Shorebased/Online
Dayskipper Theory
Duration: This course is run over 5 days in a classroom or over two and a half weekends or over a bank holiday weekend and one normal weekend.
The dayskipper theory course should be taken before undertaking the dayskipper practical course. On this course you will learn basic, but crucially important techniques in navigation, so that the skipper can navigate a yacht in familiar waters by day. The course covers position fixing, courses to steer, tidal heights and streams, buoyage and pilotage. The course also covers many safety topics such as choosing a suitable yacht, the collision regulations, what to do in the event of fog, and the use and operation of emergency equipment onboard such as liferafts, lifejackets, harnesses and distress calls. It is an extremely satisfying feeling to navigate a yacht to a new harbour for the first time. This course introduces the beginner to the joys of navigating and piloting a yacht and is thoroughly enjoyable course to take. Many people underestimate its importance when booking onto the dayskipper practical course, a good grounding in navigation is essential to be able to skipper a vessel.
Whats included: Full course pack (includes charts, textbook, sample questions and test papers).
Whats not included: Pencils, eraser, notebook which are essential. A plotter, dividers and training almanac will be loaned to students for the duration of the course.
Next Step: The RYA VHF operators course is essential for the International Cruising Certificate, this is a one day course. A one-day RYA first aid course is also highly desirable at this stage. Upon completion of the dayskipper theory, it’s a good idea to put these skills into practice on the RYA or ISA dayskipper practical course.
Click here for the Dayskipper Theory SyllabusClick here for the itinerary of a typical weekend theory sailing course
Dayskipper Theory Online
Irish Offshore Sailing also offer online theory courses. It is a fantastic course with incredible slide shows and step by step interactive aids to help you progress through the course. Work as fast or as slow as you like and save your work as you go. The course is very interactive with an online tutorial on each topic and the course is broken down into 12 complete modules with questions at the end of each module.
All your work is corrected by our office staff who are instructors and they can be contacted during office hours with problems or queries.
The course costs include your plotter dividers and chart pack which are posted out to you.
When you make the payment you immediately get an access code to the online course package and the chart is sent out a few days later. The access lasts for 6 months from the date you sign up.
Yachtmaster Theory
Duration: This course is run over 5 days in a classroom or over two and a half weekends or over a bank holiday weekend and one normal weekend. Courses run from 0900 – 1700 each day.
This is a theory course in advanced navigational techniques and builds on the knowledge gained in the Dayskipper Theory course. The course is designed for powerboaters and yachtsmen wishing to make longer passages, possibly offshore and at night. While, the Dayskipper Theory is not a pre-requisite to attending this course, it is strongly recommended. Previous navigational experience is essential.
It is an intensive course covering advanced navigation techniques including – position fixing, course shaping and plotting, tidal knowledge including secondary port calculations, navigation in restricted visibility, Admiralty publications and electronic position finding equipment. The meteorology tuition includes the taking and interpretation of forecasts, plotting of weather systems and weather prediction. Students are shown how to use this information when planning and executing passage plans. The International Regulations for Prevention of Collision at Sea are dealt with in detail and you will also learn more about yacht stability and safety offshore.
It is strongly recommended that students revise their navigational skills and the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea. At the end of the course students will sit three exams and will be awarded the Yachtmaster Offshore Theory certificate. As a dual affiliated school we can run either the ISA or RYA theory courses depending on demand and the availability of instructors. The course syllabus and standard is almost identical.
Whats included: Course Pack (includes charts, text books, sample questions and test papers).
Whats not included: Dividers, Plotter and Training Almanacs are loaned to the student for the duration of the course. Food is not provided on this course.
Next Step: The RYA VHF operators course is essential for the International Cruising Certificate this is a one day course. A one-day first aid course is also highly desirable at this stage. Upon completion of the dayskipper theory, it’s a good idea to put these skills into practice on the RYA or ISA dayskipper practical course.
[ios-courses course_name=”Yachtmaster Theory”]
ONLINE YACHTMASTER THEORY
Irish Offshore Sailing also offer online theory courses delivered by Navathome, an RYA recognised training centre, specialising in online courses. It is a fantastic course with incredible slide shows and step by step interactive aids to help you progress through the course. Work as fast or as slow as you like and save your work as you go. The course is very interactive with an online tutorial on each topic and the course is broken down into 12 complete modules with questions at the end of each module.
Click here for the Yachtmaster Theory Course Syllabus
Navathome will monitor your progress and will answer your questions and queries throughout the course. They are qualified instructors and happy to help!
The course costs include your plotter dividers and chart pack which are posted out to you.
When you make the payment you immediately get an access code to the online course package and the chartpack is sent out a few days later. There is no time limit for the course, you’re access lasts for 6 months from the date you sign up, and extensions after this period can be purchased if required.
Terms and Conditions
Under our cancellation policy you can cancel your purchase up to 7 days from the day of delivery of the student pack. A refund is provided within a 14 day period if you’re not happy with your purchase.
RYA VHF Radio Course
This is one of the more important one day courses run at Irish Offshore Sailing. It is essential for any yachtsman to understand how to operate a marine VHF radio. Upon successful completion of this course, candidates are awarded the RYA vhf operators certificate. This allows you to legally operate a VHF onboard a vessel, and is an essential component of the Yachtmaster Coast and Yachtmaster Offshore Exams.
