Day Skipper or Competent Crew: Which RYA Course Do You Need?
Competent Crew and Day Skipper are both practical RYA sail cruising courses, but they are designed for different stages of a sailor's development.
Competent Crew
Competent Crew is aimed at people who want to become useful, confident members of the crew. Training concentrates on practical seamanship, sail handling, helming, ropework, safety and living aboard. It is a good starting point if you have limited sailing experience or want to build confidence before moving towards skippering.
Day Skipper
Day Skipper is designed for sailors who are ready to take responsibility for a yacht in familiar waters by day. The course develops practical skippering, pilotage, navigation, boat handling, passage planning, crew management and decision-making.
Which should you choose?
If you are still learning how to operate effectively as part of a yacht's crew, Competent Crew is normally the appropriate step. If you already have useful crewing experience and the required theory knowledge, Day Skipper is the natural progression towards becoming the skipper.
At BH Marine we can discuss your existing experience before booking and recommend the most appropriate route, including own-boat tuition where suitable.
