coastal skipper practical tips please

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jezjez

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I am off on the high seas this weekend to do my coastal skipper practical (shiver - finally it gets cold now!).
Any advice on anything? (Other than booking at a hotter time of year...)
 
Re: Coastal Skipper Practical

Coastal skipper is not a test but constant assesment during the week. The one with the test the yachtmaster.

I did my coastal for the second time (it's a long story but the first time was in the 1970s') last year. What the instructor was looking for was the ability to skipper the boat day or night on coastal passages. As there was no exam there wasn't much stress, even with the unexpected man overboard type stuff.

I would advise you to make good passage plan notes ready for the inevitable questions when you make a landfall in the dark. Things like ' So how much water is there in the harbour entrance at the moment?'

Don't go round shallow bits on the chart if there is enough water to go over them safely. Shows you can work tides safely. (Bearing in mind possible overfalls etc)

And don't claim to be able to use the radar if you can't or are out of practice. One of the lads on my course did and was given radar navigation exercise!
 
Brief your crew clearly before each exercise so they know exactly what you intend to do.

make sure everyone including the examiner gets well fed and has hot drinks etc. Easy to forget the crews welfare when your heads spinning due to nerves.

good Luck
 
Re: Coastal Skipper Practical

There is also an exam for Coastal Skipper that operates on an identical basis to YM, just that you can get away with a few more errors.

What you did was the RYA course.
 
Re: Coastal Skipper Practical

I have to agree with "ridgy" There is a cosatal skipper exam which is similar to the Yachtmaster exam just a little easier.
Passing this results in the issuing of a costal skipper certificate not just a course completion certificate.
 
As you say it is the weekend, I presume that it is the full exam that you are doing, not just the course completion? Weather currently looking good for the weekend, so just go out and enjoy the sail. If you get through it safely, then should pass OK. When I took my sail yachtmaster (early 90's), also had 3 on board doing their coastal. It was a full weekend to assess all of us and they had to work almost as hard as I did, but we all passed OK. Key requirement is Safety, including briefings etc. A well-fed examiner is also likely to be a happy one.
 
Re: Coastal Skipper Practical

Duncan

Bit of confusion here if I may be so bold. There are 3 parts to a Coastal Skipper qualification, 2 of them optional

The shorebased course (optional) is combined with the Yachtmaster theory. Either a night school, correspondence course or an intensive

The practical course (also optional) is a hands-on preparation for the examination, normally 5 days

The examination is compulsory and if passed will provide an MCA/RYA Certifcate of Competence as Coastal Skipper. Since it's a weekend being discussed I assume this is what hes doing
 
Remember that skippering is not just navigation. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of skippering from below. Get the navigation done, then go up to watch what's going on up top.
 
I remember my coastal exam many years ago, the examiner was a chap called Alan Brooks. Before the exam he sent me a letter part of which said " there are no trick questions and in many cases there are no set answers, if you dont understand a question say so and it will be rephrased, failure to answer will be taken as lack of knowledge". I passed but learned a lot as well.
Stan
 
If the examiner has to "invent" challenges to test you things all become a bit tiersome for everyone.

Try to demonstrate your skills without waiting to be asked, if the weather is suitable use all the sails, sail into confined aresas etc etc. If all on board indulge in conversations on nautical topics it also makes the examiners life a bit easier i.e those "lights mean", "that ship is" that buoy means, look out for etc etc type conversations
 
Get your own chart of the area - Imray ones the best for this as they have the little chartlets of harbours, and a waterproof map case from an outdoors shop. Fold chart to show the days sailing area, put in map case and keep on deck. I did this on my YM exam and it worked really well as it stopped you running up and down the stairs "just to check" if you are nervous, can also act as a talking point with the crew, which demonstrates knowledge rather than having to be asked questions as copterdoctor suggested
 
At this time of year keep a couple of small torches in your pocket.
One low power so you can see things without destroying your night vision and one high power such as this:

frogman_both.jpg


See here for details
 
thanks, everyone.
It's the coastal skipper completion course, not the exam. I'm doing it over 2 weekends, 3 days then 2. This is obviously an easier prospect than the exam. (I think the system is a little confusing). Is there any point doing the exam after the course??? I know it's all voluntary but I would like to go through the whole system but without doing things twice.
Some very good advice, especially the torches and charts.

I expect my examiner reads this forum too so he probably now sees me coming!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is there any point doing the exam after the course???

[/ QUOTE ]

It seems a bit pointless not to do the exam as otherwise you've only completed a training course without gaining any qualification. It's useful to have the qualification if you are thinking of bare-boat chartering, and you'll be able to shout down lesser mortals in the pub!

It's a good exam-prep course and ideally you should do the exam straight afterwards whilst it's all fresh in your mind

Good luck
 
[quoteIs there any point doing the exam after the course???

[/ QUOTE ]

Every point!

The qualification stays with you for life, and you never know when you might need it.

I've been sailing for 30 years+ but have never got around to doing any qualifications. I'm now thinking of chartering the boat on a skippered basis and the local brokers wont take me on unless I have at least Coastal Skipper.

I had always intended to do Yachtmaster, (possibly Ocean and Commercial), and will probably do this over the next 12 months.... but life would be easier if I already had the pieces of paper.

Plus it will give you a sense of achievement and you wont have to explain to people that you have done the course but not the exam.
 
If i want to charter a yacht i'm likely ot say i've done my coastal skipper after the course, even if i never take the exam, and i doubt they'll be concerned, will they?
 
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