RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Theory

Advanced training for more experienced skippers building on the Day Skipper course.

This course equips you to navigate safely on coastal and offshore passages. It allows some time for revision of the basics and then moves on to advanced navigation techniques.

This course will take your theory knowledge to the standard required for the Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore practical exams, concentrating on advanced navigation and meteorology skills.

As with the Day Skipper shorebased course, the RYA’s specially designed chart plotter software will be used during the course to give you a realistic taste of modern electronic navigation.

The course is taught over 40 hours with three exam papers. It can be covered as a series of short sessions, as an intensive week-long course, or by distance learning.

Course topics include:

- position fixing

- course shaping and plotting

- tidal knowledge

- use of almanacs and admiralty publications

- electronic position finding equipment

- taking and interpreting forecasts

- plotting weather systems

- weather predictions using a barometer and by observation

- collision regulations

- customs and excise regulations for cruising abroad