A course for those with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation, wanting to undertake coastal passages by day and night.
RYA Coastal Skipper is the next progression in your sailing development after the Day Skipper courses. If you’re thinking of a career in sailing or up-skilling yourself, this is the next step towards a Yachtmaster.
The course is designed to give an experienced RYA Day Skipper the confidence to undertake longer and more complex passages which may involve sailing at night or involve watch keeping systems.
The student will learn to skipper extended passages by day and night with the instructor on hand to give advice and encouragement and ensure your safety. Experience being in charge of the yacht and managing the crew over longer periods of time.
Like the Day Skipper course, this course consists of skippered passages in a variety of situations. Each trainee will skipper more challenging passages and learn more about passage planning, pilotage by day and night, boat handling, safety and emergency situations.
It is a satisfying but intensive week, with candidates often working towards a Certificate of Competence. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to skipper coastal passages safely and confidently, and will be issued with the RYA Coastal Skipper Practical certificate, which is recognised around the world for chartering purposes. It is also one step closer to the Yachtmaster Certificates of Competence.
We would expect you to have attended the RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster™ Offshore shorebased course before doing this CS Practical course, as there is insufficient time to teach you theory during the practical week.
Coastal Skippers should be able to undertake more difficult passages by day and night and handle the yacht in more demanding conditions including night navigation, advanced yacht handling under sail, anchoring under power and sail and much more. By the end of the course you should have the knowledge, if not the experience, to become a Yachtmaster™.
This qualification can be MCA-endorsed for commercial use.
The aim of this course is to teach the skills and techniques required to skipper a cruising yacht safely on coastal passages by day and night.
Planning the passages
Preparation
Pilotage planning
Making passages and skipper ability
Handle a yacht under power in wind
Handle a yacht under sail in wind
Tough weather conditions
Emergency procedures simulated
Supporting course books:
Skippering a yacht on coastal and offshore passages demands strong navigation, seamanship and leadership skills. During the RYA Coastal Skipper course your instructor will guide you through navigation, both offshore and in limited visibility, weather forecasting and passage planning, watch keeping, preparation for sea and handling heavy weather. You will put this all into practice as each student plans and executes passages taking complete command of the yacht. Coastal skippers must be good boat handlers and you will receive plenty of practice mooring the yacht and have at least 4 hours night sailing. Weather permitting the yacht will undertake a longer coastal passage.
The yacht you will be sailing is called “Lookfar”, a Bavaria 44 Cruiser, and is moored in Manoel Island Marina, pontoon D, near the Paparazzi restaurant. She will be ready for you to join at 9:30 am on the first day of the course.
Accommodation onboard during the course can be arranged if needed, usually from Monday to Friday. The accommodation is included in the course price. Sunday evening boarding and Friday night sleep onboard may be possible by agreement.
From our base in Manoel Island we will be sailing around the Maltese Archipelago including the picturesque sister Islands of Comino and Gozo (if weather permits).
Great winds in beautiful, sunny surroundings 52 weeks of the year! Join us! You will be made very welcome...
If you choose for accommodation onboard, full bedding is supplied, sheets, pillows and blankets. Also, we provide towels for use on the yacht but not beach towels. If you should require more than one towel during the week, please do bring your own additional towel.
Please note that the temperatures in Malta are normally very warm during the day but it can be cold in the evenings and windy days at sea. It is a good idea to bring a small light rain mac if you have one and also a pair of long trousers and a warm fleece, just in case. Please note that We don't provide wet weather gear onboard.
It highly recommended to take RYA Marine Radio VHF course. VHF course will be useful if you want to do chartering in the future, because you are required to hold a VHF certificate for that purpose. The course is designed and created by RYA, and it will be given online. Once you complete the online course, you will have a 30 minutes exam with us during your stay in Malta. Usually it takes 1-2 days to complete. You can do it before, during, or after CSP course.
We also recommend you to take RYA First Aid course. The RYA First Aid course is designed to teach you exactly what to do in these situations. From the minor ailments such as headaches, sunburn and small lesions through to the immediate response to serious medical emergencies. This course covers the situations that a yachtsman is likely to encounter. This course is a must for all who sail, and skippers should encourage their crews to attend. Remember it may be you who needs attention! At the completion of the course you will be issued with the RYA Small Craft First Aid Certificate. This certificate is valid for 3 years from the time of issue and is a prerequisite for those taking the Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Offshore Examinations.
To book VHF course and First Aid course, simply add it in the Course Booking Page, and we will send you a log-in and joining instructions after receiving your booking.
If you need a flight to Malta International, the airport code is MLA. There is only one airport in Malta.
On arrival at Malta airport, there is a kiosk at the exit from the airport where you can pre pay the taxi to the boat. The cost of this is usually 25 Euro.The taxi drivers speak good English.
Cheaper transport option would be use taxi app such as: Bolt, Ecab, Cool. There are plenty of taxi connected to these apps.
You will have a short safety brief on arrival to familiarise yourself with the boat and meet your crew mates!
For more details about course, logistics, accommodation, booking, and certificate, please refer to the FAQ's section.
At this stage of the RYA scheme it is really worthwhile consolidating what you have learnt by completing more sea miles. This could be achieved by joining our Malta-Sicily Mile Building Trip, or just coming along for another week or weekend of refresher/consolidation training. Following this you should look to join the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Preparation week followed by the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal Skipper examination.