Day Skipper Theory
A comprehensive shorebased course covering chartwork, position fixing, pilotage, tides, meteorology, and passage planning.
Read the guide: How to prepare for your RYA Day Skipper courseNew to the terminology?
Syllabus Highlights
11 sections · 13 topics · 151 outcomes
Key topics & assessment areas
Prerequisite Knowledge
Before you book
What you should know
- Basic sailing experience recommended
Level · intermediate
Where we run it
Available locations
Fornells, Menorca
Menorca
RCMB, Barcelona
Barcelona
Enrollment
Enroll on Day Skipper Theory
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
Course tools
- Chart roomEnrol to open
- Chart Room examEnrol to open
- Day Skipper examEnrol to open
Course Content
What you'll cover
01Nautical terms & the boat
4 lessonsOpenClose
Parts of the yacht, standing and running rigging, and the language used on board.
Lessons (4)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises54 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
02Ropework & knots
Video2 lessonsOpenClose
The six working knots, cleating, and safe handling of loaded lines.
Watch — training videos
How to tie nine sailing knots
See the knots from your ropework module tied step by step
Yachting Monthly demonstrates the nine essential sailing knots, bends and hitches every crew member should know, and where each is used on board.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (2)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked examples15 min
03Anchoring & mooring
Video4 lessonsOpenClose
Choosing a berth, scope, holding, and coming alongside under control.
Watch — training videos
Yachting Monthly anchor chain test
The theory behind your anchoring module
Yachting Monthly tests anchor chain and anchoring gear to find what really holds — scope, chain versus rope, and setting technique.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (4)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: Anchoring
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises10 min
04Safety equipment & personal safety
Video5 lessonsOpenClose
Lifejackets, harnesses, liferaft, flares, and the skipper's safety briefing.
Watch — training videos
Man overboard crew training: Prevent, Practise, Prepare
RYA guidance on preventing a man overboard and preparing the whole crew to respond.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (5)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: Safety At Sea
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises57 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
05Engine checks & basic maintenance
Video3 lessonsOpenClose
Daily checks, the raw-water circuit, fuel, and simple faultfinding.
Watch — training videos
How to troubleshoot a four-stroke outboard
Your engine-checks module brought to life
Yachting Monthly and Marine Matters walk through the common four-stroke outboard faults — fuel, carburettor, spark, cooling and oil — and how to fix them.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (3)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises10 min
06Collision regulations (IRPCS)
Video4 lessonsOpenClose
Steering and sailing rules, lights and shapes, and sound signals.
Watch — training videos
True and relative vectors
True vs relative vectors for judging risk of collision.
Compare true and relative vector modes and when to use each.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (4)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises135 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
07Charts & chart symbols
Video7 lessonsOpenClose
Paper and electronic charts, datums, scales and the symbols in NP5011.
Watch — training videos
Decluttering charts for navigation
How chart plotters manage the same symbols you see on paper charts.
Strip a chart plotter display back to the information you actually need underway.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Adjusting depth contours and the depth alarm
Set safety contours so shallow water stands out.
Set safety contours and depth alarms so the plotter warns you before you run out of water.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (7)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: Definitions On Earth
- Interactive: Nautical Charts
- Interactive: Plotting Tools
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises48 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
08Chart Room: chart reading & plotting
4 lessonsOpenClose
Read the chart, plot positions, measure distance and bearings, fix position and use the Chart Room tools, with interactive screens.
Lessons (4)
- Reading the chart: datum, scale and symbols45 min
- Plotting positions, distance and bearings50 min
- Fixing position: bearings, transits and EP50 min
- Using the Chart Room tools40 min
09The magnetic compass, variation & deviation
5 lessonsOpenClose
True, magnetic and compass headings, and how to convert between them.
Lessons (5)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: Magnetic Compass
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises27 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
10Position fixing & chartwork
Video7 lessonsOpenClose
DR, EP, three-point fixes, transits, and using GPS intelligently.
Watch — training videos
Cursor range and bearing
The plotter equivalent of measuring bearing and distance with a Portland plotter.
Measure range and bearing from your boat or a waypoint using the plotter cursor.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Rulers for bearing and position confirmation
Confirm a fix electronically, then plot it on the paper chart.
Use on-screen rulers to confirm bearings and your position at a waypoint.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
VRM and EBL for position monitoring
VRM and EBL are the electronic version of ranges and bearings.
Use variable range markers and electronic bearing lines to monitor position and traffic.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (7)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked example30 min
- Interactive: Dead Reckoning
- Interactive: Position Fixing
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises66 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
11Tides & tidal heights
8 lessonsOpenClose
Springs and neaps, tidal curves, secondary ports and clearance calculations.
