RYA Day Skipper

Duration: 5 days (Sunday to Friday) or 2 weekends

Previous Experience Required: 5 days aboard, 100 miles logged and 4 night hours. Basic sailing ability and a knowledge of navigation to the level of the RYA Day Skipper Theory

Course Overview: Practical navigation and pilotage, boat handling, seamanship and basic skippering techniques enabling you to skipper a boat in local waters in daylight.

Skippering a yacht for the first time can be a daunting yet exhilarating experience. The RYA Day Skipper practical course is designed to teach you to “Take Charge” safely and confidently. A skipper does much more than navigate. They are responsible for the complete safety and wellbeing of the yacht and crew. These responsibilities include weather forecasting, victualling, engine maintenance, sail selection and handling, passage planning, watch keeping, navigation and pilotage.

Your experienced and patient instructor will teach you these skills and you will put them into practice as you skipper the yacht on short passages around the South Coast of Cornwall & Devon. There is particular emphasis on boat handling for Day Skippers and during the course you will practice mooring under various conditions. Students live aboard for the duration of the course and visit many different harbours and anchorages to practice pilotage techniques which, like boat handling, is an essential skill for the aspiring skipper. You will complete at least 4 night hours sailing to experience night pilotage and identify lights.

At the end of the RYA Day Skipper course you will be confident to skipper a cruising yacht on short passages by day. Students who successfully complete the Day Skipper course are awarded the RYA Day Skipper practical course completion certificate.

This course will also enable you to apply for the ICC (International Certificate of Competence). This qualification is required by most European countries to validate your competence to own or charter a boat. The ICC, obtained by presenting your RYA Day Skipper certificate, will cover sailing yachts up to 24 metres in length in coastal waters.

Itinerary:  Weekends: 1830 Thursday until approximately 1600 Sunday. Weeks: 1830 Sunday until approximately 1600 Friday.

What’s Included:  All food except the evening of joining, wet weather gear and life jacket, mooring fees and accommodation onboard.

Support Courses:  VHF Radio, RYA First Aid, RYA Diesel Engine

Next Step:  After completing the Day Skipper practical course it is really worthwhile consolidating what you have learnt by completing some more sea miles. This could be achieved by chartering a yacht from us, joining a distance cruise or just coming along for another week or weekend of refresher/consolidation training.  Following this you should look to join the RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Theory Course

Cost:

2 Weekend Package £525 ( Any two weekend dates from the course dates below)

5 Days  £475 (dates Below)

A typical day skipper week:

Fowey Day Skipper Practical Course May 2011 Diary

2012

May 21st - 26th

June 1st – 8th (This week includes our Brittany Cruise to Camaret and Brest)

July 16th – 21st

August 6th – 11th

September 3rd – 8th

September 17th – 22nd

October 8th – 13th

October 22nd – 27th

November 5th – 10th

November 19th – 24th

December 10th – 15th