Coastal Skipper Practical Sailing Course

This course is  the next natural step-up from the RYA Day Skipper course.  It prepares those with previous skippering experience to undertake longer voyages being designed for those with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation wanting to sail coastal passages by day and night. The Coastal Skipper course content is designed to equip students with strong boat handling and navigational skills, providing them with the knowledge and experience to handle a sailing yacht in coastal passages by day and night.

At the core of the Coastal Skipper practical course is the honing and reinforcing of the assertive leadership skills that are key to the making of a safe, confident skipper. During this advanced sailing course, we start to “hand over the reins” and the decision making to you as skipper. The course includes instruction in passage planning, preparing a yacht for sea (including engine checks and safety briefing), and dealing with emergency situations at sea. Each trainee will skipper more challenging passages under the guidance of the instructor, each student will plan and execute passages taking complete command of the yacht.

Upon completion of the Coastal Skipper practical course, you'll have become an advanced and confident skipper, with good boat handling and navigational skills in different sea and weather conditions. You will also be able to clearly understand chart work and electronic techniques, demonstrating strong leadership and sailing skills by day and night.


Current price: 750 eur. 

Required experience
15 days, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles, 8 night hours

Required theory level:  Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory.  We recommend some theoretical revision prior to the start of the course.
At this level you should be able to answer correctly questions like these:
- using a log extract plot an Estimated position
- plot a course to steer, use tidal diamond, leeway 5E
- using a known mark on the chart, plot a running fix
- on Apr 03rd 10.00 a vessel grounds 2NM E of Cape Green. At what hour will she re-float?
- what type of vessel is represented by the following lights or day shapes
- what are the sound signals in restricted visibility
- how a TSS should be crossed, Give way vs. Stand on vessel
- given a possible collision situation describe your actions
- describe in details all five phases of passage making

Minimum duration
5 days. Typically we start on Sunday evening at 18.00 with a presentation, course introduction and Safety briefing. We continue from Monday morning to Friday afternoon at 17.00 until all the chapters in the curricula are successfully covered.


Possible route, depending on weather, sea and restrictions.

Possible route


Minimum age
17

Content
Passage planning, Preparation for sea, Pilotage Passage making and ability as skipper, Yacht handling under power, Yacht handling under sail, Adverse weather conditions, Emergency situations

Certificate issuing criteria
Assessment is based on how well you have performed your practical and navigation tasks during your time on board. There is no final exam! If your instructor declares that you are competent and safe to take a small yacht out to sea for a costal passage in day and night conditions, you will be completed the course. After you succeed you will get the RYA Coastal Skipper Practical photo-ID certificate, which can be used to charter a yacht in most areas of the world. Depending on their country of residence, holders of the Coastal Skipper practical certificate can gain an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) without any further training or assessment.

What will you learn:

Format
This course takes place aboard the school boat and is residential (students sleep onboard for minimum 4 nights).