Ever noticed how the more you think about sailing, the more ads for RYA sea schools and training centres flood your web searches? It’s clear that qualifications and licenses are important in the sailing world, but are they truly necessary? Let’s dive in.
The Case for Sailing Courses
Embarking on sailing courses and obtaining a skipper’s license isn't just a formality; it's a journey to competence. The globally recognized and respected RYA scheme offers the ideal start for recreational yachters through their Day Skipper course. This article explores why this path is so widely recommended.
Navigating Legal Waters: When Are Sailing Qualifications Mandatory?
This really depends. Legally, if we are sailing in the UK, then no. Remarkably, anyone can sail around in British waters with no training required. However, if we are sailing in Greece, for example, then yes! We are legally required to carry some evidence of our competence when skippering a vessel in Greek waters. Basically, everywhere we go, we need to do some research.
Chartering a Yacht: Qualifications Matter
Legal requirements are not the only thing we need to consider. What if we want to charter a yacht? Put yourself in the shoes of a charter yacht owner. Would you hand over the keys to your £400,000 yacht to anyone and everyone without first checking if they know how to handle it? Honestly, the answer is no, else your business and your pride and joy might end up like this:
Do I Need Sailing Qualifications/Licenses for Insurance?
While obtaining insurance for a yacht without a license is possible, your experience and qualifications significantly impact insurance premiums. In essence, qualifications can be financially advantageous too.
So, Do You Need a License?
If you’re not keen on endless legal research, obtaining a sailing qualification is your easiest and most practical route. Plus, the training you receive is invaluable, enhancing not just safety but also the enjoyment of your sailing adventures.
Choosing the Right License
Okay, let’s say you want a skipper/captain’s license for a yacht (sail or power); which one do we need? Like a driving license for a car, every country has its own licensing scheme. As sailing is an international activity, best enjoyed exploring sunny foreign shores; what license do I need to sail anywhere?
Even though there is no universal solution, one scheme stands out due to its global recognition—the RYA cruising scheme.
What is the RYA?
The RYA (Royal Yachting Association) is the oldest and most internationally recognised governing body of dinghy, yacht, and motor cruising worldwide. They were the first association to standardise sailing industry training and have been going strong for nearly 150 years.
The RYA has over 2,400 recognised training centres spanning 58 countries worldwide. Each year, 270,000 people learn to sail or safely operate watercraft with the RYA.
The RYA is equally focused on recreational boating as professional boating, making their qualifications particularly versatile.
Also, once you gain the RYA Skipper certificate, you can easily convert it into an ICC (international certificate of competency), another widely accepted license free for RYA members and requires no further examination. It’s a two-for-one (this only works one way, you can’t convert an ICC into an RYA certificate).
With the RYA qualification and the ICC in your pocket, you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere you can’t sail.
With such versatility and a global reputation, the RYA qualifications are challenging to compete with.
The RYA Courses
The next hurdle is deciphering which of the RYA’s over 100 courses you need to complete!
We can easily knock it down to the ‘cruising scheme’ for sail and motor yachts up to 24m in length.
The cruising scheme can be split into two routes, motor or sail, consisting of both theoretical and practical courses. There are also three levels: Competent Crew, Day Skipper, and Yachtmaster.
A Day Skipper license is all that is needed for 99% of the sailing community. The RYA Day Skipper certificate teaches you everything you need to know to take charge of a yacht during daylight hours.
The competent crew course is fun for someone who wants to be involved with sailing but always intends to sail with other skippers. The Yachtmaster certificate is really for fine-tuning and mastering skills and planning to work commercially on yachts.
How to get your RYA Day Skipper License?
First, don’t underestimate the challenge you are about to undertake. Skippering a yacht is a lot more involved than driving a car. In a car, everyone is strapped in with seatbelts, we can stop any time we like, the road is steady, we can see any hazards, and the weather doesn’t physically move us. When we take a boat out, we can fall off, there are no brakes, the sea moves (both with waves and tide), many hazards are hidden underwater, and all the while, the wind blows us indiscriminately across the surface of the water.
There is a lot to learn, so the RYA Day Skipper course is split into a 5-day theory course (in a classroom or online) and a 5-day practical course (aboard a yacht). Of course, you should take the theoretical course before the practical.
RYA Day Skipper Theory Course
The theoretical course is the same for both motor and sail. This is a minimum 45-hour course (40 hours plus exams). It can be squeezed into five days in a classroom or taken online; it can be completed from home and at your own pace.
There is a lot to cover, but you get great value for money—a wealth of knowledge for just one course.
What does the RYA Day Skipper Theory Course include?
- Nautical terminology
- Ropework
- Anchor work
- Safety (equipment, distress signals, helicopter rescue procedures, stability, etc.)
- International regulations for preventing collisions at sea
- Navigation using paper charts and electronics
- Use of a compass including variation and deviation
- Tides and tidal streams
- Visual aids for navigation
- Meteorology
- Passage planning
- Pilotage
- And marine environmental laws
Can I take the RYA Day Skipper online?
Doing all this in a classroom is intensive, and you may not have time to grasp it fully. That is why taking the RYA Day Skipper Theory online is becoming increasingly popular. Taken online, you can work as and when you want, speeding through the easy stuff and spending more time reviewing any tricky topics. You can learn more about taking this online with our recommended provider, Ardent Training.
At the end of the course, there are two assessment papers. One general assessment and one chartwork assessment are each 90 minutes long. Don’t stress, though; your instructors will ensure you are well prepared and there is no pass mark. Ultimately, you must demonstrate your understanding and ability to make safe decisions for your instructor.
Once you have your RYA Day Skipper Theory, you can book your RYA Day Skipper practical!
Practical Course Choices: Sailing or Motor
When booking your practical, it is up to you to decide if you want to take sailing or a motor qualification. This is your preference for what type of vessel you want to go out on.
Once you know this, you need to find a practical training centre. The RYA has a great tool to help you do this. You can enter your location and what you are looking for, and it will list all the nearest recognised training centres: RYA Where’s My Nearest
You may want to take the course near where you want to cruise, where you live, or anywhere you like. Lots of people from the UK choose to travel to the sunny Mediterranean for their RYA Day Skipper Practical course.
The course consists of 5 days of living aboard and cruising on a yacht (4 days for a motor yacht) with an instructor teaching you everything you need to know and putting your theory into practice. You won’t take an exam at the end; you only need the instructor’s approval, so listen to him/her closely.
What does the RYA Day Skipper Practical Course include?
- Preparing for sea, including engine checks
- Sail selection (sailing only)
- Sail handling and trim (sailing only)
- Use of trim tabs (power only)
- Anchoring, mooring, and coming alongside
- Navigation including position fixing, navigation instruments, tidal heights, and tidal streams
- Pilotage
- Interpreting weather forecasts and planning accordingly
- Collision avoidance
- Emergencies, including distress signals, men overboard, life rafts, helicopter rescue, and cold-water shock.
- Passage-making
- Basic night cruising
Despite the vast amount of material covered, it should be a fun class. The key to a successful RYA Day Skipper Practical course is picking a good training centre with a well-maintained vessel and experienced skippers. This is arguably the most fun course you can do on a yacht.
What can I do once I have my Day Skipper?
As a qualified skipper, you are now able to cruise from country to country with confidence without worrying about laws. Once you have received your RYA Day Skipper, don’t forget to apply for your ICC.
The world’s seas are now your playground!
