+44 73 89 13 14 15 tw@whitetipsailing.com

INTERMEDIATE

5 DAYS AFLOAT

FROM £1,250

RYA DAY SKIPPER

The Day Skipper practical is the course where everything changes. After this week, you won’t just be crew — you’ll be qualified to take charge of a sailing yacht and its crew on coastal day passages in familiar waters.

Five days living and sailing aboard a 37–38ft cruising yacht on the Solent, covering navigation, pilotage, boat handling under sail and power, passage planning, night sailing, and the full range of seamanship skills a skipper needs. It is hands-on throughout, assessed entirely on your practical performance, and one of the most significant milestones in a sailor’s development.

Completing this course also qualifies you to apply for the ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft), enabling you to skipper a yacht abroad.

    Course at a Glance

    Level

    Intermediate

    Duration

    5 days (flexible format options — see below)

    Format

    Practical, liveaboard on the Solent

    Location

    Port Hamble Marina, Southampton

    Vessel

    Beneteau Oceanis 37 or Oceanis 38

    Ratio

    Maximum 3 students per instructor

    Minimum age

    16

    Prerequisites

    Basic sailing ability; 5 days, 100 miles, and 4 hours night sailing as crew; Day Skipper Shorebased Theory (or equivalent)

    Certificate

    RYA Day Skipper certificate

     

    Course Formats and Pricing

    The Day Skipper practical course totals five days afloat. We offer several formats to suit different schedules. All options run from 09:00 on Day 1 to 17:00 on the final day.

    Format

    Price

    5 consecutive days

    £1,250

    3 days + 2 days (weekdays)

    £1,250

    3 days + 2 days (weekends)

    £1,350

    3 × 2-day weekends (weekdays)

    £1,300

    3 × 2-day weekends (weekends)

    £1,500

    Own boat tuition

    Contact us

    Prerequisites

    Before starting the Day Skipper Practical you must have:

    • Basic sailing ability as crew on a sailing yacht.
    • A minimum of 5 days, 100 miles, and 4 hours of night sailing logged as crew.
    • Navigation and theory knowledge to RYA Day Skipper Shorebased level, or equivalent.

    The Day Skipper Shorebased Theory course must be completed before the practical. Students who arrive without the theory background will not be able to get the full benefit from their time on the water. We strongly recommend completing it well in advance of the practical course.

    What You Will Learn

    The Day Skipper Practical syllabus covers the full range of skills needed to skipper a sailing yacht on coastal passages by day and night:

    Preparation and passage planning

    • Preparation for sea: weather assessment, safety checks, crew briefings, and departure planning.
    • Passage planning and passage making: planning a coastal route and managing it underway.
    • Victualling: provisioning the yacht for the passage.

     

    Navigation and pilotage

    • Practical navigation: position fixing, course shaping, and tidal planning in real conditions.
    • Pilotage: navigating into and out of harbours and through confined waters using transits, leading lines, and chartwork.
    • Meteorology: obtaining and interpreting forecasts and adjusting plans accordingly.
    • Rules of the road: collision regulations applied in a busy sailing environment.

     

    Boat handling

    • Handling under sail: sail trim, manoeuvring, anchoring, and berthing under sail.
    • Handling under power: close-quarters manoeuvring in marinas, alongside, and at anchor.
    • Deck work: rigging, reefing, sail changes, and working safely on deck at sea.

     

    Safety, emergencies, and night sailing

    • Emergency situations: man overboard, fire, flooding, and distress procedures.
    • Night cruising: watchkeeping, light identification, and navigating after dark — an essential element of the Day Skipper qualification.
    • Engines: basic operation, checks, and fault finding.
    • Maintenance and repair: keeping the yacht seaworthy on passage.

    Life Aboard

    You will live aboard the yacht for the full course, with your own cabin. Meals are shared, the days are spent sailing, and the evenings give you time to debrief, review the day’s navigation, and consolidate what you have learned. Living aboard is not just a practical arrangement — it is how you develop the confidence and instinct of a skipper.

     

    What’s Included

    ✓ Expert instruction at a maximum ratio of 3 students per instructor
    ✓ Your own cabin aboard the yacht for the full course
    ✓ Breakfast, lunch, and snacks on all course days
    ✓ Fuel and berthing fees
    ✓ Free parking at Port Hamble Marina
    ✓ RYA Day Skipper certificate on successful completion

     

    Not included

    • Transport to and from Port Hamble Marina.
    • Dinners. Students are expected to cover the cost of dinner for the group, including the instructor, as is customary on liveaboard courses.
    • Alcoholic beverages.
    • Personal insurance.

     

    A full kit list is sent with your joining instructions. Bedding and foul weather gear can be hired from us at an additional charge if required.

     

    Where Does This Course Lead?

    The Day Skipper certificate qualifies you to skipper a yacht on coastal passages in familiar waters by day and night. It is also the entry point for the ICC, which you will need to skipper abroad.

