Coastal Skipper course summary (sail) Coastal Skipper course summary (motor) Coastal Skipper exam pre-requisites RYA Coastal Skipper courses can be taken in either sail or motor yachts, and in tidal or non-tidal waters. Your certificate will be endorsed accordingly.
There are two types of Coastal Skipper certificate:
a) a course completion certificate awarded by a training centre on successful completion of a five-day training course
b) a certificate of competence awarded by the RYA/MCA on successful completion of an exam.The course (option a above) is very much hands-on with little time to teach navigation or other theoretical subjects. It is therefore recommended that you take the RYA Coastal Skipper shorebased course prior to your practical course so you can put those skills into practice on the water.
If you want to take the exam for a certificate of competence (option b above), you are not required to take the five-day course first. However, if you have not previously taken RYA courses you may find it useful to complete the course or organise some informal training tailor-made to your specific needs.
If you need a Coastal Skipper certificate in order to work on board a commercial craft subject the MCA's codes of practice, you will need to get it commercially endorsed - see the link above. You can then work on commercial vessels up to 24m in length, operating in category 3, 4, 5 and 6 waters - that is up to 20 miles from a nominated departure point in fine weather and daylight.
Please note: It is only possible to commercially endorse the certificate of competence, not the course completion certificate.
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Coastal Skipper course summary (sail)
(for gaining the course completion certificate) |
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| Pre-course experience |
15 days, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles, 8 night hours |
| Assumed Knowledge |
Boat handling to the standard of the Day Skipper practical sail cruising course and navigation to the standard of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased course |
| Course content |
Passage planning, pilotage by day and night, boat handling, safety and emergency situations |
| Ability after course |
Skipper a yacht on coastal passages by day and night |
| Minimum duration |
5 days |
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Coastal Skipper course summary (motor)
(for gaining the course completion certificate) |
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| Pre-course experience |
15 days, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles, 8 night hours |
| Assumed Knowledge |
Boat handling to the standard of the Day Skipper practical motor cruising course and navigation to the standard of the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster shorebased course |
| Course content |
Safety, passage planning, pilotage by day and night, boat handling and emergency situations |
| Ability after course |
Skipper a motor cruiser on coastal passages by day and night |
| Minimum duration |
5 days |
Use the link above to find a training centre running these courses. In the search criteria, select sail or motor cruising courses as appropriate.
If you hold a non-tidal Coastal Skipper certificate, you may convert to a tidal certificate by completing a conversion course of approximately two days (possibly more for those inexperienced in tidal waters).
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Coastal Skipper exam pre-requisites
(for gaining the certificate of competence) |
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| Minimum seatime |
30 days, 2 days as skipper, 800 miles, 12 night hours (if you hold the Coastal Skipper course certificate this is reduced to 20 days, 2 days as skipper, 400 miles, 12 night hours) |
| Form of exam |
Practical |
| Certification required |
VHF/SRC and first aid certificates |
| Minimum exam duration |
6-10 hours for 1 candidate, 8-14 hours for 2 candidates |
The exam will include an assessment of your skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRPCS (collision regulations), meteorology and signals. Full details can be found in the Sail Cruising and Motor Cruising logbooks available from the webshop (ref codes G15 and G18).
