Day Skipper

RYA Yachtmaster Day Skipper

This practical course is designed to develop your boat handling, navigation, and seamanship skills while building the experience needed to achieve your Day Skipper qualification.

Through a combination of hands-on training and practical exercises, you’ll gain the confidence and knowledge required to skipper a motor vessel safely in familiar waters by day.

What’s Included

• Course Material
• Accommodation can be provided
• Lunch, snacks, and drinks (evening meals are not included).
• Assessment and certificates fees included

Day Skipper Practical Syllabus

Passage planning 

• Can plan a coastal passage including a consideration of the capability of the vessel, navigation, victualing, weather, ports of refuge, tidal heights and tidal streams
• Knowledge of publications required and strategy
• Has knowledge of local Customs Procedures

 Preparation for Sea 

• Awareness of safety equipment required for offshore passages
• Can prepare a cruising vessel for sea including stowage, safety briefing, watch keeping, delegating responsibilities and equipment and engine checks

 Pilotage 

• Can follow a simple pilotage plan, with consideration of soundings, transits, clearing bearings, buoyage, port or harbour regulations and tidal considerations
• Can pilot a cruising vessel by day and in familiar waters and conditions

 Boat Handling 

• How to identify and take into account wind and current conditions when planning and executing manoeuvres
• Can control the cruising vessel effectively in a confined space, including all berthing and un-berthing situations
• Pick up a mooring buoy 
• Avoid excessive use of power
• Additional for twin engine vessels: berth and un-berth in simple situations using one engine, including the correct use of springs

 Weather

• Weather, its causes and potential impact on vessel performance and handling.
• Weather Forecast Sources and understanding their content
• General conduct in restricted visibility

 Emergency Situations 

• The actions to be taken when abandoning to a liferaft, and during helicopter and lifeboat rescues
• How to carry out the aftercare requirements on a casualty who has been in the water
• Recover a man overboard under power