Learn to Navigate at London Business School
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Gain the knowledge and confidence to skipper a yacht or motor boat on an RYA Day Skipper Theory course, taught face-to-face at LBS over 8 weekly evenings and one weekend.
- RYA Day Skipper Theory course starting 7th October
- Exclusive discount for LBS employees, family and friends
- No previous experience needed – suitable for sailors and motor boaters
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I did the Day Skipper Theory with First Class Sailing in London
Our instructor was patient, knowledgeable and added some real world experience to what we were learning. He was available to advise and responsive outside the class by e mail and what's app. Materials and office location were excellent.
Would recommend this face to face approach over a number of weeks - I felt it gave good time to absorb, understand and consolidate by doing the exercises provided, backed up by website resources and other material on drop box.
Great experience and value - and I passed the assessment!
Nick
Verified Customer
This October, First Class Sailing will be running an RYA Day Skipper Theory course at London Business School. All of the course is held on Campus at Regents Park NW1 4SA.
The course is taught face-to-face over 8 weekly evening sessions and one weekend.
Day Skipper Theory is ideal if you are interested in learning about sailing or motor boating, want to become more confident and knowledgeable on the water, progress towards skippering a yacht or motor boat yourself, or start working towards the Day Skipper Practical qualification with a view to safely chartering a yacht/motor cruiser with family and friends in somewhere like the Mediterranean or Caribbean.
The course is an Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Day Skipper shore based course. It is a beginners course in navigation and is appropriate for those that may never have sailed before to those that may have done a lot of sailing but haven't been that involved in the navigation.
The course will give you skills that will help you go on to skipper a yacht.
Dates: Wednesday evenings 7/14/21/28 October, 4/11/18/25 and the weekend 28/29 November
Timings: Evenings are 7 to 10pm and the weekend sessions are 9am–5pm.
LBS Price: The price is reduced from £385 to £335 for LBS students, alumni, family and friends. Use the Discount code LBSDS26 at the checkout. A set of plotters and dividers is required for the course and can be added when booking for £28.
5.0 based on 496 Happy Customers on Tripadvisor
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Get Started in 3 Easy Steps
Joining a course is straight forward
Book Your Place
Choose the LBS Day Skipper Theory course and book online. Use the Discount Code LBSDS26 during checkout to receive your exclusive course price.
Learn at LBS
Join your instructor and fellow class mates for one evening a week at London Business School. You'll learn navigation, tides, weather, passage planning, Collision Regulations and much more.
Take It onto the Water
Put your new knowledge into practice. Progress to your RYA Day Skipper Practical course, build your skippering experience and take another step towards being able to charter and skipper yachts yourself.
Learn to navigate. Learn to Skipper.
More about Your Day Skipper Course
RYA Day Skipper Theory
Learn how to navigate and build the confidence to become a skipper.
Day Skipper Theory is designed for people with little or no previous navigation experience. You don't need to be an experienced sailor or motor boater – the course starts with the basics and builds your knowledge week by week.
You'll learn how to read and use charts, plan passages, work with tides, understand weather forecasts, use GPS and electronic navigation, apply the Collision Regulations and make safer decisions on the water.
It's a great course if you want to skipper a yacht or motor boat, become a more knowledgeable member of the crew, prepare for your Day Skipper Practical course or work towards chartering a yacht on holiday.
From LBS to Chartering a Yacht in the Med
If you've ever thought about chartering a yacht with friends or family somewhere such as Greece, Croatia or the Balearics, Day Skipper is one of the most useful steps you can take.
Many charter companies require the skipper to hold an appropriate practical qualification, and the RYA Day Skipper Practical Certificate is widely accepted by charter companies around the world.
This theory course gives you the navigation and passage-planning knowledge that underpins the practical qualification. Follow it with an RYA Day Skipper Practical course and you'll be much closer to being able to charter a yacht and skipper it yourself rather than relying on somebody else to take charge.
If you have done little or no sailing before you will ned to do the Competent Crew course before you do the Day Skipper practical course.
Course Dates & LBS Price
The course runs over 8 Wednesday evenings & 1 weekend.
The dates are as follows:
Wednesday evenings 7/14/21/28 October, 4/11/18/25 and the weekend 28/29 November
Evenings are 7 to 10pm. The weekend is 9am to 5pm.
