Who is the RYA Day Skipper Theory course for, and what does it cover?

RYA Day Skipper Theory is designed for prospective skippers and inexperienced crew who want the knowledge needed to make safe decisions aboard a small vessel in familiar waters. It is also valuable preparation for an RYA Day Skipper practical course. Some practical experience is helpful, but it is not required and the RYA sets no minimum age.

The course involves about 40 hours of learning plus assessment time. It covers seamanship, coastal navigation and pilotage, chartwork, electronic navigation, position fixing, course-to-steer calculations, weather and meteorology, tides, passage planning and collision regulations.

Our online course uses short, interactive sessions and includes the two theory assessment papers. See the official RYA Day Skipper Theory course page for the current syllabus.