RYA Practical Courses: Day Skipper
- Cost per person - £850
- Booking 2 people on the same course - £800 per person
- Private course (up to 4 people) - £2800
- Private Course (up to 5 People) - £3200
- Private courses can run over 3 weekends or start on different days, please call to discuss your requirements
- Before your course start date you must have 5 days, 100 miles and 4 night hours onboard a sailing yacht. You must have passed your RYA day Skipper Theory course.
5-Day RYA Day Skipper Course: Mylor, Falmouth
RYA Day Skipper Course – Overview
The RYA Day Skipper course is a five‑day practical sailing programme designed for sailors who already have some experience and want to skipper a yacht confidently in familiar waters by day. You’ll spend five full days and five nights onboard, developing essential skippering skills such as pilotage (navigating in confined waters), boat handling under sail and motor, chart reading and plotting, passage planning, and basic navigation.
The course is based in Mylor Yacht Harbour near Falmouth, Cornwall, sailing primarily around the Fal Estuary, Helford Passage and surrounding coastline, with a longer coastal passage (often to Fowey) included when conditions allow. The training emphasises applying navigational knowledge in real‑world settings and covers emergency handling, deck work, tides and currents, and night cruising techniques.
Details on course dates, pricing, group size, what’s included and what to bring are covered in the FAQ section below.
If you’d like to arrange a private course or have any questions, please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
RYA course calendar - Each course spans five full days, starting at 17:00 on Sunday and concluding at 15:00 on Friday, with participants required to spend all five nights on board as part of the training.
You can check availability and send us a booking request using the calendar below:
RYA split course calendar - This course is delivered in two separate sessions rather than 5 consecutive days, so you must attend both date ranges to complete the full course.
You can check availability and send us a booking request using the calendar below:
Day Skipper FAQ
Before starting the RYA Day Skipper practical course, you must have at least 5 days, 100 miles and 4 night hours onboard a sailing yacht. You must also have passed the RYA Day Skipper Theory course, or have navigation and theory knowledge to the Day Skipper Shorebased level. The practical course is very hands-on and assumes you already have this knowledge so that you can concentrate on putting it into practice on the water.
The course teaches you the practical skills needed to skipper a yacht safely by day in familiar waters. This includes pilotage, practical navigation, seamanship, boat handling under sail and power, passage planning, meteorology, rules of the road, emergency situations, maintenance, engines, and passage-making.
The RYA Day Skipper practical course with Take A Turn Yachting runs over five full days and five nights onboard. Courses normally start at 17:00 on Sunday and finish at 15:00 on Friday. The course can also be arranged as a split course over three weekends, or as a private course to suit your requirements.
The course starts and finishes at Mylor Yacht Harbour near Falmouth, Cornwall. The Fal Estuary and surrounding Cornish coastline provide a varied training area, allowing you to develop your navigation, pilotage and boat-handling skills in different types of water.
The exact itinerary depends on the weather, tides and conditions during your course. Training will primarily take place around the Fal Estuary, Falmouth and the Helford, with longer coastal passages potentially taking you further afield. Depending on conditions, this could include Fowey and other nearby ports, anchorages and coastal waters.
Once completed, the RYA Day Skipper qualification enables you to safely take charge of a 30–45ft sail cruising yacht and its crew on day trips in familiar waters. The qualification also demonstrates to charter and boat-share companies that you have the knowledge and practical experience to look after their boats safely. It also qualifies you to apply for an ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft), allowing you to go cruising abroad.
Our mixed-group courses have a maximum instructor-to-student ratio of 1:4. Private courses have a maximum instructor-to-student ratio of 1:5. Keeping groups small gives you plenty of opportunity for hands-on practice and individual instruction throughout the course.
The course price includes five days of practical RYA tuition, five nights of accommodation aboard the yacht, breakfast and lunch each day, four evening meals onboard, lifejackets and safety equipment, fuel and marina fees. One evening is usually spent ashore, and the cost of this meal is not included. A course book is also included with the course.
You should bring suitable waterproof clothing, sailing footwear with non-marking non-slip soles, warm layers, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and gloves, any required medication, a sleeping bag and pillow, phone charger, refillable water bottle, notebook and pencils, and a head torch with a red-light function if possible. You should also bring a passport-style photo and a copy of your RYA Day Skipper Theory certificate. A soft bag is preferable to a suitcase for onboard storage.
Sailing courses are naturally affected by weather, tides and conditions. The course schedule and activities may be adjusted to make the best use of the conditions available, while ensuring that safety remains the priority and you get as much useful practical experience as possible.
Yes. The RYA Day Skipper practical course is an assessed course. Your instructor will assess your ability throughout the course, including your boat handling, navigation, pilotage, seamanship, safety awareness and ability to take responsibility for the yacht and crew. Elements of your Day Skipper theory knowledge will also be tested and applied during the practical course.
Completing your RYA Day Skipper is the start of your development as a skipper rather than the end of your sailing training. Take A Turn Yachting can help you continue building your experience through mile-building opportunities, skills weekends, sailing and racing opportunities, and own boat tuition. You can also progress towards further RYA qualifications such as Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster.
You can check availability and submit a booking request through the Take A Turn Yachting course calendar, or contact the team directly if you would like to discuss your experience, the course requirements or arranging a private course.