Course and qualification

RYA Coastal Skipper Practical Sailing Course

RYA schemes:RYASail Cruising
Age:Minimum age17 and over
Level:IntermediateAdvanced
Setting:Afloat

Quick answers

What to know about RYA Coastal Skipper Practical Sailing Course

Which schemes include it?
RYA, Sail Cruising.
How is it taught?
Afloat.
Who is it for?
Minimum age: 17
Where can I take it?
210 published training providers are currently linked below.

About this course

With an emphasis on coastal and offshore passages by day and night, the RYA Coastal Skipper Practical course delves into the complexities of skippering a yacht. Designed to push your practical sailing skills to the next level, this course aims to prepare you for more challenging conditions and scenarios on the water. As a purely practical course with a minimum duration of 5 days, you’ll cover everything from passage planning to emergency procedures.

Course fundamentals

Minimum ageMinimum age: 17
Duration5 days
Course contentPassage planning; Preparation for sea; Pilotage; Passage making and ability as skipper; Yacht handling under power; Yacht handling under sail; Adverse weather conditions; Emergency situations
Certificate or qualificationThe appropriate RYA course completion certificate is awarded following successful completion of the course and its prescribed assessment.
Award typeCourse completion certificate
Separate assessmentNot required

Prerequisites

Logged experience required

15 days 2 days as skipper 300 miles and 8 night hours

Sea miles
300 miles
Night hours
8 hours
Days as skipper
2 days

Check the official RYA prerequisite information (opens in a new tab)

Recommended course progression

Starting from the beginning

We have not assessed your existing qualifications, knowledge or experience yet, so every step is shown as still to do.

View your course roadmap5 steps · Starts from the beginning

Follow these courses in order to build the course knowledge or certificates described above.

Logged experience, sea time and required documents are assessed separately and are not completed by taking these courses alone.

  1. Step 1 · To do
  2. Step 2 · To do
  3. Step 3 · To do
  4. Step 4 · To do
  5. Step 5 · To do

Training providers

Where you can take this course

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