LBS Price: The price is reduced from £385 to £335 for LBS students, alumni, family and friends. Use the Discount code LBSDS26 at the checkout. A set of plotters and dividers is required for the course and can be added when booking for £28.
What Will I Learn?
By the end of the course, you'll have developed a practical understanding of the skills used to plan and navigate coastal passages.
You'll learn about:
- Navigation – reading charts, plotting positions and courses, GPS and electronic charts
- Tides – understanding tidal heights and streams and how they affect your passage
- Weather – forecasts, pressure systems, clouds and how weather affects your plans
- Collision Regulations – understanding who gives way and how vessels should behave at sea
- Buoys, lights and sound signals – navigating safely by day, at night and in reduced visibility
- Passage planning – bringing navigation, tides and weather together to plan a safe trip
- Safety at sea – preparing for problems and understanding emergency procedures
The aim isn't simply to pass an assessment. It's to give you knowledge you'll actually use when you're out on the water
What's Included?
Your course fee includes the study materials and support you'll need throughout the course:
- RYA course pack, including practice charts and exercises
- RYA Navigation Handbook by Tim Bartlett
- Online access to course slides, useful for revision or catching up
- First Class Sailing Cockpit Companion – a useful reference to take on the water
- Experienced First Class Sailing instructor throughout the course
- RYA Day Skipper Shorebased Certificate on successful completion
- Ongoing support and advice from the First Class Sailing team after your course
You'll also receive a piece of rope for practising knots at home.
A set of plotters and dividers is required and can be purchased when booking for £28.
Where Could Your Course Take You?
Day Skipper Theory is often the beginning of the journey rather than the end.
If You Want to Sail
The natural next step is the 5-day RYA Day Skipper Practical Sailing Course, where you'll put your navigation knowledge into practice and develop the boat-handling and skippering skills needed to take charge of a yacht.
Successfully completing the practical course earns you the RYA Day Skipper Practical Certificate, a widely recognised qualification and one commonly accepted by yacht charter companies.
If you've done little or no sailing before, you can complete an RYA Competent Crew course first to develop your practical sailing skills. This can be taken before, during or after your theory course.
If You Prefer Motor Boats
The navigation skills taught on Day Skipper Theory are equally relevant to motor boaters.
You can follow the theory course with an RYA Day Skipper Practical Motor Cruising Course, combining your new navigation knowledge with practical boat-handling and skippering skills.
What Sailors Say About Us
5.0 based on 601 Happy Customers On Tripadvisor 
5.0 based on 356 Happy Customers On Google ReviewsGreat teaching
This Day Skipper Theory course was conducted at a perfect pace (8 midweek evenings and a weekend) to take in all the information. The location in a smart office in London's Canary Wharf was very convenient for public transport. The teaching was thorough and adjusted to individual needs and enlivened by personal anecdote. Highly recommended! I am now booked in to a practical course with First Class Sailing.
Jonathan F
Verified Customer
I learnt loads
I completed the Day Skipper 8 week (+ 1 weekend) theory course, in central London, and it was an incredibly valuable experience, boosting my confidence and helping me to understand what I am actually doing when I am out on the water. I have lots of dinghy sailing experience growing up, and I have recently got into yacht sailing, but I have been relying on everyone else to tell me what to do. I have definitely never had any experience navigating, or even thought much about navigating, other than pointing where I wanted to go. This course has taught me so much, combining the wind and tide along with where you want to go, making sure you actually get there, and in time! Looking at tides and lights and buoyage, I am definitely much safer now. Knowing the markings on the map and identifying what is around me has given me so much confidence, and I can't wait to get back out on the water in the spring! The teaching was excellent, especially our teacher, Bruce, he ensured everyone was always following, going at the right pace, and going back if we needed to. Thank you Bruce! I highly recommend this course!
Sarah B
Verified Customer
Convenient
Took the DS Theory with FCS. The fact that this course exists is absolutely brilliant, It is allowing people with a day job to take on these modules at a relatively convinient location (amazing view) and time. It's very structured. Good pace. You would feel comfortable to raise questions as the instructor is very patient and would repeat the explanation until you truely undertand it.
HS
Verified Customer
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