The minimum qualifications required to take this course are at least 15 days at sea with two as skipper in familiar waters having completed over 300 nautical miles and sailed for a minimum of 8 hours of darkness.

The theory knowledge required is to the level of a Coastal skipper /Yachtmaster classroom course. An ability to navigate, understanding of tides, working knowledge of the Rules for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea as well as an ability to understand weather forecasts.

The course should take the day sailor and give them the techniques to skipper a yacht on coastal and short offshore passages during both daytime and hours of dark.

The practical course is run over 5 days of continual assessment; however this is also the level of the RYA Coastal Exam which can be conducted by an independent RYA examiner after the course is completed.

A greater understanding of the reactions by the yacht to the forces of wind and tide will be achieved through experiment and practise both under sail and without. This includes practise in picking up a mooring, dropping an anchor, coming alongside and picking up a dropped object.

The responsibilities of being a skipper will be explained as they include safety of the yacht as well as the comfort and enjoyment of the crew.

Chart work, pilotage and navigation are a fundamental part of planning and executing a passage at sea with use of all navigational aids such as GPS, depth sounder, compass and plotting equipment to being explained and put to use.

Discussions on how to cope with potential emergency situations will be raised with suggestions put forward and advice on how best to avoid them. A seamanlike conduct in adverse weather conditions will be discussed and advice given.

Maintenance of the yacht is very important to its smooth and trouble free operation and the daily checks will be carried out as well as an insight into some of the regular maintenance.

The Coastal skipper should at the end of a successful course have the confidence and ability to skipper a yacht on coastal passages which may take more than the hours of daylight and be reasonably confident to follow weather forecasts so as not to be caught out in inclement weather.

At the end of the course it is possible to be examined by an independent examiner appointed by the Royal Yachting Association. The examiner comes aboard for about 6 to 10 hours to have a snapshot view of the sailing and skippering ability, giving a series of tasks to be undertaken by the candidate in their own time. Any assessment can be nerve wracking, but if the candidate is well prepared then the given tasks should present no difficulties.

The requirements before taking the exam are a minimum of 30 days at sea with two as skipper, logging over 800 miles, 12 night hours, a marine radio operators qualification and a current First Aid at sea certificate.