Day Skipper Course

oGaryo

oGaryo

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Start my Day Skipper Course Tuesday night running for 25 weeks so thought I'd create a thread now as I'm bound to have a million and one questions that I'll not think to ask whilst in the classroom and forget by the time the next Tuesday eve session comes along.. It'll be myself + A Another so doubt I'll have much chance of bouncing ideas off classmates, so be prepared to be my virtual classmate eh ;)

Decided to go for the day skipper course as I think that'd be of more use to me than being told how to successfully launch and recover a boat as part of a PB2 course:rolleyes:

Not studied much since Uni and some business courses half a decade ago, so will be interesting to see if the ageing bonce cells still have a capacity for learning :o

All being well, I'll have a bit of paper in my hand ready to do the practical next summer on the new boat once purchased, if, I think I need it by then.
 
The first few weeks are a bit noddy but it does then pick up. Don't stop when you have done day skipper but carry on and do the second bit and get the Coastal/Yachtmaster theory as that is a little bit more challenging, even if it is a little bit yachty.

Be aware that the instructor will try to sell you a lot of books you do not particularly need. Obviously you need the course book and charts and navigational bits dividers, portland protractor thingy or parallel ruler. but I bet you will be offered a lot of books on the weather. I'm pretty sure they are on commission from the RYA.

Also recommended if you haven't done it alreasy is the VHF/DSC course (Can be done in a day although SWMBO did it at night school with the instructor who did my theory course- he invited us on his yacht for the weekend in March and it was the coldest we have ever been in our lives)

Good luck and Enjoy. You can get a discount from Bishop Skinner insurance when you have passed
 
oGaryo said:
as I think that'd be of more use to me than being told how to successfully launch and recover a boat as part of a PB2 course:rolleyes:
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:D

You'll love it, especially when it gets onto stuff you don't know, like flashing light sequences on buoys and the like at night, which you then need to go out and practice for real, as the classroom teaching is nothing like the real thing.
 
Back to school

I did my DS about five years ago over the winter evenings and it was interesting and good to learn new things. Our teacher was a dyed-in-the-wool raggie and he seemed to think boaters of all flavours got up at half past early to get a 3/4 knot advantage with the tide! Also, it would have helped if there was at least a minor reference to the world of electronic toys (plotters, & gps etc), maybe the sylabus has altered since then.

I'm glad I did the course and hope you find it worthwhile. So who else is back to skool this autumn!
 
oGaryo said:
Start my Day Skipper Course Tuesday night running for 25 weeks so thought I'd create a thread now as I'm bound to have a million and one questions that I'll not think to ask whilst in the classroom and forget by the time the next Tuesday eve session comes along.. It'll be myself + A Another so doubt I'll have much chance of bouncing ideas off classmates, so be prepared to be my virtual classmate eh ;)

Decided to go for the day skipper course as I think that'd be of more use to me than being told how to successfully launch and recover a boat as part of a PB2 course:rolleyes:

Not studied much since Uni and some business courses half a decade ago, so will be interesting to see if the ageing bonce cells still have a capacity for learning :o

All being well, I'll have a bit of paper in my hand ready to do the practical next summer on the new boat once purchased, if, I think I need it by then.
Click to expand...

hi gary....i hope to be going afloat for a weekend in october. if you want come on down and we,ll go out in the dark. if my memory serves, a night trip is part of the course.give me a call or a PM if your interested.......BUT keep it a secret....not mentioned to swimbo yet!! ...runs for cover !!!!
 
gravygraham said:
I did my DS about five years ago over the winter evenings and it was interesting and good to learn new things. Our teacher was a dyed-in-the-wool raggie and he seemed to think boaters of all flavours got up at half past early to get a 3/4 knot advantage with the tide! Also, it would have helped if there was at least a minor reference to the world of electronic toys (plotters, & gps etc), maybe the sylabus has altered since then.

I'm glad I did the course and hope you find it worthwhile. So who else is back to skool this autumn!
Click to expand...

The course does include the use of plotters and comes with a software for you to load on your PC so you get practical tuition (all be it in the classroom) although in thinking about it, that might be the coastal/yachymaster part of the course.
 
