RYA Day Skipper practical course
The RYA Day Skipper practical course is designed to teach you to Skipper a Yacht with safely
and confidence.
Skippering a yacht for the first time can be a daunting yet exhilarating experience especially
as you will be responsible for the safety and well being of a yacht and crew. This also includes
navigation & pilotage, passage planning, weather forecasting, victualling, engine maintenance,
sail selection and handling and watch keeping.
You will be taught these skills and put them into practice as you skipper the yacht on short
passages around the Solent.
Boat handling is another important part of the course and you will practice mooring under
various conditions. 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
completion certificate which is the minimum requirement required to charter a yacht.
With a maximum of 4 students per course, your fully qualified instructors will be able to
devote plenty of time to your individual needs.
Fee's for Day Skipper practical 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,
moorings, fuel and all incidental expenses except water taxi's and meals & drinks taken ashore
by choice.
You will spend all 6 days aboard the yacht planning passages between many of the beautiful
harbours and anchorages of the Solent and if the weather allows, complete a longer coastal
passage.
Safety is paramount in all RYA courses and you will be reminded how to operate flares,
lifejackets, safety harnesses, liferafts, also how to take charge in the recovery of a man
overboard and to pilot the yacht for at least 4 hours of night time sailing by successfully
identifying lights during the course.
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Day Skipper Course - Provisional Itinerary
Friday
1830 Arrive at yacht and check in.
Meet the instructor, collect food and move onto the yacht to settle in and receive wet
weather gear if required.
Stowe away all provisioning and personal kit
Instructor's safety briefing and yacht familiarisation talk.
Go for a sail if weather and crew experience permits, if not go ashore for an evening
meal and drink. Either way a good chance to break the ice, have a relaxing evening and
chat to the instructor about what you want to achieve from the week.
Saturday
0730 listen to weather forecast.
0800 Showers at marina facilities, breakfast and clean up.
0930 Recap safety procedures on deck. Introduction to deck gear, ropes and rigging
and various parts of the yacht.
Engine start controls and rigging/slipping of mooring lines and fenders
Slip mooring and motor giving everyone a chance to steer the yacht under power
Practice coming alongside and leaving various pontoons with everyone rotating jobs and
having the chance to practice in a variety of wind and tide situations.
Short sail to an anchorage or mooring buoy giving everyone the chance to get used to
the yacht under sail practicing the basic sailing manoeuvres of tacking, gybing and
putting in and shaking out of reefs. This will give everyone the chance to refresh the
basics.
1300 Lunch at a mooring buoy or anchorage. Discuss the use of liferafts and how to
handle emergencies such as flooding, fire and collision.
The instructor will demonstrate how to plan a short passage taking into account wind,
tide and pilotage information from the charts and almanacs.
The Instructor will skipper the passage and demonstrate MOB procedures on route
with each student getting the chance to have a go.
On route each student will have the chance to fix their position by visual means such as
taking bearings.
1830 Enter a new harbour in the Solent and moor up. Stow sails and tidy up on and
below deck.
1900 Debrief on day's events whilst dinner is cooking in oven.
2000 Supper followed by a trip ashore to a local pub.
Sunday
0730 listen to weather forecast.
0800 Showers at marina facilities, breakfast and clean up.
0930 The first "Skipper of the day" plans a trip to an anchorage for lunch.
On route each crew member will practice MOB. The instructor explains the procedure
for deciding a good anchorage & working out the required heights of tide.
Prepare to enter anchorage. Learn how to prepare the anchor and foredeck in
anticipation of arrival.
1400 Lunch at anchor.
2nd "Skipper of the day" plans a short trip to an evening destination that involves a
cross tide course.
Set sail for evening destination revising the basic collision regulations on route.
Day Skipper Course
1730 Arrive at a new harbour in the Solent and prepare supper.
Debrief the day's events including the second passage.
1900 Depart for night sail exercise which will familiarise each crew member with light
characteristics of buoyage and ships and additional safety procedures needed at night.
2300 Arrive at destination.
Monday
0730 listen to weather forecast.
0800 Showers at marina facilities, breakfast and clean up.
0930 Carry out some more manoeuvring under power using pontoons and mooring buoys
The instructor will teach how to sail onto a mooring buoy in a wind against tide situation
followed by each student having the opportunity to have a go.
1200 Lunch at nearby mooring buoy.
1300 1st "Skipper of the day" plans a passage to the evening destination. On route the
instructor will demonstrate the use of electronic navigational aids such as GPS and
Chartplotters.
Each student practices MOB on route.
1700 Arrive at new harbour and learn how to secure to a town wall. General discussion
about etiquette when rafting and the use of courtesy flags.
1830 Debrief on the days events.
1930 Supper followed by a trip ashore.
Tuesday
0730 listen to weather forecast.
0800 Showers ashore, breakfast and clean up.
0930 Practice pile moorings in harbour.
1100 1st "Skipper of the day" plans a short passage to the lunchtime destination which
will include entry to a harbour where tidal height is critical.
Set sail for lunch time destination practicing Man Overboard on route. Practice some
slightly advanced sail trim techniques and poling out the headsail.
1330 Lunch at anchor.
1400 The instructor will demonstrate how to sail onto a mooring buoy in a wind with
tide situation followed by each student having the chance to practice.
1500 The second "Skipper of the day" plans a night time passage.
Depart for evening destination with discussion on route about weather and the factors
that affect yacht stability.
1900 Arrive at destination and anchor for the night.
Debrief the day's events.
Supper followed by row ashore.
Wednesday
0730 listen to weather forecast.
0800 Wash onboard, breakfast and clean up.
1000 Sail back to base practicing all aspects.
1200 Early lunch on mooring buoy.
1500 Arrive back at Dock.
Clean up yacht, return wet gear followed by debrief and issue of certificates.
1600 Depart.
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