The course aims to teach the skills and techniques required to skipper a cruising yacht (for the Sail course) or motor cruiser (for the Motor Course), of seven metres LWL to 15 metres LOA, safety on coastal and offshore passages by day and night. Students will gain practice in planning and skippering longer passages with a significant number of night hours where watch-keeping rotas become relevant. At the end of the course a successful candidate would be awarded a course completion certificate.
The minimum age for the award of the certificate is 17.
Passage Planning
Knowledge of:
- The effects of fouling on boat speed and fuel consumption
Understands:
- Fuel consumption at different speeds and can calculate fuel required for passage including reserve
- Customs procedure
- Stability
Can:
- Plan a coastal passage, taking into consideration the capability of the vessel, navigation, victualing, weather, ports of refuge, tidal heights and tidal streams, publications required, and strategy
Preparation for Sea
Understands:
- What safety equipment is required for offshore passages
Can:
- Prepare a cruising vessel for sea, including stowage, safety briefing, watchkeeping, delegating responsibility, equipment, and engine checks
Pilotage
Can:
- Prepare a pilotage plan, taking into consideration soundings, transits, clearing bearings, buoyage, port or harbour regulations, and tidal factors
- Pilot a cruising vessel by day and night
Passage-making and Ability as Skipper
Understands:
- The practical uses of integrated electronic aids to navigation, including AIS, radar, electronic navigational charts (ENCs), and raster navigational charts (RNCs)
Yacht Handling under Power
Understands:
- How to identify and take into account wind and current conditions when planning and executing manoeuvres (practical experience where possible)
Can:
- Control the cruising vessel effectively in a confined space under power, including all berthing and unberthing situations
- Pick up a mooring bow- or stern-to
- Avoid excessive use of power
- Additional for twin-engine vessels
- Berth and unberth in simple situations using one engine, including the correct use of lines
Yacht Handling under Sail
Understands:
- How to identify and take into account wind and current conditions when planning and executing manoeuvers (practical experience when possible)
Can:
- Use the sails to control the yacht in a confined space
- Consistently pick up a mooring
- Sail efficiently on all points of sail, including downwind techniques
Adverse Weather Conditions
Understands:
- How to handle a cruising vessel in strong winds
- General conduct in restricted visibility
Can:
- Prepare a cruising vessel for heavy weather
- Navigate in restricted visibility
Emergency Situations
Understands:
- The actions to be taken when abandoning to a life raft, and during helicopter and lifeboat rescues
- How to carry out the aftercare requirements on a casualty who has been in the water
Can:
- Describe to a crew member the effects of cold-water shock on a casualty who has been in the water
- Recover a man overboard
- Additional for Sail:
- Recover a man overboard under sail
Next Steps
The coastal skipper course is the highest certified course within the RYA Yachtmaster scheme, but this does not signal the end of your development. You now need to consolidate your training and gain experience with longer passages in a range of conditions. When planning for going further afield and boating in an area which you are for unfamiliar, you should research whether the areas affected by any characteristics that you have not experienced such as katabatic winds, different buoyage systems (IALA A/B or CEVNI), large tidal streams or range, or different berthing arrangements (EG Med moorings). Most RYA Training Centres off of the spoke training to address any specific areas of interest.