I really enjoyed the course, and I strongly support the suggestion that you go on to do the CS/YM one as well. I found the tutors to be mines of useful information, not part of the course in its own right, but broadening your knowledge. Like others I have found the course noticeably aimed as sailing craft, note with amusement that in all the papers if something is going pear shaped its always in a motor boat! When you do passage planning it assumes sailing as well, or did then, so model answers will always be along the lines of "leave early Wednesday after Front A has cleared and before Depression B makes itself felt" and do not expect "its only a four hour run, early lunch and go before the front comes in, back in Lymington for dinner."

I was very lucky, our postcode fitted a less well off area so I did DS and YM for a tenner a time. Alas, such largesse is no longer available!
 
oGaryo said:
Start my Day Skipper Course Tuesday night running for 25 weeks so thought I'd create a thread now as I'm bound to have a million and one questions that I'll not think to ask whilst in the classroom and forget by the time the next Tuesday eve session comes along.. It'll be myself + A Another so doubt I'll have much chance of bouncing ideas off classmates, so be prepared to be my virtual classmate eh ;)
Click to expand...

Hopefully I start mine next Tuesday... :D
 
Start teaching DS and YM in two weeks and being a MOBO like to include lots of bits relevant to us . Also part time WAFI on the quiet so enjoy that part as well , both courses are excellent but you are only half a DS or Half a YM until you do the practical .

Go on the Practical course and you will be able to put all your theory knowledge into practice and see how it works in the real world. Also you will have the instructor on hand to show you any neat little tips and tricks to make your time on the water more enjoyable.

The other side to doing the practical course is your boat handling will be better and you get to play on a different boat or you could do it on your own boat.
Have fun .
Tim
 
Chart plotter is included in DS but it only has a brief appearance,

I did it as a correspondence course from Chichester Marine and found them fantastic.

Would disagree that the night stuff is not as you imagine, for me my first time out at night was exactly as I envisaged it and not in the least bit scary, maybe that is just where I tend to boat on the east coast.

Do agree that the course is heavily sail biased but over the last three years have been amazed at how much that seemed irrelevant at the time I have used in anger.

Enjoy it, it is worth it.
 
Have to agree with doing Dayskiper practical course as soon as you can, I know you are considering a sealine s23/25 so it would be a good idea to give sealine sea school a call and have a play on their current school boat for the week.

Did ours on their s37 (about 12 yrs ago now, Beta,I think it was called) and found a very good practical demonstration of what you have learned can really make the theory make sense, plus it's a very enjoyable week away, take swmbo too, it will give you both the confidence to handle a boat at the size you wish to progress to.
 
oGaryo said:
Start my Day Skipper Course Tuesday night running for 25 weeks
Click to expand...

I did my DS theory course five years ago, and the practical last year......both well worth the effort!

I now start my Coastal/Yachtmaster theory on 4th October for 22 weeks.......better get the plottor and dividers dusted off!!

Cheers, Allan
 
Gary, given your background (assuming you can remember anything through the alcoholic haze) you'll breeze through it. Doesn't mean it won't be fun/interesting if you're with the right people though. I'd strongly recommend investing in the flash cards for learning the more obscure "day shapes for a hovercraft NUC towing a vessel over 200m" type questions, especially as you can involve the the kids/wife if they're interested.

Other than that Mendez Marine are absolutely superb - did the DS theory over a week with David a few years back and, despite me being a) gobby, b) a raggie and c) having a reasonable amount of experience he was very tolerant and I learnt a lot. I'd recommend them for the practical and any other stuff you want to brush up on.
 
AllanG said:
I did my DS theory course five years ago, and the practical last year......both well worth the effort!

I now start my Coastal/Yachtmaster theory on 4th October for 22 weeks.......better get the plottor and dividers dusted off!!

Cheers, Allan
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you do mean get all the salt off them don't you? :)

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Its dead easy. Only bit that took me a while was tidal calcs. Go for it.
ps.do ym straight after while its all fresh in your mind then CEVNI.
We did day skipper,yachtmaster,CEVNI,VHF DSC,ICC, first aid & PB2 all in a year.
 
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Decided to go for the day skipper course as I think that'd be of more use to me than being told how to successfully launch and recover a boat as part of a PB2 course:rolleyes:

I did the PB2 level 2 course and found it absolutely invaluable in developing boat control and the basics of using the boat safely and competently. If you think that it is only about getting a boat in and out of water you are sadly mistaken. I have recently chartered a bare boat in the Med and found what I learned on what is a very practical course completely relevant to what I wanted to do i.e coast hop from port to port.

I am now developing my seaman ship skills with various other courses but i am really glad that I started with PB2
 
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