Finishing your RYA Day Skipper is a good achievement, but don’t be in too much of a rush to collect the next certificate. The best thing you can do now is use what you’ve learned.
Get out on the water, plan your own passages, visit unfamiliar harbours and start making the decisions yourself. Day Skipper gives you a solid foundation. Experience is what turns that foundation into good seamanship.
So, what should you concentrate on next?
Get Some Miles Under Your Belt
This would be my first piece of advice to most people after Day Skipper: go boating.
You don’t need to immediately plan a particularly ambitious passage. Start with trips that are comfortably within your ability and gradually introduce something new. That might involve:
- Taking responsibility for the passage plan
- Entering a harbour you haven’t visited before
- Berthing in different wind and tidal conditions
- Giving the crew a proper safety and passage briefing
- Navigating part of the passage without relying solely on the chartplotter
- Planning around the tide rather than simply leaving when convenient
- Spending some time underway after dark
You will make mistakes. That’s part of gaining experience. The important thing is recognising what didn’t go as planned and understanding what you would do differently next time.
Start Skippering Rather Than Crewing
There is a big difference between being aboard a boat and being responsible for it.
If you want to progress after Day Skipper, spend more time actually acting as skipper. That means you’re the person checking the forecast, planning the passage, deciding when to leave, briefing the crew and thinking ahead to what you’ll do if conditions change.
You also need to make decisions when things aren’t going quite to plan. Do you continue or change destination? Do you wait for the tide? Are the conditions still suitable for the boat and the crew you have aboard?
Those decisions are where you really start developing as a skipper.
Work on the Manoeuvres You Avoid
Most boat owners have one or two manoeuvres they would rather not do. It might be reversing into a berth, getting off a pontoon with the wind pinning the boat on, turning in a confined marina or coming alongside with a strong tide running.
Don’t avoid them. Find somewhere suitable and practise them.
Close-quarters handling improves considerably once you understand how your particular boat reacts to wind, prop walk, rudder input and short applications of power.
If you own your boat, this is also where own boat tuition can be useful. Instead of learning how our training boat behaves, we can work with you aboard the boat you’re going to be handling yourself.
Make Your Passages More Challenging Gradually
Don’t go from a comfortable daytime passage straight into something well outside your experience simply because you now hold Day Skipper.
Build up gradually.
For someone based around Southampton and the Solent, that could start with taking responsibility for passages around the Solent before progressing to longer coastal trips, night passages and eventually cross-Channel passages when you have the experience.
The important part isn’t simply how many miles you’ve travelled. It’s what you’ve had to deal with during those miles.
A straightforward 50-mile passage in settled conditions may teach you less than a shorter passage involving tidal planning, an unfamiliar harbour, changing weather and some proper decision-making.
Keep Working on Your Navigation
Don’t put the charts away because you’ve finished the course. Keep practising.
Electronic navigation is part of modern boating and should be used properly, but you still need to understand the information you’re being given. Continue working with:
- Tides
- Course to steer
- Pilotage plans
- Position fixing
- Estimated position
- Passage planning
- Weather forecasts
- Electronic charts
- Paper charts
When you’re planning a passage, don’t just put the destination into the plotter and follow the line. Know where you are going, what you’re expecting to see, where the hazards are and what your alternatives are if the original plan stops making sense.
Get Some Experience at Night
Night passages are useful because familiar situations suddenly feel very different. Buoys don’t look the same, distances can be difficult to judge and harbour entrances that seem obvious during the day can take considerably more thought at night.
You’ll also start relying more heavily on your navigation, instruments and preparation.
Your first experience at night doesn’t need to involve an all-night offshore passage. A few hours in familiar waters with someone experienced alongside you can teach you a great deal.
Learn More About Weather
This is an area where you can keep learning for your entire boating life.
Don’t just look at a weather app and decide that the wind speed looks acceptable. Start comparing forecasts. Look at what fronts are doing, how conditions are expected to change during the passage and what the wind will do against the tide.
Most importantly, compare the forecast with what actually happens. Over time, you’ll get much better at interpreting weather information rather than simply reading it.
Practise Things Going Wrong
It’s very easy to practise boating when everything works. Spend some time thinking about what happens when it doesn’t.
- What would you do if someone fell overboard?
- Could your crew recover you if you went overboard?
- What happens if the engine stops at an awkward moment?
- What would you do if your electronics failed?
- Does everybody aboard know where the safety equipment is?
- Can somebody other than you operate the VHF?
- Does your crew know how to stop the boat?
You don’t need to turn every trip into an emergency exercise, but practising these situations occasionally makes a big difference if you ever have to deal with one for real.
Should You Do Another Course?
Possibly, but don’t choose your next course simply because it appears to be the next one on the list.
Think about what you’re actually trying to achieve.
If you’re struggling with berthing, work on boat handling. If navigation is your weak point, spend more time on navigation. If you’re planning to cruise further afield, you may need to develop your passage planning, weather knowledge and practical experience.
If you’ve bought a new boat, spending time learning that boat may be far more useful than immediately starting another qualification.
Your training should follow what you want to do with your boating.
Can You Progress From Day Skipper to Yachtmaster?
Yes, Day Skipper can be part of the journey towards Yachtmaster, but there is a lot of experience to gain between the two.
Yachtmaster isn’t simply Day Skipper with a more difficult exam.
By the time you’re thinking seriously about Yachtmaster, you should be comfortable taking responsibility for the boat, planning and executing passages and dealing with situations without needing someone beside you telling you what to do.
This is why genuine sea time matters. Different boats, different conditions, unfamiliar harbours, longer passages and time spent as skipper all contribute to that experience.
What About the ICC?
If you’re planning to take your boating abroad, you may also need to look at the International Certificate of Competence (ICC).
What you require depends on where you’re going, the vessel and the qualifications you already hold, so don’t assume the same requirements apply everywhere.
We’ve covered this separately in our ICC guidance, where you can look at the different routes and requirements in more detail.
What’s the Best Next Step After Day Skipper?
Use it.
If you’ve only recently completed Day Skipper, I’d much rather see you spend time putting those skills into practice than immediately booking another course simply to gain another certificate.
Take responsibility for the boat. Plan passages. Get things wrong occasionally and work out why. Practise the manoeuvres you don’t like, experience different conditions and keep learning.
Then, when you’ve decided where you want your boating to take you next, you can choose training that genuinely helps you get there.
If you’re not sure what you should work on, speak to us. Tell us what you’ve already done, what boat you’re using and what you’d like to be doing in a year or two. We can then give you a sensible idea of where to go next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualification comes after RYA Day Skipper?
There isn’t one qualification that everybody needs to take next. Your next step should depend on your experience and what you want to do. For many people, gaining more practical experience should come before another qualification.
Should I get more sea miles after Day Skipper?
Yes. Concentrate on useful sea time rather than simply accumulating miles. Take responsibility as skipper, plan passages yourself and experience different conditions, harbours and situations.
Is Day Skipper enough before Yachtmaster?
Day Skipper provides useful foundations, but there is a considerable step between Day Skipper and Yachtmaster. You need practical skippering experience and must meet the relevant RYA prerequisites for the Yachtmaster examination you’re considering.
Is own boat tuition useful after Day Skipper?
It can be particularly useful if you’ve recently bought a boat or there are specific areas of handling that you want to improve. Training on your own vessel means you learn how that particular boat responds rather than becoming proficient on somebody else’s.
Do I need an ICC after Day Skipper?
Not necessarily. It depends on where you intend to operate, the vessel and your existing qualifications. Check the requirements for your intended cruising area rather than assuming an ICC is always required.