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Day Skipper Courses

Day Skipper Courses

Sail Ionian is an RYA training centre. Make an enquiry about Day Skipper Courses

Sail Ionian specialises in RYA Day Skipper (non tidal) courses. We also offer Start Yachting, Competent Crew, Non Tidal Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper, Yachtmaster Preparation and Mile Building for all abilities and ages. Also new for 2011 Ladies only courses and ICC tuition. See our Course Selector if your not sure which course you want to do.

The Day Skipper Course teaches you the skills needed to safely skipper a yacht in familiar non-tidal waters by day.

You will be taught boat handling in non-tidal waters to a very high standard, basic pilotage, seamanship and navigation, safety and much more. The course duration is 5.5 days, including at least one night passage of 4+ hours. The sixth day gives you the opportunity to take the boat without the instructor, continue learning with the instructor or to practice or just lie in the sun!

Whilst it is a reasonably intense course, there is still time to stop at a different port each night and enjoy the Ionian islands. You will have plenty of time at the helm and without tides to worry about, your learning can really focus on everything else - in particular the boat handling and sail trim.

Min Age: 16 years.

Min Experience: We suggest that you have completed at least 5 days sea time including 100 miles and 4 night hours prior to taking the course. This is commonly achieved in the form of a Competent Crew course.

We strongly recommend to have knowledge of the day skipper theory before taking the practical course.

Assumed knowledge: Basic navigation and sailing ability.

All our instructors know the area well, they are experienced teachers and qualified Yachtmasters and RYA Cruising Instructors or Yachtmaster Instructors.

Day Skipper

The Day Skipper Course provides the skills required to safely skipper a yacht in familiar waters. It is designed to help build your confidence as a skipper teaching you skills required to take charge on the yacht. Skills including navigating, mooring, night sailing, organising your crew, safety, MOB procedures and much more.

Join a yacht with up to 4 other persons doing a similar RYA course OR Charter your own yacht and have an instructor for the duration of your tuition. All our prices Include Everything! 7 Days Sailing, Log Book, Course Materials, Mooring Fees, Certification, Max 4 persons on Board, Fully Equipped Training Yacht, Sailing from the sunday you arrive, Patient and Experienced Instructor, expert tuition on quality yachts, no additional hidden extras. If you charter the whole yacht, sail yourselves after your tuition for an additional week or more.

LOW SEASON (March - May, End Sept - Nov) £500 / Person
MID/HIGH SEASON £600 / Person
ANY SEASON - WHOLE YACHT BOOKING (2 - 5 persons) Please Enquire for prices and availability

Ask a question on email or call us on 0800 321 3800. One of our instructors is to hand to answer your questions from 9am - 5pm every day. If you send us an email will get back to you within the hour. Check our special offers.

family courses

Can we do a course as a family before a flotilla? What is the difference between Tidal Day Skipper and Non Tidal Day Skipper? Can I combine Day Skipper and Competent Crew on one yacht?Can I combine a Course and a Holiday? I have more questions!

RYA Day Skipper Syllabus

The syllabus for your course is outlined below. If you are picking things up quickly, the course will not stay within the refines of this syllabus and will be adapted to your level so you end up learning to your maximum potential. If you are worried about being too rusty to do this course, email us and we can suggest the best options for you.

Preparation for Sea Is able to prepare a yacht for sea, including engine checks, selection of sails, securing and stowage of all gear on deck and below.

Deck Work Can reef and share out reefs and change sails to suit prevailing conditions. Can prepare an anchor and take charge on deck when mooring alongside, coming onto a buoy, anchoring, weighing anchor, slipping from a buoy or an alongside berth or stern/bows to mooring

Navigation Is proficient in chart work and routine navigational duties on passage including taking and plotting visual fixes, use of electronic navigation equipment for position fixing, use of waypoints, working up DRs and EPs, knowledge of IALA buoyage, maintenance of navigational records. use of echo sounder and lead line.

Pilotage Can prepare and execute a pilotage plan for entry into or departure from harbour. Understands the use of clearing and leading lines. Uses transits and soundings to aid pilotage
Meteorology Knows sources of forcast information and can interpret forcasts
Rules of the Road Has working knowledge of the International Regiulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
Maintenance and Repair Work Understands and can carry out maintenance tasks, knows the properties and uses of common synthetic fibre ropes
Engines Knows how to change fuel and water filters, pump impellor and bleed a fuel system
Victualling Understands how to victual a yacht
Emergency Situations Is able to take correct action as a skipper for recovery of a man overboard. Understands distress flares and how to use a liferaft. Can operate a radiotelephone in an emergency and send a distress message. Understands how to secure a tow. Understands rescue procedures including helicopter rescue. 
Yacht Handling under Power Can bring a yacht safely to and from an alongside berth, bow or stern too mooring, mooring buoy and anchor.
Yacht Handling under Sail Can bring a yacht safely to and from a mooring buoy and anchor. Can steer and trim sails effectively on all points of sailing.
Passage Planning Can plan and make a coastal passage taking account of relevent navigational hazards, local weather patterns and limitations imposed by the type of boat and the strngth of the crew.
Night Cruising Has experienced sail cruising at night, including leaving and entering harbour. Understands the special considerations for Pilotage Plans, keeping a look out and identifying marks by night.

If you think you may know some of the above already, we also include various other subjects such as how to longline into the course and will ensure we teach more if you want to learn more! We will also refresh on all aspects of the Competent Crew Course during the week. If you are learning as a family, then some of your can do Day Skipper, some of you can do the Competent Crew or Start Yachting. If you are learning with just two of you on board we will adapt our teaching so that you can do the manouvres together without the need for additional crew.

