Author Don Bamford once quipped: ‘Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.’
If you’ve ever wanted to boost your navigation and boat handling skills, a Day Skipper course is the perfect introduction to becoming a skipper. It will leave you feeling comfortable and confident in your ability to skipper a small yacht on short daylight passages in fair weather, and will enhance your all-round sailing ability. If you complete this course successfully then you will be able to obtain an International Certificate of Competence which satisfies the minimum experience requirement for bare boat charter.
The only organisation in the United Kingdom which offers a widely recognised and comprehensive training scheme for cruising yachtsmen and women is the Royal Yachting Association (RYA). So, if you are looking to do your Day Skipper course then the RYA is the place to go.
So, what does the course entail? The course focuses on pilotage, navigation and boat handling under both sail and power. But it doesn’t end there - you will also be able to vastly improve your deck work and your sail setting, while learning all about seamanship and appropriate safety issues.
The RYA does have a few requirements which must be met before you begin your Day Skipper course. Before you can begin you must have racked up a minimum of five days living on board and you must have at least 100 miles logged, as well as having four hours of night sailing experience. You could always go for an RYA Day Skipper Shorebased certificate before undertaking your practical course but it is not essential if you already have a decent understanding of the principles of navigation and tides.
So, you have decided to undertake a Day Skippering course and want to know exactly what you will be up to. Well a Day Skippering course tends to be spread over two or three days and in that time you will get plenty of hands-on experience of skippering a yacht. Most of the instructors are friendly and you will be able to have a go at calling the shots. Here are some of the more important parts of the ‘syllabus’...
Preparation and deck work
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You will be shown how to comprehensively prepare your yacht for sea. This includes:
• How to properly check the engine before setting off
• How to select the correct sails
• Top tips on securing and stowage of all your gear, both on deck and below
You will also be given appropriate guidance on reefs, as well as some tutoring on changing sails to suit the prevailing weather conditions. Other vital deck work included in the course is preparing anchors and mooring warps as well as the ability to take charge on deck while mooring alongside other boats or coming to a buoy.
Navigation
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Navigation is an essential part of the Day Skipper course and is a very important part of skippering in general. As part of the course you will be shown how to take and plot visual fixes as well as using waypoints to good effect. You will also be given extensive guidance on using electronic navigation equipment for position fixing, which is an extremely useful skill to have when you are out sailing as technology is becoming more and more important as sailing continues to develop.
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Navigation is an essential part of the Day Skipper course and is a very important part of skippering in general. As part of the course you will be shown how to take and plot visual fixes as well as using waypoints to good effect. You will also be given extensive guidance on using electronic navigation equipment for position fixing, which is an extremely useful skill to have when you are out sailing as technology is becoming more and more important as sailing continues to develop.
You will also be taught how to use your own knowledge of the water to make the correct judgements when needed. For example you will be shown how to estimate tidal heights and streams as well as how to steer your boat to allow for the tidal stream, leeway and drift. Being able to make these judgements and decisions accurately when on the water will help improve your sailing tenfold. Your navigation skills will be further improved when you are taught all about the IALA buoyage system and shown how to properly maintain your navigational records.
Pilotage
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Your Day Skippering course will also help you with pilotage, which is defined as ‘the use of fixed visual references on the ground or sea by means of sight or radar to guide oneself to a destination, sometimes with the help of a map or nautical chart’. By the time you have finished the course and have put your feet up, you will be able to rest assured that you will be able to prepare and execute a pilotage plan for the departure from and entry into a harbour. You will also be comfortable using transits and soundings, and leading and clearing lines to aid pilotage.
Meteorology and abiding by the rules
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Knowing how to interpret and act upon changes in the weather is a very important skill for any yachtsman, and luckily your Day Skipper course will help you hone your knowledge of meteorology, which is basically the study of the atmosphere in relation to changes of weather. By the end of the course you should be able to know the sources of forecast information and be able to interpret the shipping forecast accurately. You will also be shown how to use certain tools to aid your forecasting skills - such as your barometer.
Knowing the ‘rules of the road’ is very important and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea are paramount to this. These rules and regulations are published by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and they basically lay down the rules for ships and other vessels at sea with the aim being to prevent collisions on the water. On your Day Skippering course you will be taught the ins and outs of these rules in order to make you fully capable of safely navigating your way around other vessels on the open water.
Maintenance and emergencies
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If you are out on the water then you need to be prepared for all sorts of situations, from carrying out maintenance tasks on your boat to acting quickly and correctly when in an emergency situation, there is lots to be aware of before you set off on the water. And luckily for you, if you attend a Day Skippering course then you will be shown how to carry out a number of important maintenance tasks on your boat. Along with general maintenance tasks you will also be taught all about your engine. You will be shown how to change fuel and water filters along with how to bleed the fuel system if needs be.
In terms of emergency training, there are many things that can go wrong when you are at sea so the course is designed to train you in how to react in adverse situations. You will be shown how to take correct action as a skipper in order to recover someone who has fallen overboard, which is a skill that can come in very handy if required. Your instructors will also show you how to understand distress flares, how to operate a radiotelephone and how to send your own distress messages, which are skills that should not be taken lightly as they could end up saving lives. You will also be shown how to safely secure a tow, as well as how to properly undergo rescue procedures including the last resort of helicopter rescue.
Why do it?
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There is nothing better than being out on the water breathing in that wonderful fresh sea air, and you can do this while enjoying yourself and developing your knowledge of sailing. Taking part in a Day Skipper course gives you the chance to learn all there is to know about skippering a yacht as well as getting plenty of all important hands on experience. You will be given the chance to get some much needed experience of taking charge and calling the shots on a boat, while being in the company of an expert who can help you make the right decisions.
By the end of the course you will be able to go home and relax feeling invigorated, excited and pleasantly tired. You will also feel confident that you can moor or anchor a boat in varying wind and tide conditions. You will be able rest assured that you can manoeuvre a boat both under power and sail. You will be confident that you can plan and make a coastal passage, while taking into account the relevant navigational hazards. And, you will be able to look forward to the many years of skippering that lie ahead.
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