Duration: Held over 3 day weekend plus 7 evening sessions

Previous experience requiredRYA Day Skipper Theory course, or previous practical navigation experience. Some yachting experience is necessary.

Course content: The Coastal Skipper/ Yachtmaster theory is an advanced course for those who wish to skipper a yacht on longer coastal passages or for students working towards the RYA Yachtmaster qualification. Anyone who cruises in open waters or races offshore owes it to their crew to have the knowledge this training covers.

The following key areas are covered:

  • Chart information and symbols
  • Advanced coastal navigation techniques (position fixing, course shaping and plotting waypoints to fix position, relative accuracy and areas of uncertainty)
  • Use of navigation instruments
  • Magnetic compass, variation, deviation, swinging compass for deviation
  • Causes of tides, tidal datum, primary/secondary port calculations
  • Tidal streams
  • IALA Buoyage, light range, rising & dipping distance list of lights
  • Pilotage, pre-planning,clearing lines,use of soundings, transits
  • GPS and chartplotter systems, raster & vector charts, datums, electronic navigation techniques
  • Meteorology
  • International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea
  • Safety at sea, personal safety, fire and fire fighting, distress signals, stability, heavy weather preparation, and liferaft.
  • Passage planning

At the end of the course students are examined on all subjects covered in the course and those who are successful will have their RYA logbooks suitably endorsed and receive a course completion certificate.

The course is held in our classroom at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown, Melbourne, and includes all course materials (Yachtmaster theory course notes, CD, exercises, practice charts and almanac). Tea and coffee is included.