This brief guide to the RYA courses will give you an idea of how they fit together and how you can use them to build on your experience. YES you can do them on a Catamaran! why wouldn’t you?!
Competent Crew (practical)
If you have never sailed before, then this is the course for you. After a minimum of 5 days on the water, you will have learned basic seamanship and helmsmanship and you will be a useful crew member on any yacht. More info…
Day Skipper (shore based)
An introduction to navigation, meteorology and basic seamanship. It is very helpful to have some practical experience first, but not essential. We are running these as night schools by Zoom at present
Day Skipper (practical)
If you already have basic navigation and sailing ability and have completed 5 days at sea (including 4 night hours and 100 miles) and you actually want to be in charge, you would be looking at taking this course. During a further 5 days at sea, you will learn basic pilotage, boat handling, seamanship and navigation, after successful completion of this course you could skipper a small yacht, by day in familiar waters and good weather. More info…
Diesel engine course (shore based – 1 day)
This course teaches you the principles of diesel engine operation, basic maintenance and how to diagnose and correct faults. These skills are essential if you aim to skipper a small yacht at sea.
Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore (shore based)
This course covers offshore and coastal navigation, including pilotage and more advanced meteorology. You should already be able to navigate to Day Skipper standard. We are running these as night schools by Zoom at present
Coastal Skipper (practical course)
For this course, you should have completed at least 15 days at sea, including 2 as skipper, logging 8 night hours and 300 miles. You should be able to navigate to Coastal Skipper shore based standard and sail to Day Skipper practical standard. The course teaches skippering techniques for coastal and offshore passages. After successful completion, you will have the knowledge to be able to skipper a yacht on offshore passages by day and night. More info…
Yachtmaster Coastal certificate of competence
To become an RYA/DoT Coastal Skipper, you can take an exam at the end of a Coastal Skipper practical course. You must already have logged at least 30 days at sea (2 as skipper), 800 miles and 12 night hours. You also require a VHF licence, a current first aid certificate, and a passport sized photograph.
Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence
There is no RYA course for this exam, but we do run intensive Yachtmaster preparation weeks, with the aim of honing down your skills and getting you used to the boat and her crew. The instructor will tailor the course to your needs. To take the exam, you must have logged 50 days at sea, Done 2,500 miles, 5 days as skipper, 5 passages over 60miles, including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper. As a minimum. You must also hold a VHF licence and a current first aid certificate.