RYA Day Skipper motor cruising

The 4 day RYA Day Skipper practical motor course is for aspiring skippers who have some yachting experience, and who are proficient on basic navigation and power handling. This course will teach you new motor cruising skills, practical navigation and taking control over the yacht and your crew during daytime passages.

Course content

Learn to skipper a short passage with the instructor on hand to give advice and teach you new techniques. Experience being in charge, managing your crew and your yacht, while navigating and executing teamwork manoeuvres during day-time.

This course is available as 4 consecutive days and also as a course divided over 2 weekends.

Amongst other you will learn

Preparing a yacht for sea, including checks
Navigation, position fixing, use of electronic navigation and chart work
Deck work, such as anchoring
Pilotage for entering or leaving harbours
Meteorology and practical weather forecasting
Rules of the road
Maintenance and repair work
Diesel engine, including engine checks and fault finding
Victualling
Emergency procedures, including the MOB recovery drill
Passage planning and making
Night cruising

Please note that under certain conditions your Day Skipper certificate can be used to obtain a ICC certificate from the RYA. We recommend carefully reading these conditions before booking the Day Skipper practical course if you eventually require a ICC certificate.

How to prepare yourself for this course

In order to get the most out of your course, we offer you the possibility to do our online pre-course knowledge quiz. The quiz helps you to test your knowledge and to assess whether you need more preparation in some areas.

Ability after the course

At the end of the course you should achieve a level of seamanship and boat handling up to the standard required to skipper a small cruising motor yacht safely by day in familiar tidal and non-tidal waters under normal conditions.

What's included

Tuition by one of our RYA instructors
C-MASTERS Pre-course knowledge quiz
Lunch and drink on board
All mooring and fuel fees
Free parking at our premises
RYA Day Skipper personalised Certificate of Competence

Details of this course

Duration: This non-residential course is available as 4 consecutive days or divided over 2 weekends.

Location from where this course will be delivered:

Zeeland, the Netherlands

Previous experience: You should already know how to operate a motor vessel and have logged at least;

5 days aboard a yacht
100 nautical miles
4 night hours

Assumed knowledge: Your should have a Day Skipper theory certificate (or equivalent course). Your knowledge of IRPCS, navigation and meteorology must be at the standard of the RYA Day Skipper shorebased theory course or equivalent course.

Language: This course is provided in English.

Minimum number of students: 2

Maximum number of students: 4

Cost: 1700 euro for course during 4 consecutive days

Please contact us for the course fee for a course divided over 2 sessions

I have an enquiry about this practical RYA course

Next steps

After successfully completing this course, we recommend extending your knowledge with some of our RYA specialist shorebased courses, in particular the RYA Radar, RYA Diesel Engine and the Short Range Certificate VHF course, ideally combined with practical training as part of our C-MASTERCLASSES.

The Day Skipper Certificate of Competence can be commercially endorsed for anyone with ambition to find work as a professional crew member.

After building up experience during daytime passage, it will be time to learn making longer passages both during day-time and night-time, by joining our RYA Coastal Skipper course.

Supporting courses

We recommend attending the RYA Day Skipper shorebased theory course before following the Day Skipper practical course.

Register for joining this course

Course dates at our training centre in Zeeland:

4 consecutive days course on 23 to 26 January
4 days course divided over 2 sessions on 1-2 February and 8-9 February
4 days course divided over 2 sessions on 11-12 April and 18-19 April
4 consecutive days course on 15 to 18 May
4 days course divided over 2 sessions on 6-7 June and 20-21 June
4 consecutive days course on 17 to 20 July

I would like to register for this course

My overall satisfaction is 10/10

The instructor is superb. The boat is great. This course increased my interest in navigation and in sailing. Overall, I trully recommend this training centre.

I have completed RYA Dayskipper course here. I am really satisfied and plan to continue my courses with this school.

-- Sergey --