Day Skipper Courses
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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. |
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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.
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.
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.