Lessons (8)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: Causes Of Tides
- Interactive: Tide Heights And Chart Datum
- Interactive: Rule Of Twelfths
- Interactive: Tides For A Standard Port
- Interactive: The Tidal Curve
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises45 min
12Tidal streams & course to steer
Video5 lessonsOpenClose
Tidal diamonds, stream atlases, and the course-to-steer vector triangle.
Watch — training videos
Heading and COG vectors
COG shows the track the tide actually gives you.
Understand heading vs course over ground and how vector lines predict your track.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (5)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: Shaping The Course
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises36 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
13Buoyage & visual aids to navigation
6 lessonsOpenClose
IALA Region A lateral and cardinal marks, and light characteristics.
Lessons (6)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: General
- Interactive: Buoyage System
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises27 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
14Meteorology & weather forecasts
8 lessonsOpenClose
Synoptic charts, depressions and fronts, sea breezes, and forecast sources.
Lessons (8)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Interactive: How The Weather Works
- Interactive: Weather Information Sources
- Interactive: Beaufort Scale
- Interactive: Barometer
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises39 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
15Passage planning & pilotage
Video4 lessonsOpenClose
Building a plan from almanac and chart, and pilotage into an unfamiliar harbour.
Watch — training videos
Navigation alarms
Alarms that back up your passage plan.
Set and manage arrival, anchor and off-course alarms on the plotter.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Route creation and editing
Turn your paper passage plan into a plotter route.
Build, review and edit a route on the chart plotter.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Chart and dashboard split screen
See chart and instrument data together on passage.
Combine chart and instrument data on one plotter screen.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Digital route planning (RYA #DigitalFirst)
An RYA Digital First session on planning a route on screen: building it leg by leg, checking each leg against the chart, and reviewing it before you rely on it.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (4)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises33 min
- RYA Navigation Exercises (Day Skipper)30 min
16Emergency situations & the marine environment
Video3 lessonsOpenClose
MOB, distress, fire, flooding, VHF procedure and looking after the sea.
Watch — training videos
Are distress signals out of date?
Matches your emergency-situations module
Yachting Monthly examines traditional flares versus modern electronic distress signals — what works, what is changing, and what to carry.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Man overboard crew training: Prevent, Practise, Prepare
RYA guidance on preventing a man overboard and preparing the whole crew to respond.
Video: Royal Yachting Association · Watch on YouTube
Lessons (3)
- Theory & key concepts40 min
- Worked examples15 min
- Practice exercises10 min
17Passage planning in practice
3 lessonsOpenClose
Build a real-time passage plan with waypoints, tides, wind and weather, then plot it in the Chart Room.
Lessons (3)
- Waypoints and route30 min
- Tides and timing30 min
- Wind, weather and go/no-go30 min
RYA Syllabus
Learning outcomes
01Nautical Terms
1 outcomes
Parts & rigging1
- 1.1Uses correct nautical terminology for boat, rig and equipment
02Ropework
1 outcomes
Knots and their uses1
- 2.1Knows the eight essential knots and their applications
03Anchorwork
1 outcomes
Ground tackle1
- 3.1Selects anchorage, calculates scope and evaluates holding
04Safety
2 outcomes
Onboard safety2
- 4.1Knows personal safety equipment, MOB prevention and recovery
- 4.2Uses fire prevention, distress signals and liferaft
05International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea
2 outcomes
IRPCS2
- 5.1Applies steering & sailing rules
- 5.2Recognises lights, shapes and sound signals
06Navigation
4 outcomes
Charts, symbols & publications1
- 6.1Interprets Admiralty charts, symbols and publications
Position, course & distance2
- 6.2Plots position, course to steer and distance run using DR/EP
- 6.3Applies variation, deviation and leeway
Tides1
- 6.4Calculates tidal heights (standard & secondary ports) and tidal streams
07Buoyage
1 outcomes
IALA System A1
- 7.1Identifies IALA A marks by day and night
08Meteorology
1 outcomes
Forecasts & weather systems1
- 8.1Interprets shipping and inshore forecasts; understands basic weather patterns
09Passage Planning
1 outcomes
Short coastal passages1
- 9.1Plans a short coastal passage including all safety and contingency factors
10Pilotage
1 outcomes
Harbour approaches1
- 10.1Prepares a pilotage plan for entering/leaving harbour
11Electronic Navigation Aids
1 outcomes
GPS, plotter & AIS1
- 11.1Uses GPS, chart plotter and AIS with awareness of limitations
Upcoming Sessions
Book your place
No sessions are currently scheduled. Contact us at sail@mtsail.com to request one.