RYA DAY SKIPPER PRACTICAL COURSE

Becoming a Day Skipper is a challenge. Managing your crew, planning your passage, and making the correct decisions become easier with practice. By taking your RYA Day Skipper practical course you can learn the skills necessary to skipper a yacht by day in familiar waters.

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RYA Day Skipper Course
RYA Day Skipper Course
from £745.00
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Please see our Terms and Conditions

THE COURSE

The RYA Day Skipper course is 5 days long and at the end, you will have hit the first rung of the ladder for aspiring skippers. You must have already completed the Competent Crew Course or be at least at that level, and the same goes for the Day Skipper Theory course.

You will be pushed out of your comfort zone by the instructor who will demonstrate, teach, and allow you to learn from and mistakes you make while practising.

The course is a taught assessment with the students passing if the instructor is happy that all requirements have been met during the 5 days.

The course will be taken with up to 5 students and the instructor on the boat, we do offer courses for private groups, however. Many see the course as a holiday in that while learning new skills, you are also exploring different harbours and locations around the Solent and South Coast.

During the course, we aim to sleep in different harbours or anchorages each night, but the weather and tides sometimes make these decisions for us!

WHY SAIL WITH LSS

Why do it if it’s not going to be fun? At LSS we make sure everyone is having the best possible time at all times. Shouting is a no go and we just ask that you are enthusiastic and willing.

Everyone gets a go at all the jobs, sailing is a team sport and everyone needs to get stuck into the jobs above and below deck.

Connect with your skipper and crew to build new relationships that go beyond the course.

We learn the most about sailing and ourselves when we are being pushed out of our comfort zone.

Senses of humour, no sense of tempers, please…. We believe that people perform best, especially when learning, without a barrage of “encouragement” about how they could be doing it “better”, being hurled their way.

Being Free of Ego is the only way to learn, teach, and improve at sailing. We ask that to sail with us you come with a coachable and relaxed mindset

FAQs & IMPORTANT NOTES

    • All meals and refreshments while onboard

    • Accommodation onboard

    • All mooring fees

    • All fuel costs

    • Rental of oilskins/waterproofs is £5pd

    • Any food or drinks ashore are at everyone own expense

  • Please contact us at info@londonschoolofsailing.co.uk to discuss payment options

  • Please see our BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS for details about changing your course once booked

  • Previous experience required:

    • Basic sailing and theory knowledge of RYA Day Skipper Theory standard

    Recommended pre-course experience:

    • 5 days at sea | 100 miles sailed | 4 night hours | 5 days onboard | Minimum age is 16

  • The Competent Crew course is 5 days and 4 night s long.

  • You will be sailing on one of LSS’s training Yachts kept on the River Hamble. They are able to sleep 8 people comfortably but will have a maximum of 5 plus the instructor.

    The boats are

    Kindred Spirit - Sigma 38

    Laita - Bavaria 37

    Kotari - Jeanneau 49

  • The boats are based on the River Hamble.

    Kindred Spirit is at Deacons Boatyard, in Bursledon.

    Laita is in Port Hamble Marina in the Hamble Village.

  • The Solent, which the River Hamble is on the Northern edge of, is the perfect training area between Southampton Water and the Isle of Wight.

    Notorious for consistent winds, wicked tides, and a gorgeous variety of harbours, rivers and anchorages to visit.

    An average week will see you visit any of the below:

    • Cowes

    • Yarmouth

    • Beaulieu river

    • Lymington

    • The Needles & Alum Bay

    • Newtown Creek

    • Portsmouth

    • Wooton Creek

    • Osbourn Bay

    • Langstone Harbour

    • Chichester Harbour

      and many other little anchorages.

  • During the event, accommodation on the boat is provided.

    If travelling from afar, it might be advisable to book accommodation the night before or after the event dates.

  • After passing your Day Skippers you are able to charter and skipper a familiar boat (30 to 49 feet) in familiar waters, by day.

    This is particularly including sailing in the Mediterranean which is a perfect area to lose your skippering virginity where the waters are deep and the tides basically non-existent.

    That doesn’t mean you can’t try somewhere else for a bit more of a challenge!

  • We will be in marinas and harbours every day most likely so you won’t need to shower on the boat. The boats are fitted with a functional toilet, sink, showers and kitchen (galley) for cooking.

  • Please take a look at our kit list here.

  • The Day Skipper Course is conducted on board a cruising yacht (7 to 13m LOA), to teach pilotage, navigation, seamanship and boat handling up to the standard required to skipper a small cruising yacht safely by day in tidal waters with which the student is familiar. The Watch Leader Course is conducted on board a large yacht or sail training vessel, to teach navigation, seamanship and boat handling up to the standard required to take charge of a watch on deck, at sea or in harbour.

    Section A

    All candidates

    • Preparation for sea

    • Deck work

    • Navigation

    • Pilotage

    • Meteorology

    • Rule of the road

    • Maintenance and repair work

    • Engines

    • Victualling

    • Emergency situations

    Section B

    Sail Training Candidates only - Watch Leader

    General organisation

    Section C

    Yachting Candidates only - Day Skipper

    Yacht handling under power

    Yacht handling under sail

    Passage making

    • Is able to prepare a yacht for sea, including engine checks, selection of sails, securing and stowage of all gear on deck and below

    • 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

    • Is proficient in chartwork and routine navigational duties on passage including:

    • 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 buoyage

    • Maintenance of navigational records

    • Use of echo sounder and lead line

    • Can prepare and execute a 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

    • Knows sources of forecast information

    • Can interpret shipping forecasts and use a barometer as a forecasting aid

    • Has a working knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

    • Understands and is able to carry out maintenance tasks

    • Knows the properties and uses of common synthetic fibre ropes

    • Knows how to change fuel and water filters, pump impeller and to bleed the fuel system

    • Understands how to victual a yacht

    • Is able to take correct action as skipper for recovery of man overboard

    • Understands distress flares and how to use a liferaft

    • Can operate a radiotelephone in an emergency and send a distress message

    • Understands how to secure a tow

    • Understands rescue procedures including helicopter rescue

    • Understands the organisation and is fully competent to take charge of a watch at sea and in harbour

    • Can bring a boat safely to and from and alongside berth, mooring buoy and anchor under various conditions of wind and tide

    • Can bring a yacht 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

    • 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