Active Travel Ltd
Tel. 24hrs: +34 699 411194
Email: cathy@trafalgarsailing.co.uk
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RYA Shorebased courses.

Summary of subjects covered on Day Skipper theory course:

1. Nautical terms, parts of the boat, nautical terminology.
2. Ropework, knowledge of synthetic rope. Use of knots, securing cleats, winches etc.
3. Anchorwork, types of anchor, considerations when anchoring.
4. Safety, equipment, personal safety, lifejackets harnesses and life lines. Fire prevention. Distress signals. Mayday call. Rescue.
5. International regulations for preventing collisions at sea.
6. Definition of position, course and speed. Latitude and Longitude, navigation terms, true bearing and courses.
7. Navigational charts and publications, information shown on charts, symbols and representation of direction and distance. Chart correction.
8. Navigation drawing instruments, parallel rulers, dividers and plotting instruments.
9. Compasses, application and variation. Use of transits and comparison to check deviation. Swinging compass. Hand bearing compass. Sitting of steering compass.
10. Chartwork, working a position from course steered, distance run and estimates of leeway and set. Working out a Course to steer to allow for leeway and set.
11. Position fixing, sources of position lines. Fixing methods. GPS.
12. Tides and tidal streams, tidal definitions levels and datums, timetables, standard and secondary ports. Admiralty mothod of determining height at port. Tidal diamonds and stream atlases for chartwork.
13. Visual aids to navigation, lighthouses, beacons etc.
14. Meteorology, knowledge of highs lows and fronts. The beaufort scale, air masses, cloud types, weather patterns, forecasts.
15. Passage planning, preparation of navigational plan for short passage in coastal waters. Meteological considerations in planning.
16. Navigation in restricted ability, fog and poor visibility, precautions.
17. Pilotage, use of transits, leading lines and clearing lines. IALA system of bouyage. Use of sailing directions. Pilotage plan and harbour entry.
18. Responsibility for avoiding pollution and protecting the marine environment.

Summary of subjects covered on Coastal Skipper shorebased course:

1. Dead reckoning and estimated position.
2. The position line, sources of position lines, transits, compass bearings, rising and dipping distances, radio and depth contours.
3. Magnetic Compass, change of variation with time and position, causes of deviation and application, steering and hand bearing compasses.
4. Position fixing, techniques of visual fixing, running fixes, electronic fixes, fixes containing mix of position lines, ranges of dipping distances.
5. Tides, cause of tides, springs and neaps, tide timetables, tide levels and datums, height at standard ports, the rule of twelfths, corrections for secondary ports, tidal anomalies.
6. Tidal streams, reading and applying tidal stream atlas and Almanacs, tidal diamonds, tidal streams in computing a course to steer. Tide rips, over falls and races.
7. Buoyage, IALA system, limitations of bouys as navigation aids.
8. Lights, Ranges - visual, luminous and nominal. Light lists in Almanacs.
9. Pilotage, harbour regulations and control signals, pre-planning, clearing lines. Shipping lanes.
10. Echo sounders, operation and lead line, reduction of soundings, second trace echoes.
11. Radio aids to navigation, hyperbolic systems, satellite navigation and its limitations.
12. Logs, speed and measuring. Boat Log, Importance of yachts official document, layout etc.
13. Meteorology, the beaufort scale, air masses, cloud types, weather patterns, forecasts, land and sea breezes, sea fog, use of barometer as a forecasting aid.
14. Anchoring, types of anchor, selection of an anchor berth.
15. International regulations for preventing collisions at sea.
16. Safety, personal safety, lifejackets harnesses and life lines. Fire prevention. Distress signals. Rescue.
17. Navigation in restricted ability, fog and poor visibility.
18. Passage planning and making, charts for route, customs regulations, routine navigation in coastal waters, strategy for course laying, weather forecast info for passage strategy, sources of local and national regulations, responsibility for avoiding pollution and protecting the marine environment.

Please note that this is an advanced navigation course and although many subjects are covered on the Day Skipper shorebased course, it is aimed at those who already have previous navigation experience up to Day Skipper level.