Some of the things you will learn in our RYA day skipper courses are: Boat handling in non-tidal waters - Basic pilotage - Man Overboard Procedures - Anchoring and stern mooring - Different Mooring Techniques - Sail Trim - Night Sailing - Seamanship and navigation - Safety and much more. This course teaches you the skills needed to safely skipper a yacht in familiar non-tidal waters by day. Whilst it is a reasonably intense course, there is still time to stop at a different port each night and enjoy the Ionian islands. You will have plenty of time at the helm and without tides to worry about, your learning can really focus on everything else - in particular the boat handling and sail trim.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON ALL OUR COURSES INCLUDING PRICES AND AVAILABILITY

RYA Day Skipper Courses with Sail Ionian

Facts about our Day Skipper Courses.

Our RYA Courses are run over 7 days. 5 days tuition and the latter days spent sailing without the instructor on board (or with the instructor giving you the extra time to cover anything you are unsure about)!

The instructor will sleep on board some nights. Yachts are fully equipped and maintained to a very high standard.

Our RYA Day Skipper courses are personalised to meet the needs and expectations of you and your crew. We cover the RYA syllabus, and often the courses a run with a group of friends of family who then continue to charter the yacht for a further period. We have the confidence that at the end of a sucessful Day Skipper Course you will feel confident to take a yacht in our area bareboat without an instructor.

Our RYA Day Skipper courses are limited to a maximum of four people per course which allows for individual attention to each person on board. Often there are only two or three on board giving so much more learning potential to our students.

Our approach to Day Skipper and Competent Crew courses is professional and fun. We follow the RYA course content, but still make your training very enjoyable. We want everyone of feel comfortable and free to learn, practice and build confidence throughout the week

RYA Day Skipper courses and Competent Crew courses are all run on slab reefing and appropriately sized yachts which no more than 4 seasons old. All our training yachts are fully equipped with a wide range of equipment on board to a high specification and fully coded to RYA and Greek Specifications.

We strongly advise our clients to complete the full Day Skipper Theory course (not just the Basic Navigation and Safety Course) before taking the Day Skipper. This ensures you have a thorough grounding in which to spend more time practicing what you have learnt and spending less time at the chart table trying to remember your theory when you should be sailing!

Our RYA courses ensure you are prepared to sail elsewhere in the world - not just in the Ionian. Courses will cover everything from night sailing, mooring buoys, alongside mooring, pontoon mooring to refreshers on your tidal navigation and weather. Everything you learnt in your theory will be covered in practice enabling you to consolidate your previous knowledge and learn more practically

We teach mixed abilities on the same yacht so if you have a crew which would like to do Competent Crew, and some Day Skipper this is possible and works very sucessfully.

Anchorages

Recommended Reading

Scroll down our list of recommended books advertised in the sections below. The following list is set out so you know the books we think are useful to you as reading before your course. Click on any of the books to buy the book online.

Our Favourties....for the Day Skipper Course........
Flip Cards!   These are a great way to help remember your collision regulations, lights, shapes and any other aspects of the syllabus. We recommend the lights and shapes ones the most for the Day Skipper. Colision regulations ones are good too.

Day Skipper

Alison Noice

 

  A thorough and detailed book for anyone doing Day Skipper. This book includes good explanations and pictures for navigation techniques, buoyage, safety, weather, mooring as well as parts of the boat, knots and much more. There is also an associated Day Skipper Exercises Book which we think is great. It comes with practice charts too.

The Complete Day Skipper

Tom Cunliffe

  Another great thorough book for anyone doing the Day Skipper. It is informative, fun and has good explanations of all aspects of the syllabus. This is very similar in content to Alison Noice Day Skipper book above so you only really need to buy one or the other.

 

Other Useful Books

Reeds Skipper Handbook

Malcom Pearson

£7.99 A tiny A6 book full of information for all aspects of skippering techniques. Very easy to put in your pocket and much more than day skipper standard in there. We love this book!

RYA Day Skipper

Peter Blake

 

£10.99

 

The recommended RYA course book from the RYA covering the sylabus covered in an RYA Day Skipper Course. A small, easy to pack book for your yacht. This can be bought online or at our base in Greece. It is useful but you can find a lot more detail in the books above.

Day Skipper

Introduction to Boat Handling for Sail and Power

Rob Gibson

£14.50 Useful book for illustrating different ways to approach marina berthing and pontoons under sail and power. Recommended book for anyone wanting to know more about boat handling under power and sail. Boat Handling

VHF Handbook

Tim Bartlett

  A great book for anyone wanting to know more about the VHF. VHF

An Introduction to Navigation

Tim Bartlett

£12.99 Great Introduction to basic navigation techniques. This book is ideal for Competent Crew students wanting to know some navigation and also for anyone working towards the ICC. It doesnt cover everything you need for the Day Skipper but gets you on the right track! Introduction to Navigation

RYA Boat Safety Handbook

RYA

£13.99 A new book from the RYA

Collision Regulations

RYA

£8.99 A thorough and easy to read book on collision regulations Collision Regulations

RYA Weather Forcasts

David Houghton

£6.99 A book on interpreting weather forcasts, focussing on the UK weather but also contains other information on topics such as land/sea beeze formation and the cycle of depression and more Weather Forcasts

Sail Cruise BooksNavigation Books

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