The Day Skipper is a course designed for aspiring skippers with some yachting experience and navigation / theory skills to the standard of the Day Skipper Theory Shorebased Course.

Learn to take full responsibility for the yacht and its crew. You will skipper passages with the instructor on hand to give advice and encouragement while ensuring your safety. Experience being in charge, taking credit when it all goes well and being responsible when it doesn’t.

Pre-Requisites

To qualify for this course:

• You must have taken the Competent Crew Course with us or have spent at least 5 days on a yacht acting as an effective crew member.
• Have navigation and theory knowledge to Day Skipper Shorebased Theory level, either by completing the Theory Course and passing the assessment or by knowledge and ability self-taught/learned in other ways. Please be aware that the instructor will test you on this level of knowledge. Without this you cannot successfully complete the Day Skipper Practical course.

Once candidates have successfully completed this course, they will receive a certificate and be eligible to apply to Irish Sailing for an ICC (International Certificate of Competency), which is recognised in many countries as evidence of competence to skipper a small vessel in coastal waters.

Sleeping arrangements & berthing port overnight 

We will aim to berth overnight in Dun Laoghaire each evening, so that you will be free to head off home and re-join the boat in the morning. Alternatively if you are welcome to stay on board if you are not living locally. There will be one late evening sail which will be agreed with the Skipper at the beginning of the week.

We do not supply sleeping bags or sheets for the bunks, we require clients to bring their own sleeping bag and pillow for all courses.

Participants are recommended to have the following experience, minimium 5 days at sea; 100miles logged, and at least 4 hours at night. You will also be required to have assumed knowledge of theory to the level of RYA Day Skipper, and the instructor will test you on this level of knowledge.