What You’ll Learn

The Coastal Yachtmaster builds on the knowledge you attained during your Day Skipper theory course. You will tackle more complex navigation exercises and including some additional subjects.

• Introduction to chart work:– chart familiarisation, points of the compass, latitude and longitude, position of an object, using a Portland type plotter, finding position on a chart.
• Tidal heights and streams:– what causes tides, terminology, tidal height calculations, using tide tables, using the tidal curve, secondary ports, computation of rates, tidal streams using tidal diamonds and the tidal stream atlas.
• Position fixing:– compass variation, compass deviation, position fixing using various methods, dead reckoning and estimated position.
• Course to steer:– How to plot a course to steer taking into account tidal flow and leeway, how to maintain an accurate ground track.
• GPS:– Abbreviations and terminology, how to use a GPS, raster and vector charts and updating charts.
• Buoyage and pilotage:– Available information, identification of buoys and their lights and shapes, using forward and back bearings, using tidal graphs.
• Safety:– Safety briefs, mayday and rescue, life jackets, abandon ship, actions in fog and radar reflectors.
• Meteorology:– Weather forecasts, weather systems, global effects, local effects, highs and lows and sources of weather information.
• Passage planning:– Puts everything together to form a plan for a safe passage taking into account pilotage for entering and leaving marinas and tides, conditions and wind direction for the main passage.
• Collision regulations:– General regulations, lights, shapes, sound signals, collision avoidance, stand on and give way.
• Passage making:– Making a longer passage taking into account tidal heights, streams, port entry and exit, weather, ports of refuge, waypoints, crew management and supplies.