RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore (Shorebased)

Welcome to the RYA shore based course for Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster (Offshore). The aim of the course is to help you to become more competent and safer at sea.

Although he majority of seafarers enjoy the benefits of modern electronic equipment such as GPS, to understand its use and in case the equipment malfunctions, it is essential to learn the traditional skills offered in this course.

The course requires a minimum teaching time of 40 hours, plus time for the final invigilated papers. You will need to compliment teaching time with work at home. 

The syllabus, which is the same for power and sail is set out in RYA booklets G15/98 (sail) and G18/98 (power). All students are advised to obtain a copy. Students will also be required to purchase the teaching pack for the course. This pack contains; Course notes; RYA charts 1 & 2; membership leaflet; Exercises; Feedback form; tidelines leaflet; MCA CG66 Information; RNLI Sea Check information; Marine call weather leaflet; Hydrographic brochure; Cruising seminar flyer.

In addition to this you will require: Practice Navigation Tables (PNT) Latest edition, available from your tutor.

Navigational Precision

At sea, it is often impracticable or even undesirable to work to high levels of precision, but at times the safety of the yacht depends on precise navigation and accurate calculations. The course exercises assume the latter and the questions require a navigational precision of 0.1 mile and 0.1 metre for tidal calculations.

The Certificate

Students who successfully complete the course and understand the principles taught will be awarded the Coastal Skipper/Yacht master Offshore Course Completion Certificate. Your tutor will keep you informed of your progress throughout the course, particularly if you fall behind in any area.