RYA Day Skipper Certificate

[Zonker]

Does anyone know if Day Skipper certificate can be done by a non-UK and non-EU person ?

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Zonker

Does anyone know if Day Skipper certificate can be done by a non-UK and non-EU person ?

Yes - it can. I know two instructors in Canada who teach RYA standards. Where are you?

[NDH]

Yes, anyone can do RYA dayskipper

RYA

[Zonker]

Thanks guys ... most probably I'll give a try in UK.

[straitscrew]

Yes RYA courses are open to all.
However for UK nationals a Day Skipper Practical Course completion Cert' can be converted into ICC..International Certificate of Competence.
An ICC is not available for non UK national on the grounds that it may circumvent the national competence requirements of another country.
There are RYA schools operating outside of UK and information is available from RYA web-site.
Bear in mind that a Day Skipper Course is basically only a beginners course and an ICC is the minimum certification required for say a flotilla holiday. For bareboat charter the minimum cert' would be Coastal Skipper...but check with charter company when booking.
Good luck

[Zonker]

Hopefully there are some folks out there which have done the Yachtmaster Coastal and/or Offshore.

1. Does it make sense to do Coastal AND Offshore, or should one just directly move on from Day Skipper to Offshore

2. The requirements for Coastal are 800 nm, for Offshore 2500 nm - pretty hefty distances since 50% have to be done in tidal waters. Are the 800 accounted for Offshore or is the counter resetted to 0 for Offshore ?

3. Does it make sense to do the Yachtmaster at all ? If yes, should I do both (Coastal and Offshore) or just Offshore ? Theory is the same, but the practical exam seems (?) to be different. Can anyone share what the differences are ?

4. I am planning to buy a boat and sail these 800 resp. 2500 nm on it (w/o a person on board with these licenses) - is this accepted ? What "prove" do I need to provide ?

Thanks in advance

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by straitscrew

Yes RYA courses are open to all.
However for UK nationals a Day Skipper Practical Course completion Cert' can be converted into ICC..International Certificate of Competence.
An ICC is not available for non UK national on the grounds that it may circumvent the national competence requirements of another country.
There are RYA schools operating outside of UK and information is available from RYA web-site.
Bear in mind that a Day Skipper Course is basically only a beginners course and an ICC is the minimum certification required for say a flotilla holiday. For bareboat charter the minimum cert' would be Coastal Skipper...but check with charter company when booking.
Good luck

That was recently changed -- if you are the national of certain countries -- including the U.S. and Canada -- where ICC's are not issued, you can also get the ICC now through the RYA. See: How to apply for an ICC | The ICC and Proof of Competence Abroad | Boating Abroad | Information & Advice | RYA


You can get the ICC directly from the RYA without doing Dazed Kipper at all, or you can do Dazed Kipper and get the ICC automatically. It's all on the RYA site linked above.

Day Skipper is enough for ICC -- you don't need the Yachtmaster Coastal qualification (what the "Coastal Skipper" is now called). Charter companies can set whatever qualifications they want, but I have never heard of one not accepting the ICC.

That being said, Day Skipper is very, very basic, and will not be very interesting if you have any significant experience.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Zonker

Hopefully there are some folks out there which have done the Yachtmaster Coastal and/or Offshore.

1. Does it make sense to do Coastal AND Offshore, or should one just directly move on from Day Skipper to Offshore

2. The requirements for Coastal are 800 nm, for Offshore 2500 nm - pretty hefty distances since 50% have to be done in tidal waters. Are the 800 accounted for Offshore or is the counter resetted to 0 for Offshore ?

3. Does it make sense to do the Yachtmaster at all ? If yes, should I do both (Coastal and Offshore) or just Offshore ? Theory is the same, but the practical exam seems (?) to be different. Can anyone share what the differences are ?

4. I am planning to buy a boat and sail these 800 resp. 2500 nm on it (w/o a person on board with these licenses) - is this accepted ? What "prove" do I need to provide ?

Thanks in advance

If you are only doing it to have the proper bit of paper for authorities, then just do the ICC. The simplest way is to have the specific ICC exam from the RYA. Sailing your own boat (and NOT on inland waterways -- google "CEVNI"), I don't think the ICC or any other qualification is demanded in most countries. Check Noonsite for the countries you plan to visit to be sure.

If you are doing it to learn and/or to prove a higher level of competence, then go for it. In my opinion, Yachtmaster Offshore is the only meaningful qualification for someone with his own boat and significant experience. Yachtmaster Ocean is just an endorsement of Offshore which requires the really long passage and I think celestial navigation.

