RYA Day Skipper Course

Rya Day Skipper course is for those that have done little or no navigation. This course is a comprehensive introduction to navigation and teaches one to “Take Charge” safely and confidently for inexperienced skippers. This course gives you enough knowledge to navigate in familiar waters. It also offers a knowledge of lights to introduce one to night cruising. There is no previous experience required. This course should be followed by a practical course, competent crew course or skipper course.

Rya Day Skipper course teaches work, safety procedures, weather forecasting and meteorology, construction parts and equipment of a cruising boat. seamanship, pilotage and collision regulations in local waters. Students will learn the basics of coastal and inshore navigation, plotting a course and learn a knowledge of tides and tide heights. They will also learn safety procedures such as the use of flares, safety harnesses, life jackets and distress calls.

The Skipper course will teach advance skills of seamanship and boat handling up to the standards required for a cruising yacht in tidal waters. It will cover anchoring and mooring, electrical systems, weather and sea conditions, auxiliary power and coping with emergencies. In the skipper course you will learn how to handle a boat in different situations, whether it be a storm or rough sea. Now days, all boats have a GPS system, however, that does not mean that they won’t at some point break down, so you will learn to read different navigational charts.

Also offered are Day Skipper courses and practical courses combined. Many students feel that this combination really works for them. Students who completed the practical course immediately after the theory course state that it helped them to reinforce the learning process.

The Rya skipper theory courses are available as night classes at local colleges, study courses online or CD, or are even held at certain marina’s. The rya skipper theory course is equally good for sailing or power boats, as this course goes into far more detail than just safety, weather and charts. It is an excellent starter course or prerequisite for advanced powerboat courses or any practical courses.