Day Skipper Shorebased Course
| Subject | Broad detail to be covered |
| 1. Nautical Terms | 1. Parts of a boat and hull 2. General nautical terminology |
| 2. Ropework | 1. Knowledge of the properties
of synthetic ropes in common use. 2. Ability to make, and knowledge of the use of: figure of eight, bowline, clove hitch, reef knot, single and double sheet bend, rolling hitch, round turn and two half hitches. Securing to cleats, use of winches and general rope handling |
| 3. Anchorwork | 1. Characteristics of
different types of anchor 2. Considerations to be taken into account when anchoring |
| 4. Safety | 1. Knowledge of the safety
equipment to be carried, its stowage and use (RYA Booklet C8) 2. Fire precautions and firefighting 3. Use of personal safety equipment, harnesses and lifejackets 4. Ability to send a distress signal by VHF radiotelephone 5. Basic knowledge of rescue procedures including helicopter rescue. |
| 5. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea | 1. Steering and sailing rules
(5,7,8,9,10 and 12-19) 2. General rules (all other rules) |
| 6. Definition of position, course and speed. | 1. Latitude and longitude 2. Knowledge of standard navigation terms 3. True bearings and courses 4. The knot |
| 7. Navigational charts and publications | 1. Information shown on
charts, chart symbols and representation of direction and distance 2. Navigational publications in common use 3. Chart correction |
| 8. Navigational drawing instruments | 1. Use of parallel rulers, dividers and propriety plotting instruments |
| 9. Compasses | 1. Application of variation
and deviation. Use of transits and comparison to check deviation. 2. Importance of swinging compasses 3. Use of hand bearing compasses 4. Siting of steering compass |
| 10. Chartwork | 1. Working up position from
course steered, distance run and estimates of leeway and set 2. Plotting fixes 3. Working out course to steer to allow for leeway and set |
| 11. Position fixing | 1. Sources of position lines 2. Potential accuracy of fixing methods 3. GPS |
| 12. Tides and tidal streams | 1. Tidal definitions, levels
and data 2. Tide tables, standard and secondary ports 3. Use of Admiralty method of determining tidal height from standard port 4. Use of tidal diamonds and tidal stream atlases for chartwork |
| 13. Visual aids to navigation | 1. Lighthouses and beacons, light characteristics |
| 14. Passage planning | 1. Preparation of navigational
plan for short coastal passages 2. Meteorological considerations in planning short coastal passages |
| 15. Navigation in restricted visibility | 1. Precautions to be taken and limitations imposed by fog. |
| 16. Meteorology | 1. Sources of broadcast
meteorological information 2. Knowledge of terms used in shipping forecasts, including the beaufort scale, and their significance to small craft 3. Basic knowledge of highs, lows and fronts |
| 17. Pilotage | 1. Use of transits, leading
lines and clearing lines 2. IALA system of buoyage for Region A 3. Use of sailing directions 4. Pilotage plans and harbour entry |
| 18 Environment | 1. Responsibility for avoiding pollution & protecting the marine environment |