RYA G19Sail · intermediate

Day Skipper Practical

Five days at sea taking command of a yacht on short passages, including pilotage by day and by night.

Read the guide: How to prepare for your RYA Day Skipper course

New to the terminology?

Points of sail explained

Syllabus Highlights

13 sections · 15 topics · 174 outcomes

Full RYA syllabus →Shareable preview page →

Prerequisite Knowledge

Before you book

What you should know

Basic sailing ability

Required RYA qualifications

RYADay Skipper Theory recommended

Level · intermediate

Where we run it

Available locations

Fornells, Menorca
Menorca
RCMB, Barcelona
Barcelona

See scheduled dates →

Enrollment

Enroll on Day Skipper Practical

Enrolling creates your course record so you can follow the syllabus, access course materials, track competencies and book practical sessions when dates suit you.

Delivered by Mt Sail & Power. Questions before you start? sail@mtsail.com

Before you join

Pre-course knowledge check

A five-minute self-assessment of your theory and practical experience. Your instructor uses it to pitch the course at the right level — and you get instant suggestions for anything worth brushing up.

Start the checklist

Course Content

What you'll cover

Preparation for sea and passage planning

3 lessonsOpen

Checks, briefings and a plan you can actually sail.

Notes & self-check quiz

Preparation for sea and passage planning

Learning objectives

Carry out engine, gas, safety, water and bilge checks before departure.
Produce a day passage plan with tidal heights, streams, ports of refuge and a weather window.
Brief the crew on the plan, the weather and their roles.

What you will do

Each day one student skippers the passage: plan it the night before, brief in the morning, execute and debrief.

Key points

Plan backwards from the constraint — usually a tidal gate, a lock, or a depth over a bar.
Note ports of refuge and the conditions in which each becomes unavailable.
Weather: forecast source, time issued, and what would make you change the plan.
Brief the crew before slipping, not once you are underway.

Common mistakes

A plan with no abort options and no bail-out ports.
Beautiful chartwork that nobody else on the boat has seen.

Self-check

Present a day plan in three minutes: route, tides, weather, hazards, refuges, contingency.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. What normally sets the departure time for a coastal day passage?
2. Why identify ports of refuge in advance?
3. When should the crew be briefed?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Boat handling under power

3 lessonsOpen

Close-quarters control, turning and going astern.

Notes & self-check quiz

Boat handling under power

Learning objectives

Handle the yacht ahead and astern with control at low speed.
Use prop walk, prop wash and pivot point deliberately.
Turn the boat in her own length.

What you will do

Open-water practice on a buoy, then confined-water work in the marina.

Key points

Slow is pro. Only go as fast as you are prepared to hit something.
Prop wash over the rudder gives you steering with almost no headway — short burst ahead with helm hard over.
Prop walk is predictable: know which way your stern kicks in astern and plan the turn to use it.
The pivot point moves forward when going ahead and aft when going astern.

Common mistakes

Long bursts of throttle that build unwanted speed instead of short kicks.
Fighting prop walk instead of turning the other way.

Self-check

Turn the yacht in her own length in both directions and say which is easier and why.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. How do you get steering with almost no headway?
2. Prop walk is most noticeable when?
3. What is the right speed for close-quarters handling?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Berthing, mooring and rafting

3 lessonsOpen

Alongside, finger berths, buoys and rafts.

Notes & self-check quiz

Berthing, mooring and rafting

Learning objectives

Plan and execute an alongside berth and a finger berth with wind and tide considered.
Pick up and leave a mooring buoy under power and under sail.
Raft alongside another vessel correctly.

What you will do

Repeated arrivals and departures in different wind and tide combinations, with the crew briefed each time.

Key points

Decide which element is dominant — wind or tide — and approach into it wherever possible.
Get one line on first: usually a midships spring, which will hold the boat while you sort the rest.
Rafting: lines ashore as well as to the inside boat, bow and stern lines crossed, and walk forward of the mast when crossing.
Ask permission and match fenders before you raft.

Common mistakes

Approaching downwind and downtide because it looks like a shorter route.
Crew stepping ashore with a line and no plan for what to do with it.

Self-check

Brief an alongside berth including approach, dominant element, line order and abort plan.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. Which single line usually gives most immediate control alongside?
2. When rafting, how should you cross another yacht's deck?
3. You have wind one way and a stronger tide the other. Approach into which?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Anchoring

3 lessonsOpen

Choosing, laying, checking and recovering.

Notes & self-check quiz

Anchoring

Learning objectives

Choose an anchorage for shelter, holding and swinging room.
Lay an anchor with the correct scope and check it is holding.
Recover the anchor safely and deal with a foul.

What you will do

At least one anchoring exercise, ideally including lunch at anchor and a check of the transits.

