Coastal Skipper (Advanced)
Advanced skippering techniques for yachtsmen and women with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation, wanting to undertake coastal passages by day and night.
Like the Day Skipper course, this course consists of skippered passages in a variety of situations. Each trainee will skipper more challenging passages and learn more about passage planning, piloting by day and night, boat handling, safety and emergency situations.
Coastal Skippers should be able to undertake more difficult passages by day and night and handle the yacht in more demanding conditions. By the end of the course you should have the knowledge, if not the experience, to become a Yachtmaster.
The course content includes
- Passage planning,
- Preparation for sea
- Piloting Passage making and ability as skipper
- Yacht handling under power
- Yacht handling under sail
- Sailing in diverse weather conditions
- Long day sail
- Night sail and Emergency situations
- Cruising chute experience
The prerequisites are the completion of Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Navigation, First Aid, CPR and VHF certification.
There are two components to the course:
1. Shore Based Component
This can be completed by at home study by working through the Day Skipper Manual and completing the exercises at the end of each module.
The minimum time required is 20 hours
2. Practical - On the Water
It is a live aboard course in tidal waters with a minimum of 5 days, including a minimum of 4 nights, 125 miles. Stand a rotational navigational watch for the duration of the component.
When registered the student is certified as the skipper and navigator to be responsible for the safety of crew, for coastal passages with 50 miles of safe harbour, in coastal tidal waters where navigational hazards exist day or night visibility.