Minimum pre-course experience: 15 days (2 days as skipper), 300nM, 8 night hours

Minimum duration: 5 days Completed by: 1x 5-Day Sailing School or 3x Weekend Sailing Schools

Assumed knowledge:

Skippering ability: Confidently take control of a yacht and crew.

Navigation: Must be able to plan a passage and make most decisions without the instructors input. A good understanding and ability of the shorebased course syllabus listed in the G15 logbook.

Sailing/boat handling ability: Should be able to sail a yacht efficiently in fairly confined spaces. Sailing on to moorings and up to a 'man-overboard' should not be a surprise. A good grasp of the various factors involved with berthing a yacht under power and a reasonable ability manoeuvring within marinas.

Navigational knowledge may be gained by completing an RYA Coastal Skipper theory/shorebased course. Without reservation we recommend this course, completed during 'night school', as an intensive course (rather mind bending, but suits some), or by correspondence.

Alternatively you can attain this level of knowledge by home study though, frankly, we find this is rarely accomplished.

Recommended reading:

RYA Navigation includes practice charts.

RYA Coastal Skipper shorebased notes

The required sailing ability may be gained by completing the Day Skipper practical course, followed by a varied and comprehensive level of cruising experience. Probably the most useful practice will be gained by skippering a yacht.

This experience may be gained through establishments like ourselves whom offer 'Adventure Cruises'. Joining a cruise to Southern Ireland or to the Scillies shall,depending on weather, be around 400nM of cruising; with the opportunity of skippering a minimum of one 60nM passage.

Clearly it would be preferable to experience the responsibility of skippering without an instructor on board for at least one passage. This may be achieved by chartering in the Mediterranean or in the British Isles.

The course is conducted entirely on board one of our Sail Training yachts, which offer comfortable accommodation for 4/5 students and 1 instructor. Being a small company we can assure all our students first class instruction within an enjoyable, fun atmosphere. Your instructor freshly cooks all evening meals; so don't expect to lose any weight!

We have set out here to describe a typical Coastal Skipper course, which in practice is virtually impossible as sailing is always weather dependant, however, there are certainly many constants.

First evening:

Join us on the yacht at Neyland Marina and meet your fellow crewmembers. We shall discuss what each student is hoping to achieve over the course and come up with a game plan, with due consideration of the weather. This is when our Coastal Skipper candidates can blind us with their meteorological knowledge - a reasonable one anyway. Charts shall, no doubt, make their way onto the table.

We shall enjoy our first meal together and then possibly try one of our local hostelries before climbing into our bags.

First day:

We shall make our way through the boat from stem to stern, pulling everything out of the cupboards and lockers. As we proceed we shall discuss all the gear and safety equipment encouraging everyone's input.

The day shall be spent familiarising ourselves with the boat, sailing within the vast Cleddau estuary, practising tacking, gybing, reefing and sail trimming. We shall eventually find ourselves being piloted into an anchorage and lying to our anchor or onto a swinging mooring for the night; close enough to take the dinghy ashore for a refreshment.

The rest:

Difficult to describe as of course our destinations shall be totally weather dependant, we shall certainly do a minimum of 4 night hours.

Our Coastal Skipper students shall be asked to skipper the yacht for a day, without having to lean on their instructor too much. There will be plenty of opportunity for our Coastal Skipper students to display their pilotage and close-quarter boat handling, visiting many of our harbours and islands around the Pembrokeshire coast.

USEFUL BACKGROUND READING
RYA Cruising Log Book. Contains all syllabi for the courses which will be duly signed off by your instructor and will also be your personal log of sea miles, night hours etc.
	£5.25
The Electronic Yachtmaster DVD The essential electronic primer for all saltwater navigators. One-to-one instruction for Yachtmasters and Dayskippers.
	£16.99
RYA Navigation Handbook Whether you are studying navigation as part of an RYA course or just want to know more about the art of navigation, this book is highly recommended. The RYA has adapted its Dayskipper, Coastal skipper, and Yachtmaster courses to reflect the fact that many sailors and motor boats now regard electronic instruments as their principal means of navigation. This book gives equal weight to both electronic and traditional methods, through both the means of power and sail.
	£16.99

Books available from ourselves or direct for the RYA website