Key points

Scope: at least 4x depth for chain, 6x or more for warp, measured at high water not at the moment you anchor.
Allow for the rise of tide and for the swinging circle of every boat around you.
Check holding by taking transits ashore and by feeling for a snatching chain when you snub it.
Set an anchor alarm and note the bearing and depth in the log.

Common mistakes

Calculating scope on the depth showing now, then finding six metres more water at high water.
Dropping the anchor in a heap instead of laying the chain out astern.

Self-check

Calculate the chain to veer for 6m depth now, 3.5m of rise to come, and 1.2m bow roller height.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. How much chain for a depth of 8 metres at high water?
2. Which depth do you use to calculate scope?
3. How can you confirm the anchor is holding?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Sail handling and boat handling under sail

3 lessonsOpen

Sailing the boat well and manoeuvring without the engine.

Notes & self-check quiz

Sail handling and boat handling under sail

Learning objectives

Set, trim and reef efficiently for the conditions.
Sail onto and off a mooring buoy or pontoon.
Heave to and control the boat under sail alone.

What you will do

Sailing without the engine wherever it is safe to do so, including buoy work under sail.

Key points

Heaving to: tack without releasing the headsail, then lash the helm to leeward — the boat sits quietly and makes slow leeway.
Approaching a buoy under sail, plan to arrive close-hauled or on a close reach so you can control speed with the sails.
Reef before you need to; shake out when the boat is underpowered.
Balance the rig: too much main gives weather helm, too much headsail gives lee helm.

Common mistakes

Arriving at a buoy on a broad reach with no way of slowing down.
Leaving the reef in all afternoon because nobody wants the job.

Self-check

Heave to unaided and explain what each control is doing.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. How do you heave to?
2. On which point of sail should you approach a mooring buoy under sail?
3. Too much mainsail relative to headsail causes what?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Pilotage

3 lessonsOpen

Getting into and out of harbour safely and confidently.

Notes & self-check quiz

Pilotage

Learning objectives

Prepare a pilotage plan for entering and leaving an unfamiliar harbour.
Use transits, clearing bearings, depth contours and buoyage in real time.
Execute pilotage by eye with the plan as backup.

What you will do

Plan and run at least one harbour entry and one departure, with a written plan you can read in the cockpit.

Key points

A pilotage plan is a sequence of simple instructions: leg, course, distance, expected marks, dangers, clearing bearing.
Transits are king — they need no instruments and are instantly obvious when you drift off.
Clearing bearings tell you which side of a hazard you are on: "keep the church bearing more than 090".
IALA Region A: red can to port entering, green cone to starboard.

Common mistakes

Navigating head-down at the plotter instead of looking at the marks.
A plan with too much detail to be usable when things get busy.

Self-check

Write a one-page pilotage plan for the next harbour entry and hand it to the skipper.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. Entering harbour in IALA Region A, which side do you leave a red can buoy?
2. What is a clearing bearing used for?
3. Why are transits so valuable in pilotage?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Navigation underway

3 lessonsOpen

Position fixing, EP and using the plotter properly.

Notes & self-check quiz

Navigation underway

Learning objectives

Maintain a deck log and work up an estimated position.
Take and plot a three-point fix and compare it with GPS.
Use the chart plotter as a tool, not as the only source of truth.

What you will do

Practical chartwork on passage: fixes at sensible intervals, tidal calculations and course to steer.

Key points

Log entries: time, course, speed, log reading, wind, barometer, and anything you would want to know if the electronics died.
Course to steer accounts for tidal set and leeway; course made good is what you actually achieved.
Cross-check GPS against a visual fix at least once per passage.
Depth is your independent check on almost every position.

Common mistakes

Trusting a single position line or a single source.
Letting the log lapse until you need it, which is exactly when it is empty.

Self-check

Produce an EP from a one-hour run with a known set and drift, then compare with GPS.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. What does an estimated position account for that a dead reckoning position does not?
2. How often should GPS be cross-checked against visual information?
3. Which instrument gives the best independent check on position near the coast?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Man overboard recovery as skipper

3 lessonsOpen

Running the recovery, not just taking part in it.

Notes & self-check quiz

Man overboard recovery as skipper

Learning objectives

Command a man overboard recovery under power and under sail.
Choose an appropriate recovery method for the casualty and conditions.
Get the casualty back aboard, not just alongside.

What you will do

MOB drills where you are the skipper: you allocate roles, choose the method and make the calls.

Key points

Allocate immediately: spotter, helm, throwing line, radio. Say names.
Under sail, the reach-tack-reach return is reliable and keeps you upwind for the final approach.
Approach so the boat stops with the casualty on the leeward side, amidships, engine in neutral.
Getting a heavy, cold casualty aboard needs a plan: halyard and winch, boarding ladder, or a bight of line as a step.

Common mistakes

A perfect approach followed by no plan for the lift.
Nobody assigned to make the radio call.

