DAY SKIPPER

RECOMMENDED PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
5 Days sailing experience, 100 Miles and 4 night hours

DURATION
This course is 5 days; our courses can include a weekend. During the course you are
accommodated onboard one of our sailing yachts.

CONTENT
Navigation, pilotage, boat handling, seamanship and skippering techniques.

DESCRIPTION
Skippering a yacht for the first time can be a daunting yet exhilarating experience. The 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 well being of the yacht 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 Solent. There is particular emphasis on boat handling for Day Skippers and during the 5 days 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. You will complete at least 4 night hours sailing to experience night pilotage and identify lights. At the end of the 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 Day Skipper Certificate and can charter from the school. Course dates are
available on request and are published on our website.
WWW .commodore-yachting.com
To book this course or any other course please contact us for a booking form. Group bookings of 4/5 can choose their own dates for their course.

DAY SKIPPER SYLLABUS

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

DECKWORK
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, weigh anchor and slipping from a buoy and an alongside berth

NAVIGATION
Is proficient in chartwork and routine navigational duties
Taking and plotting visual fixes
Use of electronic navigation equipment for position fixing
Use of waypoints
Working up Dead Reckoning and Estimated Positions
Estimating tidal heights and tidal streams
Working out course to steer to allow for tidal steam, leeway and drift
Knowledge of IALA buoyance
Maintenance of navigational records
Use of echo sounder and lead line

PILOTAGE
Can prepare and execute a pilotage plan entry into, or departure from, harbour
Understands the use of leading clearing lines
Use of transits and soundings as aids to pilotage

METEOROLOGY
Knows sources of forecast information
Can interpret shipping forecasts and use a barometer as a forecasting aid

RULE OF THE ROAD
Has a working knowledge of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

MAINTENANCE & REPAIR WORK
Understands and is able to carry out maintenance tasks
Knows the properties and uses of common synthetic fibre ropes

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

VICTUALLING
Understands how to victual a yacht

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
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 radio telephone in an emergency and send a distress message
Understands how to secure a tow
Understands rescue procedures including helicopter rescue.

HOW TO CONTACT US
COMMODORE YACHTING L TD
Gosport Marina,
Mumby Road,
Gosport,
PO12 1AX

Tel: 023 9250 4443
learntosail@sailing.co.uk