The course covers the different uses of a VHF in the maritime world. You will learn the rules and regulations governing radiotelephony, how to assess different situations where a vhf is used and how to operate the vhf to make these calls. This is run as a one day course, there is an additional processing fee payable to the RYA.
This course while run as an RYA course is accepted by the Irish Sailing Association as pre entry for all ISA instructor training courses. It also meets the requirements of charter companies throughout the Med and Caribbean who require that the skipper of the yacht is in possession of a VHF operators cert. The certificate also meets the requirements for Professional Yachtmaster Skippers looking to get commercially endorsed through the RYA.
Please contact us to express an interest in this course, we generally need 3 people booked to make this course viable.
RYA First Aid Course
At Irish Offshore Sailing we run a 1 day first aid course specifically geared towards first aid in the marine environment. The course is a requirement for those wishing to take the Yachtmaster Offshore qualification and is compulsory for professional skippers and sailing instructors for both the RYA and ISA.
This course is designed to provide water sports participants with the skills and knowledge required to provide emergency care in the marine environment and includes a use of automated external defibrillator. The course is a mixture of theory background reinforced by practical exercises. Main areas covered by the syllabus are:
- Accident procedure
- Basic life support (CPR) including use of defibrillator
- Management of wounds and bleeding
- Fractures, sprains, strains and dislocations
- Common medical emergencies (such as asthma, diabetes, water borne risks or poisoning).
Assessment is continuous throughout the course.
The certificate is valid for 3 years, and successful candidates are awarded the RYA Elementary First Aid Certificate. This certificate is required for the Yachtmaster Offshore certificate and for sailors working as professional skippers and ISA and RYA instructors.
RYA Sea Survival Course
The RYA Sea Survival course is designed for those who go to sea in small sailing and motor yachts. This is one of the most important courses on the RYA scheme as those who have trained to survive are far more likely to survive than those without training. This is a one day course including a 2hour practical pool session. The ability to swim is not compulsory for this course.
The core elements of the course are as follows:
Lifejackets, liferafts and what they contain plays an integral part of the RYA Sea Survival course. You will learn about various types of lifejackets and their uses and limitations. You will also learn how to launch a liferaft, what to expect to find inside the raft and what are the initial and subsequent or secondary actions to be taken in your attempt to survive. The course touches briefly on long term survival techniques as well, and ailments and injuries likely to be suffered in a liferaft. The theoretical part of the course is structured as follows:
- Preparation for Sea Survival
- Lifejackets and Liferafts
- Principles of Survival
- Survival Craft Ailments
- Raft Management
- Search and Rescue
The second half of the course is a practical pool session where you get to put into practice much what you have learned in the early part of the course. It really is an amazing course, people always comment on how different things are in reality to how they expected them to happen. It is always a superb opportunity to try out your own lifejacket. Many of our clients have been shocked at how many of their own lifejackets do not inflate when called upon, this is primarily due to lack of maintenance and regular testing.
This course is essential for anyone wishing to gain a commercial endorsement for a yachtmaster offshore qualification, but is of paramount importance to any boat user. The shorebased part of the course is normally held at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, while the pool session is normally held at Sportsco in Ringsend. We normally carpool to the pool session.
What’s included: Your course notes and RYA Sea Survival Book, Lifejackets and Liferaft will be provided for the pool session. However you are more than welcome to test your own lifejacket
What’s not included: Track Suit and t-shirt, clean waterproofs and a towel also needed for the pool session. Notebook and pencil for notes during the classroom session.
ISAF Offshore Safety Course
The ISAF Offshore Safety course equips both racers and cruisers with the skills and knowledge necessary to both prevent and deal with emergencies offshore. While this course satisfies the compulsory requirements of many offshore yacht races it is equally applicable to those who cruise offshore and outside assistance is not readily available. The course is designed to help prepare sailors to handle emergencies and adverse weather at sea.
The course satisfies the training required by ISAF Offshore Special Regulations 6.01 for category 0, 1 and some category 2 offshore races, and is taught as a two day course. It is a mix of both theoretical and practical hands on training.
Day 1 Topics Covered:
- Care & Maintenance of Safety Equipment
- Storm Sails
- Damage Control
- Crew Routines
- Man Overboard Prevention and Recovery
- Giving Assistance to other craft
- SAR Organisation and Methods
- Practical Fire Precautions and Fire Fighting
- Distress Alerting and Survivor Location Aids
The first day of this course deals primarily with how to prepare a yacht for offshore heavy conditions and how to use all the equipment found onboard. Day 2 essentially covers the content of the RYA Sea Survival Course which very much deals with what to do once a decision has been made to abandon the vessel. Topics covered on day 2 are as follows.
Day 2 Topics Covered:
- Preparation for Sea Survival
- Lifejackets and Liferafts
- Principles of Survival
- Survival Craft Ailments
- Raft Management
- Search and Rescue
Learning by doing is unquestionably the best way to learn, and at Irish Offshore Sailing we make every effort to keep our safety courses as practically orientated as possible. There is usually the opportunity to step onboard an offshore yacht and rig the storm sails and tri sails, as well as practically examine the difficulties in getting a casualty from the water back onto the vessel.
What’s included: Your course notes and RYA Sea Survival Book, Lifejackets and Liferaft will be provided for the pool session. However you are more than welcome to test your own lifejacket
What’s not included: Track Suit and t-shirt, clean waterproofs and a towel also needed for the pool session. Notebook and pencil for notes during the classroom session.
