This is the first serious theory block and it underpins everything that follows. You learn to work a paper chart with plotter and dividers, fix your position, apply tidal heights and streams, plan a short passage, read a synoptic chart and understand the collision regulations well enough to act correctly at sea. Australians often do this online over several weeks or as an intensive classroom week. The knowledge is assessed by two written papers (a navigation paper and a general paper) at the end of the course.
At a glance
| Type | Theory course |
|---|---|
| Duration | About 40 hours: a five-day classroom course, evening classes, or online at your own pace |
| Minimum age | None |
| Stage in the pathway | Stage 3 of 10 |
Before you start
| Experience needed | None, but some sailing experience makes the material far easier to absorb |
|---|---|
| Theory needed | Basic seamanship as taught on Competent Crew |
What it covers
- Nautical terms, parts of the boat and the chart
- Chartwork: position fixing, dead reckoning, estimated position, course to steer
- Tidal heights and tidal streams, including the rule of twelfths
- IALA buoyage (Australia uses IALA Region A) and lights
- Collision regulations (IRPCS / COLREGs): lights, shapes, sound signals and conduct
- Meteorology: fronts, isobars, sea breezes and reading a forecast
- Passage planning and pilotage
- Safety at sea, distress signals and VHF procedure
- Anchoring and ropework
What you get
Day Skipper Shorebased course completion certificate. Your theory is now at the level assumed by the Day Skipper practical course.
Where it sits in the pathway
Before this: Competent Crew. After this: Day Skipper Practical.