Course and qualification

RYA Day Skipper Practical Sailing course

RYA schemes:RYASail Cruising
Age:Minimum age16 and over
Level:Intermediate
Setting:Afloat

About this course

Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll be able to safely take charge of a 30-45ft sail cruising yacht and its crew on day trips in familiar waters. The Day Skipper qualification shows charter companies that you have enough knowledge and practical experience to take their boats out safely, and also qualifies you to apply for an ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft) to go cruising abroad. During the course you’ll live onboard a sail cruising yacht with your crewmates and RYA instructor.

Course fundamentals

Minimum ageMinimum age: 16
Duration5 days, 3 weekends or 3 days plus 2 days.
Course contentPreparation for sea; Deck work; Navigation; Pilotage; Meteorology; Rules of the road; Maintenance and repair work; Engines; Victualling; Emergency situations; Handling under power; Handling under sail; Passage-making; Night cruising
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

Course knowledge and logged experience required

Basic sailing ability. 5 days, 100 miles and 4 night hours onboard a sailing yacht. Navigation and theory knowledge to Day Skipper Shorebased level.

Sea miles
100 miles
Night hours
4 hours

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 roadmap3 steps · Starts from the beginning

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

Once you tell us what you already know or hold, we can recognise equivalent knowledge or skills and adjust this route.

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

Training providers

Where you can take this course

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