I hold an ICC which no one has ever asked for or looked at in about 10 years of sailing in all kinds of different countries, not even once. I think about doing the Yachtmaster Offshore as this really is a significant proof of competence and is highly respected around the world -- if you get it endorsed commercially it is more or less equivalent to the 100 ton master's license in the U.S. I think preparation for the exam is probably a useful refresher for any sailor, no matter how experienced you are.

Proof of mileage is your log.

[Zonker]

My skills in salt water are 0 (zero) ... :-) ... but to make the insurer happy a "quick n basic" Day Skipper course is not too bad.

Since I have no friends that can teach me the stuff, I need to do it with these certs - not too bad because this forces me to learn things which are not soo interesting.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Zonker

My skills in salt water are 0 (zero) ... :-) ... but to make the insurer happy a "quick n basic" Day Skipper course is not too bad.

Since I have no friends that can teach me the stuff, I need to do it with these certs - not too bad because this forces me to learn things which are not soo interesting.

Then you will find it very beneficial to work through the RYA training program -- which is really the gold standard for sailing.

Start with Day Skipper and keep going until you've gotten to Yachtmaster Offshore -- if you intend to sail offshore much. Or you could do Yachtmaster Coastal -- but don't stop with Dazed Skipper which is NOT enough to run a boat safely IMHO.

If you like to sail, you will actually find the stuff you're learning to be VERY interesting.

[Zonker]

:-)

Btw to get the first 800 nm - I am planning to do a "round britain" trip. Since you are located in the solent - would you mind to answer a few questions ?

1) What is the preferred direction : Clockwise or counter clockwise ?

2) I am planning to use a 8m open bridge deck cat ... and the trip should be during Aug-Feb - is this too crazy ?

[Svanen]

1. If you have sufficient experience, you might as well challenge the YM offshore. If you don't, the YM coastal is a good qualification in its own right, or as in interim step.

2. The "counter" does not "reset"; i.e., the first 800 miles are valid for both exams, you just need an additional 1700 for offshore (including specified passages).

3. The practical exam is exactly the same for the YM coastal and YM offshore (indeed, many exams will have one or two candidates challenging one standard, while one or two challenge the other). The difference is that the performance standards are more rigorous for a pass at the offshore standard. Tom Cunliffe has written about this in Yachting Monthly, check the 2011 back issues.

4. Sailing on your own boat is fine. Just buy an RYA log and keep track of your experience (you will sign as skipper). While this opens up the prospect of 'pencil whipping' it is not generally a problem: a candidate with 'padded' experience will almost certainly be detected by the examiner, as he or she won't be able to meet the challenges posed during the test.

For more information and guidance, I suggest that you consult an RYA YM examiner.

[Zonker]

Thanks Svanen !

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Zonker

:-)

Btw to get the first 800 nm - I am planning to do a "round britain" trip. Since you are located in the solent - would you mind to answer a few questions ?

1) What is the preferred direction : Clockwise or counter clockwise ?

2) I am planning to use a 8m open bridge deck cat ... and the trip should be during Aug-Feb - is this too crazy ?

Lol

I think you are putting the cart before the horse . I am not saying someone needs the RYA badges before they go 'round britain, but given your low (zero) starting position of knowledge and experiance they would be a damned useful starting point.....but even then would not automatically equip you for such a venture.

Of course everything is doable - it is only a question as to whether it is doable by "you".

Which RYA courses to go for? Start at the bottom and keep on going until you can decide for yourself when carrying on no longer serves a purpose for you. Simply no substitute for time on the water, especially not when it is you in command (and with no instructor to default to when things hit the fan)....and on that end of things, simply pootling around the bay during the day will teach you things that even sitting on a yacht going transat as 3rd crewhand and bottle washer will not (even if the latter will also teach you many useful things).

In your shoes, once I had "mastered" the bay , I would aim for something like around the Isle of Wight, and then to France. Your navigation will need to be pretty good though (as it would need to be going 'round Britain) - one thing going into places you are familiar with, another thing going into places you are not. Especially when cold, wet and tired. Navigation (the art of not sinking by bumping into stuff ) is more than simply following the dotted line on a Chartplotter (or Satnav ).....no matter how simple and easy a solution that appears to be.

[Zonker]

Oh ... don't get me wrong. I have mastered to teach myself to windsurf from a "lake level" to 8 bft "breeze" on the sea. Admittely sailing with a boat is "slightly" different then windsurfing. I am for sure not underestimating the whole stuff.

Considering that from next year on I will "full-time" sailing (yea ... 2 years sabbatical), I think, this will give me enough heads up to start in July/August for the trip.

Btw the reason why I chose to go the RYA way is, that you are examined all the way up. In other countries, you just do a badge and that's it, which I think is pretty irresponsible.