RYA Coastal Skipper Practical

The RYA Coastal Skipper course can only be run over 5 consecutive days due to the sea-miles you will be covering and the timing of the sailing you will be doing. This course will only have RYA Coastal Skipper students and RYA Competent Crew students onboard. You will start your course with a quick recap of the RYA Day Skipper skills first thing on the first day and then move onto longer passages and lot more night navigation.

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
• 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 considerationsb. 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

Please be aware that RYA Coastal Skipper Courses completed in the Solent and other tidal waters are demanding.
This course is held in high regard with yacht charter companies worldwide due to the challenging waters, winds, tides and busy waterways you will encounter. Courses run in the non-tidal waters of the Mediterranean are generally not accepted by the UK yacht charter industry.