Day Skipper Practical - useful bits of kit

Reed's Skippers Handbook by Malcolm Pearson - and a plastic bag to protect it.
And a large plastic bag, or roll-neck dry bag, to keep your sleeping bag dry.
 
I would not worry about kit (apart from for comfort - arranging some reasonable foul weather clothing and a sun hat).

Being prepared is, I think, not so much last minute cramming of the detail of the syllabus (too much of that becomes counter-productive), as being clear what is being looked for overall and getting yourself in that mindset. My take on that is it's being safely in charge of a boat and crew in not hugely demanding conditions. Enough knowledge, skill and common sense to (a) avoid getting into too many scrapes; and, perhaps more importantly, (b) get yourself out of the scrapes you get yourself into or of the instructor's devising.

Most important things to take are a sense of humour and readiness to learn?:)
 
awol said:
What did you take with you when you gained your RYA mandated "pre-course experience of 5 days, 100 miles, 4 night hours on board a sailing yacht" ?
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They might have done a week in Greece in which case all they'd need was shorts and those are optional most of the time.
 
I'd definitely mention your size to them. I'd recommend a quick drying towel or two, including one of a size to go round your neck. If you wear glasses take a spare pair. Personally (but far from essential) I'd by a pair of deckies from Clarkes (about £60 and actually rebranded Musto shoes) and a quick visit to Mountain Warehouse for some base layers and cheap walking trousers if you only have jeans - that's all perfectly usable stuff if you decide not to continue sailing on grown-up boats.
 
Thanks to all for comments, most useful - I've got things like sunglass leashes and caps with clips from dinghy sailing, and plenty of base layers for general outdoor activity, but will have to get some waterproof bags as these won't be much use if soaked! I'll also get a box of snacks and some wine, either to enjoy lovely sunsets with or to drown sorrows.

I'll admit I'm a bit worried about some of the the theory stuff as it's a bit 'learn by rote' in terms of what lights at night etc mean, but hopefully it'll be continual reinforcement but a good manual or cheatsheet would be handy until these aspects become familiar.

As an aside, I assume those who recommend earplugs have also lived on boats with their wives.
 
mattie_uk said:
I'll admit I'm a bit worried about some of the the theory stuff as it's a bit 'learn by rote' in terms of what lights at night etc mean, but hopefully it'll be continual reinforcement but a good manual or cheatsheet would be handy until these aspects become familiar.
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Worry not. The week is one for learning, not a test. Relax, enjoy, learn.
I recently went night sailing with a friend who is currently doing DS theory and his comment was the theory all started to make sense when you actually apply it.
 
mattie_uk said:
I'll admit I'm a bit worried about some of the the theory stuff as it's a bit 'learn by rote' in terms of what lights at night etc mean...
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I find this stuff hard as well as there's no real system to it, just memorising things.

Buy or make some flash cards.
 
JBJag27 said:
I find this stuff hard as well as there's no real system to it, just memorising things.

Buy or make some flash cards.
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There is a theme, or pattern, to the Lights& Shapes. It will become obvious if you lay out the flash cards in order of precedence according to the Colregs..... Rowing, Sailing, Motor Vessel below 20m, etc., and how Restricted in Ability to Manoeuvre a vessel might be.
 
I found it useful to have an inflatable pillow (Lidl, when on offer). I would add that you not only need something to keep your sleeping bag dry but would also advise having a "dry-bag" type holdall for your clothes. Soft luggage that can be crammed into odd spaces is always appreciated on boats.
Don't forget the sunscreen, in a tube, or stick, that you can keep in your pocket, lip salve too if you think you might need it and sunglasses, (clip-ons if you wear spectacles). As suggested above, quick-drying towels"(2) are excellent, but you don't need a full-size one to go around your neck, small neck towels are available in chandelries, beg a bar towel from your local hostelry or just use a teatowel.
Previous posters have suggested ear plugs, which I endorse, but if you snore yourself get an anti-snoring device. Anything that promotes a good night's sleep is particularly important on a DS Course, when everyone will be attempting to sleep at the same time.
 
Don't stress too much about lights until you get to Yachtmaster, after all DS only qualifies you to navigate "in the hours of daylight"... WHen you move onto YM, but Seaman's Guide to the Rules of the Road, which is a brilliant way of learning the whole lot....
 
Mention of flash cards above, I suggest you make your own. Once you have made them you will nearly know them all, just a bit of final learning. At least, it worked for me. Saved a few beer tokens as well!?
 
+1 on the flash cards.
A waterproof notebook (I dunno if dayskipper is similar to coastal yacht master but for mine I wrote out the sequence of bouys/lights in the book for entrance to Portsmouth instead of keeping up and down to the chart table). I think I got brownie points for that.

On the sunscreen front, sunscreen lip balm. I've learned the hard way that your bottom lip can get sunburn, I looked like the botox had gone wrong :ambivalence:
 
I'd second the small pillow and Reeds skippers handbook. I had no pillow on my DS, brought a camping pillow on my CS and was much more comfortable at night. Reeds is good for checking things in a hurry.
 
Took my DS in January and the best bit of kit was thermal underwear. In August you won't be needing that.
 
Righty-ho, I've got a gill personal safety knife, and a headtorch with red LED option, which are pretty much the only items I hadn't already got (biscuits and wine will be bought nearer the time, to avoid temptation!) I might also bring leatherman multitool, and will bring a handful of notebooks with pens and pencils. I've also bought a chart of the South-West Wales area (forget if my earlier posts mention that we're going out in the Pembroke area) which I'll have a go through to get some familiarity with the area.

I'll also look into getting some waterproof clothes, given I'm an odd size and I don't fancy relying on poorly fitting clothing if the Welsh weather plays its usual games, is there a good place to look for these? We've checked out a few chandlerys (chandleries?) and no-brand seem to go for about £100 with the branded gear about £200 for a set. I appreciate it's akin to asking how long a piece of string is, but is is worth a bit of extra outlay for increased comfort? I'm not one for fashion, but I also dislike investing in cheap options that don't last or don't really do the job. Also, are garden wellies OK - given we both already own a pair - or should we get some sailing boots?

I've not looked at the day skipper theory for about a fortnight, I've got just under a month so a good time to ramp up the reading! The flash cards for lights, bouys etc are an excellent idea, I'll look to make some of those as a form of revision.

All advice greatly appreciated.
 
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