Day 1 – Introduction and Yacht Familiarization
From our Denia office, after administrative formalities, participants board their yacht and are allocated berths. A comprehensive tour follows, including a safety briefing on using onboard facilities like the gas cooker, fresh water system, heads, and electricity. A session on fire prevention and fighting is included, alongside discussions on hygiene and cleanliness. Day Skipper candidates dive into planning and preparation, learning about daily checks, weather forecasts, and passage planning with a focus on pilotage techniques and course shaping. The afternoon focuses on close-quarters power handling, leading to executing a prepared passage plan, concluding with parking the yacht and a debrief. Evening work may involve theory tests on various subjects.
Day 2 – Skills Development at Sea
An early start introduces the rigging of gybe preventers and the storm jib, followed by extensive practice of pilotage and passage-making skills. Candidates practice sailing in confined spaces, anchoring, and mooring buoy techniques. A detailed exploration of Man Overboard (MOB) procedures, including recovery methods and dealing with hypothermia, is covered. The day may end with dinner at anchor or moored, followed by night pilotage exercises to build vital skills for unexpected situations.
Day 3 – Advanced Navigation and Boat Handling
The day begins with theory knowledge assessment and detailed discussions on electronic navigation aids, AIS, and radar systems. More power-handling practice is undertaken to improve boat handling and command skills. Afternoon sailing exercises include navigational challenges and decision-making on sail setting. Evening work involves preparing briefings on various critical topics, like engine fault diagnostics and emergency procedures. Individual debriefs focus on personal progress and areas for improvement, setting the stage for the next day's full command exercises.
Day 4 – Leadership and Command
Candidates take full command of the yacht for brief passages they planned the previous evening. This serves as an assessment to identify any gaps in knowledge or skills, with a "hands-off" observation approach by the instructor, who intervenes only if necessary. After each exercise, immediate debriefs are conducted to provide feedback. The day aims to not overtax candidates, allowing them to relax in the evening without additional tasks, ensuring they are open for discussions and questions.
Day 5 – Return and Conclusion
Candidates either individually or in turns plan and execute stages of the return journey to Denia, incorporating problem-solving tasks like landmark identification or rigging a preventer. Back at the mooring, individual debriefs are completed, personal log books are filled out, and certificates issued where appropriate. The course concludes with a thorough cleaning of the yacht, adhering to the principle of leaving the vessel in the condition it was found, under the instructor's satisfaction.
Read more