Self-check

Talk through a full MOB under sail from sighting to casualty aboard and warmed.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. On which side should the boat be stopped for recovery?
2. What is the hardest part of a real MOB?
3. What is the skipper's first action?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Night cruising

3 lessonsOpen

Lights, shapes and passage-making after dark.

Notes & self-check quiz

Night cruising

Learning objectives

Identify vessels and buoys by their lights.
Keep an effective night watch and preserve night vision.
Plan and complete a short night passage or harbour entry.

What you will do

A night sail is a required part of the course. You will identify lights, keep watch and enter or leave harbour in the dark.

Key points

A power-driven vessel under 50m shows masthead white, sidelights and stern light; a sailing vessel shows sidelights and stern light only.
Two masthead lights, the after one higher, means a vessel over 50m — and the line between them shows her heading.
Red over red: not under command. Red-white-red: restricted in ability to manoeuvre.
Preserve night vision: red light below, plotter dimmed, no phone screens on deck.

Common mistakes

Lighting the cockpit and blinding the whole watch for twenty minutes.
Assuming a shore light is a navigation mark because it is roughly where you expected one.

Self-check

Identify five sets of lights on the water and state each vessel's type and aspect.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. A vessel shows sidelights and a stern light but no masthead light. What is she?
2. What do two all-round red lights in a vertical line mean?
3. Why is white light avoided on deck at night?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

Emergencies, engine and skipper responsibilities

3 lessonsOpen

What happens when it goes wrong, and who is accountable.

Notes & self-check quiz

Emergencies, engine and skipper responsibilities

Learning objectives

Deal with engine failure, fire, flooding, grounding and steering failure.
Carry out routine engine checks and bleed a diesel.
Understand a skipper's legal and practical responsibilities.

What you will do

Practical drills and briefings covering the failures that most often end a cruise.

Key points

Grounding: note the state of tide first — a rising tide changes everything about your response.
Engine will not start or stops: fuel, air, water. Check the filter, look for air in the line, and check the raw water strainer.
Fire: isolate fuel and gas, use the extinguisher through the port rather than opening the engine hatch wide.
The skipper is responsible for the safety of the vessel and everyone aboard, for keeping the boat seaworthy, and for keeping a proper lookout at all times.

Common mistakes

Opening the engine compartment fully during a fire and giving it oxygen.
Kedging off before checking whether the tide is rising or falling.

Self-check

Describe your first five actions on grounding gently on a falling tide.

Self-check quiz · 3 questions

1. You run gently aground. What do you establish first?
2. A diesel engine stops and will not restart. What are the usual suspects?
3. During an engine bay fire you should?

Lessons (3)

Briefing and theory45 min
On-the-water practice45 min
Debrief and self-check45 min

RYA Syllabus

Learning outcomes

Preparation for Sea

2 outcomes

Vessel readiness2

1.1Prepares yacht for sea including engine, sails, safety and stowage
1.2Briefs crew on safety equipment and procedures

Deck Work

2 outcomes

Sail changes and reefing1

2.1Reefs, shakes out and changes sails to suit prevailing conditions

Anchoring1

2.2Chooses anchorage, sets and weighs anchor, uses appropriate scope

Navigation

3 outcomes

Chartwork & position fixing2

3.1Navigates using GPS and traditional methods within sight of land
3.2Uses tidal heights and streams for passage planning

Pilotage1

3.3Plans and executes pilotage into unfamiliar harbours by day

Meteorology

1 outcomes

Forecasts1

4.1Obtains, interprets and acts on shipping/inshore forecasts

Rules of the Road

1 outcomes

IRPCS applied1

5.1Applies steering and sailing rules and lights/shapes/sound signals

Maintenance and Repair Work

1 outcomes

Routine care1

6.1Understands day-to-day maintenance of engine, gas and domestic systems

Engines

1 outcomes

Diesel operation1

7.1Carries out engine checks, bleeds fuel, changes impeller

Victualling

1 outcomes

Stores and catering1

8.1Plans victualling for a day sail or short passage

Emergency Situations

2 outcomes

MOB & distress2

9.1Performs MOB recovery under sail and power
9.2Uses distress signals appropriately

Yacht Handling Under Power

1 outcomes

Manoeuvring1

10.1Handles yacht in confined waters ahead and astern, berthing and unberthing

Yacht Handling Under Sail

1 outcomes

Sailing manoeuvres1

11.1Tacks, gybes, heaves-to and picks up a mooring under sail

Passage Making

1 outcomes

Day passages1

12.1Plans and undertakes short coastal passages, keeping a navigational log

Night Cruising

1 outcomes

Night sailing1

13.1Experiences a period of sailing at night, identifying lights and buoys

Upcoming Sessions

Book your place

No sessions are currently scheduled. Contact us at sail@mtsail.com to request one.