Your week on board is designed to be hands-on, engaging, and confidence-building. You’ll participate in a series of short passages, practical coaching sessions, and focused drills to sharpen your skills.

You'll develop your yacht handling, seamanship, pilotage, and navigation skills with expert instruction from a friendly, supportive instructor.

Wherever possible, you’ll have the opportunity to take charge and make real decisions as skipper, gaining valuable leadership experience.

By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to skipper a small sailing yacht with confidence and competence.

RYA Day Skipper course – key skills & training

🛠️ Yacht preparation & deck work

• Perform engine checks, sail selection, and stowage above and below deck.
• Learn how to victual a yacht efficiently.
• Reef and change sails to match prevailing conditions.
• Take charge during mooring, anchoring, and picking up a buoy.

🗺️ Navigation & pilotage

• Master chartwork, visual fixes, and GPS navigation.
• Learn log keeping, dead reckoning (DR), and estimated position (EP).
• Understand tidal heights, streams, and course adjustments for leeway and drift.
• Navigate using IALA buoyage, pilotage plans, transits, echo sounders, and clearing lines.

🌦️ Meteorology & rules of the road

• Interpret weather forecasts and use a barometer for weather prediction.
• Learn collision regulations (COLREGS) for safe navigation.

⚙️ Engines & maintenance

• Understand the properties and uses of synthetic fibre ropes.
• Gain an overview of fuel and water filter changes, impeller replacement, and bleeding the fuel system.

🚨 Emergency procedures

• Perform man overboard recovery and use distress signals (flares, liferafts, VHF distress calls).
• Learn how to secure a tow and coordinate a helicopter rescue.

⛵ Yacht handling & passage-making

• Steer and trim sails effectively on all points of sail.
• Navigate by compass steering and plan short coastal passages.
• Gain experience in night pilotage and daily vessel routines.

Locations and sailing conditions

You will sail around Sydney Harbour, which provides a fabulous training ground at this level. We plan the detailed itinerary on the first day to take the best advantage of the weather.

The sailing conditions are generally excellent, alternating between warm 'Nor'easter' sea breezes and cool, fresh Southerlies.

During July and August, we run some courses in the Whitsunday Islands, where the scenery and anchorages are magnificent. The weather is superb, with tropical trade winds sailing the order of the day.

You can expect to see dolphins, whales, and, of course, Flying Fish!

The yacht and the instructor

RYA-qualified instructors – Learn from highly experienced professionals, delivering expert guidance in Flying Fish’s signature friendly and professional style.

⚓ Safety & ratios – We strictly adhere to RYA teaching ratios and safety guidelines, ensuring a safe and effective learning environment.

The group is limited to five students to ensure you get maximum hands-on experience.

You and your fellow students sail on board one of our Beneteau 40 cruiser-racer yachts and participate in all aspects of boat operation.

• Tuition, logbook, pre-course reading.
• Life jackets and safety harnesses are provided, and we can loan you wet weather clothing if required.
• All vessels have an enclosed bathroom on board.
• Please bring your own lunch and snacks.
• We provide tea, coffee and water.  

Qualifications and experience

• 150 sea miles logged
• RYA Day Skipper Practical certificate
• On successful completion of the RYA Day Skipper Practical, you will be able to apply for the International Certificate for Operator of Pleasure Craft (ICC) from the RYA for a cost of approximately UK 50 pounds. You will then be able to Skipper/Charter vessels in the Mediterranean and other countries worldwide.

• You have completed the RYA Competent Crew course or spent at least one week on a sailing yacht and are confident as a crew member under supervision. If you have acquired sailing skills on Dinghies or Keelboats, it will be very helpful. 
• You understand the basics of pilotage and are familiar with navigation using paper charts.
• If your knowledge of marine safety and navigation is rudimentary, we recommend you consider joining a RYA Day Skipper Shore-based Theory course for a comprehensive introduction. Alternatively, you could complete RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship online before you start to cover the basics. 
• The minimum age for certification as an RYA Day Skipper is 16 years.

• We recommend anyone operating as a Day Skipper should also hold a First Aid certificate and a Marine Radio Licence
• Your next Flying Fish course should be RYA Coastal Skipper and RYA Yachtmaster Shore-based Theory.

• William Jamieson - Sydney, Australia
• RYA Day Skipper Practical 
• 
• "My wife and I had an absolutely amazing experience with Mathew on Let Loose. His kindness, patience and teaching methods helped us build the confidence we needed to tackle our next adventure - bareboat skippering in Gippsland in a few weeks time. We’ve worked with several RYA instructors, but we founds Mathew’s gift for teaching beyond compare.  Thank you so much. We will be back!"
• Rob Scott - Queensland, Australia 
• RYA Day Skipper Practical
• 
• "I cannot speak highly enough of the RYA Day Skipper course Flying Fish offers. The combination of expert instruction, practical hands-on experience, a world-class boat, and a stunning environment made this a truly unforgettable experience. I am confident about taking on the responsibilities of a Day Skipper, and I owe it all to Jim and your fantastic team. Thank you once again for providing such an outstanding course. I look forward to levelling up with the Day Skipper to Yachtmaster Fast Track soon."
• Lyndsay Barnes - UK
• Yachtmaster Offshore Fast Track
• 
• “ Joining the Flying Fish Yachtmaster programme was one of the best decisions I ever made, My new office is floating on Sydney Harbour. If you’re considering doing the course, sign up now and don’t give it a second thought. But be warned, it could change your life ”

• Booking information
  • If you book some time in advance, you can secure your place on the course by paying a 20% holding deposit via the links provided above. This deposit will reserve your position until sixty days before the course start date, when the remaining balance of the course fees will be due.
  • Please be aware that the deposit is non-refundable; however, it can be transferred to any other course or event offered by Flying Fish.
  • If you book multiple courses, you will receive a 10% discount on your order when you purchase three or more courses in a single transaction.
  • We recommend booking early to avoid disappointment, as spaces are limited.
  • View our Terms and Conditions.
• What if the weather is bad?
  • Sailing is an all-weather sport. We like to say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!
  • We very rarely cancel a course due to bad weather.
• What type of yacht will I learn on?
  • At Flying Fish, our basic training boats are Beneteau First 40.7s. These yachts provide an excellent balance between comfort and performance and are great for learning.
  • The layout of the 40.7 is very practical, with two double rear cabins, a forward cabin, a comfortable saloon, and an enclosed toilet and shower unit.
  • The yacht sleeps six in comfort or eight using the saloon bunks. They are fully equipped to live on board.
• Can I book a private sailing course for a group or family?
  • Yes! We regularly welcome private groups of friends or family on bespoke courses.
  • A private RYA Day Skipper course is a great learning adventure to experience with your friends or family. What’s more, you can save money as you pay for four places on the course and can bring a maximum of five. The minimum age is 16.
  • If you like the sound of this, please get in touch via the enquiry button at the top of the page and let us help you plan your adventure.
• What should I bring with me?
  • Food – BYO lunch and snacks. We provide tea, coffee and water on board.
  • Quick-dry clothing (shorts, T-shirts, long-sleeved tops).
  • Lightweight waterproof jacket.
  • Non-slip shoes.
  • Hat, high-factor sunscreen, and sunglasses.
  • Thermal base layer and fleece for colder months.
  • Waterproof jacket and trousers (loan sets available).
  • Life jackets are provided on board by Flying Fish.
  • A sense of adventure and a team spirit!