RYA Day Skipper Practical

The RYA Day Skipper course aims to build on the knowledge you already have. Ideally a combination of practical experience gained through previous sailing, and theoretical knowledge learned from RYA theory training. 

The RYA Day Skipper is a practical course for sailors who would like to skipper a cruising yacht. It’s designed to build on existing skills and knowledge to enhance your understanding of taking charge of a sailing yacht on short passages. It aims to give you the ability to make good decisions to keep the boat safe and improve your enjoyment of the whole yachting experience.

Supported by an experienced instructor, you will start taking responsibility for getting a boat ready to go to sea. You will learn these skills through exercises that help you to:

• Preparing, planning and executing short passages
• Conducting pilotage in and out of local harbours by day and by night
• Managing your crew
• Carrying out safety and engineering checks
• Improving your knowledge of weather and learning how to make the best use of tide.
• You will also work on your boat handlings skills both under sail and under power.

When signing up to this course, you will be based out of our centre at the iconic Haslar Marina in Portsmouth. The position of our base provides access for sailing on the Solent or further afield on the South Coast.

N.B. We require that all students under 16 are accompanied by an adult. If you are 16 or 17 and wish to book the course unaccompanied by an adult, please contact our office to discuss whether this would be suitable.  

Course Outcomes

• On successful completion you will be certified to skipper your own yacht or a charter yacht.
• Successful completion of this course also allows you to obtain the International Certificate of Competence (ICC) – a requirement for charter abroad.