Coastal Skipper

Coastal Skipper Practical Program

Skippering a yacht on coastal and offshore passages demands strong navigation, seamanship and leadership skills. During the RYA Coastal Skipper course your instructor will guide you through navigation, both offshore and in limited visibility, weather forecasting and passage planning, watch keeping, preparation for sea and handling heavy weather. You will put this all into practice as each student plans and executes passages taking complete command of the yacht. Coastal skippers must be good boat handlers and you will receive plenty of practice mooring the yacht and have at least 4 hours night sailing. Weather permitting the yacht will undertake a longer coastal passage.

At the successful completion of the RYA Coastal Skipper course you will be awarded the RYA Coastal Skipper Course Completion Certificate and will be able to skipper coastal passages safely and confidently.

Previous Experience Required:  15 days aboard, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles logged and 8 night hours. A knowledge of navigation to RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory level.

Course Duration:  Courses start Saturday boarding at 17:00 returning to the marina around midday on Friday. Students may stay on board until Saturday morning disembarking by 08:00.

Coastal Skipper Practical Syllabus

The aim of this course is to teach the skills and techniques required to skipper a cruising yacht safely on coastal passages by day and night.

Passage planning

• Can plan a coastal passage including a consideration of the capability of the yacht
• Navigation
• Victualling
• Weather
• Ports of refuge
• Tidal heights and tidal streams
• Publications required
• Know Customs procedures

Preparation for sea

• Is aware of safety equipment required for offshore passages
• Can prepare a yacht for sea including stowage, safety briefing, watch keeping, delegating responsibilities and equipment and engine checks

Pilotage

• Can prepare a pilotage plan, with consideration of surroundings, transits, clearing bearings, buoyage, port or harbour regulations and tidal considerations.
• Can pilot a yacht by day and night

Passage making and ability as skipper

• Can take charge of a yacht and direct the crew
• Can organise the navigation, deckwork, and domestic duties of a yacht on passage
• Is aware of the significance of meteorological trends
• Is aware of crew welfare on passage
• Can use electronic navigational equipment for planning and undertaking a passage, including the use of waypoints and routes

Yacht handling under power

• Can control the yacht effectively in a confined space under power
• All berthing and unberthing situations in various conditions of wind and tide

Yacht handling under sail

• Characteristics
• Can use the sails to control the yacht in a confined space
• Anchoring and mooring in various conditions of wind and tide
• Can sail efficiently on all points of sailing

Adverse weather conditions

• Preparation for heavy weather and yacht handling in strong winds
• Navigation and general conduct in restricted visibility

Emergency situations

• Recovery of man overboard under power and sail
• Understands action to be taken when abandoning to the liferaft and during helicopter and lifeboat rescues

What’s Included:

Bedding, Towels, Safety Equipment, Tuition, Logbook, Certification.

Not Included:

Transit Log (compulsory) £100 per boat shared between students, food & drink, fuel, travel to/from venue, Turkish visa, Instructors food and drink  (to be provided at students expense)