• Course Details
  • Exam
  • Course Syllabus

  • RYA Coastal Skipper practical course

  • The RYA Coastal Skipper course is an intensive but satisfying week. You will learn to become a confident skipper making coastal passages and also relishing being in more demanding situations.

    We will coach you through inshore and offshore navigation, weather forecasting, watch keeping and preparation for sea. You will plan and execute passages taking complete command of the yacht including at least 4 hours of night sailing.

    A Coastal Skipper must learn to take command and with a well planned passage will make decisions resulting in a relaxed and a happy crew. You will also become good at boat handling by receiving lots of practice at mooring the yacht and using warps to their best effect.

    At the end of the 6 days you will be able to Skipper a yacht on coastal passages by day & night.

    With a maximum of 4 students per course, your fully qualified instructor will devote plenty of time to your individual needs.

    Fee's for Coastal Skipper Course:

    £495 Low Season - November to March
    £650 High Season - April to October

    At Solent Sailing our fee's include: An extra day (6 not the usual 5), meals, waterproofs, mooring fees, fuel and all incidental expenses except Exam fees, water taxi's and meals & drinks taken ashore by choice.

    The course is designed to provide as much fun and enjoyment as possible in a safe and reassuring environment.

    You will spend all 6 days aboard the yacht navigating into many of the beautiful harbours and anchorages of the Solent by day and night and also complete longer coastal passages.

    Safety is paramount in all RYA courses and you will practice the recovery of a man overboard and skipper for at least four hours of night time sailing during the course.

  • Pre Course requirements:

  • 15 days sea time - 2 days as skipper - 300 miles logged - 8 night hours

    You should have completed the RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster theory shore based course prior to this practical course.

  • Pre Exam requirements:

  • 30 days sea time - 2 days as skipper - 800 miles logged - 12 night hours
    Passport photo & Exam fee payable to the RYA (currently £155.00).
    Over 17 years of age & qualifying experience gained over the age of 15.

  • Certification required before the examination:

  • VHF Radio Operators Certificate - First Aid Certificate.

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What happens during an exam?

The examiner will meet you on board the boat. All exams are nerve-racking, even for highly experienced
or professional skippers. Talking to the examiner and making sure you understand what is required will
help you unwind. The examiner understands that the first hour or two is hard and will emphasise that
the idea is to find out what you can achieve rather than pick holes. You will be asked to undertake a
short passage, although you may have to plan a longer one. Discuss with the examiner what you are being
asked to do. In general, you should skipper the yacht in your normal style. If this means putting the
kettle on every half hour, then do it. The duration of the exam will be between 6-10 hours.

Navigation

You must know your position more or less accurately throughout the exam. Good skippers spend time on deck observing. A common mistake is to be busy plotting fixes when a glance on deck would confirm the boats position from a navigation buoy or transit. You should know how to use a GPS, but remember that marks are not awarded for over-navigating. The test usually involves practical problems involving tidal streams and tidal heights. It is not cheating to have looked them up beforehand. There are sufficient variables on the day without having to worry about numbers that can be looked up the week before. Run through a few tidal calculations to ensure that you are happy with the methods you are going to use to calculate heights and streams.

Boat handling

The exam involves boat handling under sail and engine and you should understand exactly how your boat is going to react. The handling under engine is usually done in a harbour and often involves some sort of berthing and unberthing on pontoons, piles or moorings. Practice so you know your turning circle. Does it have a predictable kick astern? Can you turn in a confined space? Similarly, practice manoeuvring under sail, picking up mooring buoys and short tacking. Don't hesitate to change sails or reef if you think the boat has unsuitable sails for the task ahead. The examiner is not looking for first-time success every time but you do need to demonstrate a good understanding of how the boat reacts at slow speed. Again, experience in a variety of conditions is the key to success.

Man overboard

The exam will almost always include some kind of simulated man overboard recovery. Nearly every month yachting magazines suggest new ideas for this manoeuvre and there are as many methods as there are yachting books.		  

You have to discover a system that works for you
and your boat. It might involve a tack or a gybe, but it must end up with the yacht stopped next to the man in the water. Clarify with the examiner whether he expects you to handle the boat with or without the engine.

Safety

Most candidates understand safety procedures and are safety conscious. Do remember that if you have decided that harnesses should be worn at night you should follow your own advice.

Meteorology

Listen to the forecast before the examination. You will be asked questions about the present weather situation and this might affect a passage plan. You need to understand how weather systems influence sea conditions and how to make yachting plans based on this knowledge. Frequently, decisions based on the weather include other variables, such as type of boat and strength of crew, so the examiner might ask you to consider a number of possibilities. Your opinions based on experience are required; there is rarely a definitive answer.

Ability as a skipper

The most important assessment on the day is whether you are fully in command of the yacht. Being in charge is not about shouting or giving a stream of commands. It is about leading the crew, communicating with them, making sure that they understand what is going on and listening to the when they have something to tell you. It is a quality sensed by the crew when they feel safe and confident that the correct decisions are being made. Even the best skippers make mistakes, but the overall impression is one of quiet competence. The examiner is looking for this ability, which is based on experience and knowledge; hence the requirement for skippered passages before taking the exam.

RYA Coastal Skipper practical sailing course syllabus
The Coastal Skipper course is intended to teach the skills and techniques required to skipper a yacht safely on coastal and offshore 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 and strategy.
  • Knows 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 check.

    Pilotage

  • Can prepare a pilotage plan, with consideration of soundings, 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, deck work 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 navigation 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

  • Can use the sails to control the yacht in a confined space.
  • Anchoring and mooring in various conditions or 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 in restricted visibility.

    Emergency situations

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

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