    The next steps on the RYA scheme are the Coastal Skipper Practical course and, for those with the ambition and the sea miles, the Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore examination. Both have prerequisites relating to logged sea time; full details are set out in the RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and Logbook (RYA publication G158).

    In the meantime, the most valuable thing you can do is sail. Every mile logged between courses builds the experience and judgement that the Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster qualifications require.

     

    Book Your Place

    Day Skipper Practical courses run throughout the season from Port Hamble Marina, with multiple format options available. Own boat tuition can also be arranged — contact us for details. Places are limited to three students per course.

    To book or ask a question, contact us at info@whitetipsailing.com

     

    Day Skipper Practical Course description as described in G158

    Syllabus Day skipper ​​

    1. Preparation for Sea​

    Knowledge of

    • Basic stability and buoyancy for small vessels

    Can

    • Prepare a yacht for sea, including engine checks, selection of sails, securing and stowage of all gear on deck and below.
    • Additional for Sail:
    o Selection of sails
    2. Deck work​

    Can

    • Prepare an anchor, mooring warps and take charge on deck when mooring alongside, coming to a buoy, anchoring, weighing anchor and slipping from a buoy or an alongside berth.
    • Additional for Sail
    o Reef, shake out reefs and change sails to suit prevailing conditions.
    3. Navigation​

    Is proficient in chartwork and routine navigational duties on passage including:

    Knowledge of

    • the uses and limitations of AIS

    Understands​​

    • Working up Dead Reckoning (DR) and Estimated Position (EP)
    • Use of lead line or similar
    • How to work out Course to steer to allow for set , drift and leeway.

    Can

    • Take and plot visual fixes.
    • Use electronic navigation equipment for position fixing
    • Use secondary means of position fixing
    • Estimate tidal heights and tidal streams
    • Use of waypoints and routes
    • Use knowledge of IALA buoyage
    • Maintain navigational records
    • Use an echo sounder
    4. Pilotage​​

    Can

    • Prepare and execute a pilotage plan for entry into, or departure from harbour
    • Use of leading and clearing lines.
    • Use of transits and soundings as aids to pilotage.
    5. Meteorology​

    Understands

    • How to interpret shipping forecasts and use a barometer as a forecasting aid

    Can

    • Sources forecast information.
    6. Rules of the Road​

    Can

    • Demonstrate suitable awareness of other water users both at sea and in close-quarter manoeuvring
    • Demonstrate a practical understanding of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS)
    7. Maintenance & repair work​

    Knowledge of

    • The properties and uses of common synthetic fibre ropes

    Understands

    • Maintenance tasks and is cababpe to carry them out

    ​​8. Engines​

    Has a working knowledge of the prevention of common engine faults and is competent in the following areas:

    Understands

    • The need for periodic maintenance checks on engine and electrical installations
    • Requirements for tool kits, spares and lubricants
    • The location of filters and bleed points for fuel
    • The tension of drive belts and how to adjust or replace them

    Can

    • Carry out checks before starting, whilst running and after stopping
    • Clean water filters and know the location of impellors
    • Estimate fuel consumption at various speeds and knows the effects of fouling
    • Carry out basic trouble shooting
    9. Victualling​

    Understands

    • How to victual a yacht appropriately for the planned passage
    10. Emergency situations​

    Understands

    • How to issue distress signals by all available means, includingdistress flaresand a VHF radio in an emergency
    • How to use a life raft
    • How to secure a tow
    • Rescue procedures including helicopter rescue.
    • The effects of cold-water shock on a casualty in the water
    • The aftercare requirements of a casualty who has been in the water

    Can

    Carry out the correct action as skipper for the recovery of a man overboard

    11. Yacht handling under power​

    Knowledge of

    • Effects of waves on boat handling and crew comfort

    Understands

    • Differing styles of hull and propulsion systems
    • How to moor and leave a bow/stern-to mooring (practical experience where possible)
    • How to identify and take into account wind and current conditions when planning and executing manoeuvres (practical experience where possible)

    Can

    • Carry out the following manoeuvres under power:  
    o Steer a straight course  
    o Turn in a confined space
    o Anchor at a pre-determined position
    o Berth alongside
    o Leave an alongside berth
    o Pick up a mooring buoy.
    • Additional for Motor vessels:
    o Use power and trim tabs correctlty
    12. Yacht handling under sail​

    Understands

    • The characteristics of different type of keel
    • How to identify and take into account wind and current conditions when planning and executing manoeuvres and choosing appropriate sail plan(practical experience where possible)

    Can

    • Bring a boat safely to and from a mooring buoy
    • Anchor 
    • Steer and trim sails effectively on all points of sailing.
    13. Passage making​

    Knowledge of

    • Marina locks

    Understands

    • The practical benefits and limitations of a chart plotter or GNSS

    Can

    • Plan and make a coastal passage, taking account of relevant navigational hazards and limitations imposed by the type of boat and strength of the crew.
    14. Night cruising​

    Knowledge of

    • Has experienced cruising at night, including leaving and entering harbour

    Understands

    • Special considerations for pilotage plans, keeping a lookout and identifying marks by night