experinces. You will complete at least 4 night hours sailing to experience night pilotage and identify lights.
Students who have successfully completed the Day Skipper course are awarded the RYA Day Skipper Completion certificate. In addition they can apply to the RYA for the International Helmsmans Certificate (ICC) and ideal when planning a Flotilla holiday or progression to yacht 'bareboat' charter.
Course Syllabus:
- Preparation for sea - Is able to prepare a yacht for sea, including engine checks, selection of sails, securing and stowage of gear on deck and below.
- Deck work - Can reef, shake out reefs and change sails to suit prevailing conditions. Can prepare an anchor, mooring warps and take charge on deck when mooring alongside, coming to a buoy, anchoring, weighing anchor and slipping from a buoy or an alongside berth.
- Navigation - Taking and plotting visual fixes
- Use of electronic navigation equipment for position fixing
- Use of waypoints
- Working up DR and EP
- Estimating tidal heights and tidal streams
- Working out course to steer to allow for tidal stream, leeway
and drift
- Knowledge of IALA bouyage
- Maintenance of navigational records
- Use of echo sounder and lead lines
- Pilotage - Can prepare and execute pilotage plan for entry into, or
departure from, harbour
- Understands the use of leading and clearing lines
- Use of transits and soundings as aids to pilotage.
- Meteorology - Knows sources of forecast information
- Can interpret shipping forecasts and use a barometer as a forecasting aid
- Rules of the road - Has a working knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
- Maintenance and repair work - Understands and is able to carry out routine maintenance tasks
- Knows the properties and uses of common synthetic fibre ropes.
- Engines - Knows how to change fuel and water filters, pump impeller and to bleed the fuel system.
- Victualling - Understands how to victual a yacht.
- Emergency situations - Is able to take correct action as skipper for recovery of man
overboard
- Understands distress flares and how to use a life raft
- Can operate a radiotelephone in an emergency and send a
distress message
- Understands how to secure a tow
- Understands rescue procedures including helicopter rescue.
- Yacht handling under power - Can bring a boat safely to and from an alongside berth, mooring
buoy and anchor under various conditions of wind and tide.
- Yacht handling under sail - Can bring a boat safely to and from a mooring buoy and anchor
under various conditions of wind and tide
- Can steer and trim sails effectively on all points of sailing.
- Passage making - Can plan and make a coastal passage, taking account of relevant navigational hazards and limitations imposed by the type of boat and the strength of the crew.
The RYA Course Syllabus and Log Book will be available for purchase from your instructor upon your arrival on the course. The completion certificate is included in the cost of your course.
