The RYA Coastal Skipper Practical course, is taught aboard a cruising yacht and is aimed to teach the skills and techniques required to skipper a cruising yacht safely on coastal and offshore passages by day and night.

The entry level for the Coastal Skipper Practical Course Completion qualification has a minimum age limit of 17 years and experiance not less than - 15 days, 2 days as skipper, 300 miles and 8 night hours.

• 5 days    
• Professional Instructors
• Relaxed Tuition
• Quality Food
• Great Fun
• £435 Low Season (October - March)
• £495 High Season (April - September)

Price includes all accommodation, tuition, meals onboard, use of wet gear and pick up from local station.

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

The course is typically taught over 5 days but can also be included in an extended cruising course of either 7, 10 or 14 days.

For more information please read on........

RYA Coastal Skipper

Our Coastal Skipper Practical Courses are run from the historic Port of Falmouth and normally will include coastal or offshore passages of over 60 miles, for example to Dartmouth or Brixham or perhaps the beautiful Isles of Scilly. We like to organise Coastal Skipper courses around individual requirements as well as advertising specific dates. So if none of the dates in our advertised schedule suit you, then please contact us with your availability and we shall aim to organise one for you!

 The RYA stipulates a maximum instructor ratio of 1:5 for Sail Training. At Trysail we work on 4 students to one instructor as we believe this gives the optimum ratio for student learning and makes life on board more comfortable.

Accommodation is provided on board the yacht during the course and all meals are included in the cost. Most of our instructors are experienced cooks and enjoy entertaining at the end of a hard day. We cater for all tastes and we are also more than happy to cater for Vegetarians and Vegans with exciting, local, home-cooked meals.

The course will commence with a full safety brief that our instructors will make fun and interesting. While your instructor cooks you a lovely meal, he’ll assess your previous experience and then ask you to start planning the first passage of the course.

We do not set a fixed itinerary for our courses as the weather plays such a large part and changes daily.
As a Yachtmaster 'Coastal' Skipper candidate you will be encouraged to take full control of the boat, its crew together with pilotage and passage making responsibilities during the week. The instructor is there to guide but will let you make mistakes as long as they don’t endanger the boat. (We all learn better from our mistakes, don’t we?!)

Each passage over 60 miles as ‘skipper’ counts towards the pre-qualification for the Yachtmaster Offshore Exam. Our aim is to help and encourage each of our candidates to complete the syllabus, set by the RYA, during the course and to award a Certificate of Competency on completion. Each candidate is kept informed of their progress.

You will also learn about extended passage making, heavy weather sailing and negotiating traffic separation schemes as well as brushing up on crew handling, man overboard drills and handling the boat under sail and power.

Whatever the weather throws at you, you’ll be guaranteed a rewarding and enjoyable week on the water and will complete in the region of 200-300 sea miles (incorporating a minimum of 2 passages over 60 miles) and 16 night hours to add to your logbook and hopefully the confidence and accreditation to skipper your own/charter boat by day & night during coastal & offshore passages.

Call or email today to book your berth!

Course Notes

Accommodation & meals are provided on board throughout the weekend as well as use of wet weather gear if necessary. You will need to bring a sleeping bag & suitable flat soled non-slip and non-marking footwear.

Warm clothing also will be needed even in the height of summer, as on the water the evenings can get cooler than inland.

Hopefully you now fancy the chance to get on the water a see what its all about, so give us a call or email us today!

If you have a wonderful time and want to do more sailing, why don't you join us for a mileage building cruise.