RYA Coastal Skipper (Practical) — Royal Yachting Association

RYA Coastal Skipper Practical (Sail) is the step up from Day Skipper. The focus moves from day trips in familiar waters to coastal and offshore passages by day and night, often in places you haven't been before. It's a five-day course aboard a cruising yacht, and for many sailors it's also the bridge to the Yachtmaster Coastal exam.

Who it suits

• Day Skippers who've built up real experience and want to take on longer, more demanding passages
• Owners and charterers who want to handle unfamiliar harbours, night arrivals and changing weather with confidence
• Sailors working towards Yachtmaster Coastal who want structured training before the exam
• Anyone 17 or over, the RYA's minimum age for this course

Before starting, the RYA asks for 15 days at sea, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles and 8 night hours. The RYA pairs the course with Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory, and most candidates complete that theory first.

What you'll actually do

Expect to spend much of the week as skipper in rotation, planning and running passages rather than practising isolated manoeuvres. That usually means entering harbours you don't know, navigating at night, and making decisions about weather, tides and crew as they arise. The instructor steps back more than on Day Skipper and looks at how you command the boat.

The RYA syllabus covers passage planning, preparation for sea, pilotage, passage making and ability as skipper, handling under power and under sail, adverse weather conditions and emergency situations.

Key ideas explained

• Skippering as command — the difference from Day Skipper is less about new manoeuvres and more about judgement: briefing and delegating to crew, keeping them rested and fed, and making safe decisions early.
• Passage planning with bolt holes — a good plan includes alternative harbours you can divert to if the weather, a crew member or the boat lets you down, and notes on when each is safe to enter.
• Tidal gates — headlands, channels or bars where the tidal stream or depth only suits you for part of the tide. Timing a passage around them can save hours or avoid dangerous wind-against-tide seas.
• Secondary ports — many harbours don't have full tide tables of their own. Their times and heights are worked out by applying published differences to a nearby standard port.
• Night pilotage — entering harbour in the dark using lights, their colours and flash patterns, plus depth and transits, while background shore lights make everything harder to pick out.
• Heaving-to — setting the headsail aback with the helm held to windward so the yacht lies quietly and drifts slowly. It's a way to pause for a reef, a meal or a rest in rough conditions.

Where it fits

According to the RYA, holding this course completion certificate lets you apply for the Yachtmaster Coastal exam with reduced sea time: 12 days and 400 miles instead of 30 days and 800 miles (the skipper-day and night-hour requirements stay the same). IYT Yachtmaster Coastal is broadly comparable in level.

Getting ready

• Brush up on tidal calculations, secondary ports and chartwork before you arrive.
• Bring proper foul-weather gear, warm layers and a head torch with a red light.
• Ask the school about the sailing area, the planned passages and how skipper time is shared.

Good to know in Australia

The Yachtmaster exams require a marine radio operator's certificate, and in Australia you need a qualification such as the SROCP to operate marine radio. For offshore sailing, the Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival Course is a valuable companion.