Day Skipper Practical

[jon and michie]

Hi - Whilst having some time off from work - I completed the Day skipper's Theory and Now Booked on to do the Practical - Is the Practical assessed during each day as you go ?
Jon

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Yes, in the sense that the instructor makes sure that you’re adequately safe and competent within the scope of the syllabus. There’s no exam or test as such. If you mess up a manoeuvre or make a mistake they’ll ask you to repeat it, maybe later in the week. You’d have to be seriously incompetent not to complete the course and be awarded the certificate, but I guess that does happen.

 

[Pinnacle]

Yes, in the sense that the instructor makes sure that you’re adequately safe and competent within the scope of the syllabus. There’s no exam or test as such. If you mess up a manoeuvre or make a mistake they’ll ask you to repeat it, maybe later in the week. You’d have to be seriously incompetent not to complete the course and be awarded the certificate, but I guess that does happen.

It happened to one of the other people on the course I did. IMHO the instructor had no choice but to not award the certificate.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

My co-candidate on my Coastal Skipper (with Mendez) didn’t pass. He was very inexperienced and should have done DS first. Was an expensive mistake for him as he’d flown in from Canada to do it. (Dunno why).

 

[jon and michie]

@Sticky Fingers & @Pinnacle many thanks for your replies
Much Appreciated - Now to get the course done next Month which I am looking forward to although this is my 2nd season boat less and never driven a twin engined vessel
Jon

 

[Alicatt]

I was looking into doing the powerboat advanced course while I am in the UK but I don't have enough hours of night time at the helm and what I have is on the canals.
Twin engine is a joy to use, makes the boat much more controllable, all the boats I have helmed up to getting Hunter were single engined, it was such an eye opener going twin

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Yup, twin shafts are much easier, don’t know if some schools might run single engine boats or outdrives for DS Motor, but would make things a wee bit trickier for the candidates.

 

[ylop]

certainly on the sailing parts of this forum you often find people advocating skipping CC and going straight to DS or for experienced people who never did any quals jumping straight to CS. They often forget just how much they do know. Talking to instructors it’s not uncommon for people to turn up with either an exaggerated “CV” or having been a passenger on a lot of trips but not an active participant. The other thing is DS is not just about boat handling, it’s about managing and looking after a crew. Not everyone is a natural at that.

 

[lydiamight]

Did my Coastal Skipper Practical without doing the theory--and passed. Although I had done a lot of "home study" beforehand. One of the participants on board, an experienced young man in his twenties with a couple of Transatlantic Crossings under his belt was failed because the examiner thought that he was dangerous. Crash gybing, sailing too close to marked shallow water and rocks and failing to keep a proper look out. I found the five days at sea really enjoyable and worthwhile.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

@jon and michie which training school are you using for your DS?

 

[Alicatt]

Did my Coastal Skipper Practical without doing the theory--and passed. Although I had done a lot of "home study" beforehand. One of the participants on board, an experienced young man in his twenties with a couple of Transatlantic Crossings under his belt was failed because the examiner thought that he was dangerous. Crash gybing, sailing too close to marked shallow water and rocks and failing to keep a proper look out. I found the five days at sea really enjoyable and worthwhile.

We were given access to the day skipper and yachtmaster navigation exercises to study before going on the powerboat 2 practical course. I followed the course but my wife was not too interested in it so did not follow along.
At the practical course when doing the navigation part of the course it showed who had done their home work and who had not, still, we all passed, and my wife who says she does not like speed, the grin on her face when she got the boat up to over 20knots gave lie to that, mind you she was a bit sore for a couple of days after from the pounding we got from the waves.

 

[jon and michie]

@jon and michie which training school are you using for your DS?

@Sticky Fingers - I am using Nautical Circle based in Hull Marina Fairly local to me - there was 3 of us for the Shore based theory which was excellent to get your head around the chart and navigation work - So I will be in the Humber doing the practical side which I am looking forward to as there is Lock gates at the Marina which I have never done .

Nautical Circle

 

[jon and michie]

Did my Coastal Skipper Practical without doing the theory--and passed. Although I had done a lot of "home study" beforehand. One of the participants on board, an experienced young man in his twenties with a couple of Transatlantic Crossings under his belt was failed because the examiner thought that he was dangerous. Crash gybing, sailing too close to marked shallow water and rocks and failing to keep a proper look out. I found the five days at sea really enjoyable and worthwhile.

@lydiamight - is there much difference between the Coastal Skipper and Day Skipper Courses ?