RYA Day Skipper – What’s next?
If you’ve recently passed your RYA Day Skipper Practical course, you’re at the point where training becomes real skippering. You now have the core tools: pilotage, basic passage planning, boat handling, and the ability to take charge of a yacht in moderate conditions during daylight hours.
The key now is simple: keep sailing, keep practising, and deliberately build the experience that turns “qualified” into “confident”. Below are the most useful next steps we see Day Skippers take.
1) How do I build confidence as a new skipper?
The best way is to get afloat with friends or family and take responsibility for short, sensible trips in familiar waters. If you have your own boat, that’s ideal. If you don’t, consider chartering, joining a flotilla, or coming sailing on structured experience trips where you can practise the skills you’ve learned without feeling rushed.
2) Chartering or flotillas – what should I consider?
If you plan to charter in the UK or join a Mediterranean flotilla, start in an area that keeps the early decision-making comfortable: familiar geography, straightforward pilotage, and reliable shelter options. Local knowledge never replaces passage planning, but it does reduce workload when you are new to skippering.
Also take the time to research typical seasonal weather patterns for your destination. Conditions can vary dramatically between regions, even within the same country, and choosing the right cruising ground early on makes your first trips far more enjoyable.
3) Do I need an ICC if I want to charter abroad?
If you intend to skipper outside the UK, you may be asked for an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) by local authorities or charter companies. In many cases, holding the Day Skipper Practical certificate puts you in a strong position.
BOSS can help point you in the right direction, and you can also read more about the ICC here: ICC – International Certificate of Competence (Sail).
4) What’s the fastest way to improve specific skills?
Targeted training works brilliantly at this stage. Our BOSS Sailing Masterclasses are designed to sharpen the areas that often feel under-practised after Day Skipper. They are practical, focused weekends that go beyond the time constraints of a qualification course.
Popular options include:
- Boat Handling Masterclass – close-quarters manoeuvring, berthing, mooring practice, and confidence under power.
- Sailpower Masterclass – sail trim, rig tune, and improving sailing performance (including spinnakers where appropriate).
- Skipper’s Skills Weekend – practical command, judgement, and decision-making in real situations.
5) How can I build real passage-making experience?
Longer trips consolidate everything: planning, navigation, watch-keeping, fatigue management, and decision-making offshore. If you want mileage, offshore navigation, and proper “leave the Solent behind” confidence, our experience cruises are ideal.
A great first step for many Day Skippers is the Cross Channel Sailing Experience. If you’d like a longer adventure, have a look at:
6) Should I get the VHF qualification?
Yes – if you’re going to skipper, it’s one of the most useful safety and confidence upgrades you can make. It teaches correct voice procedure, distress/urgency/safety calls, and the proper use of DSC, as well as key emergency equipment knowledge.
You can do it either as a one-day classroom course: Short Range (VHF) Radio Course, or as a flexible online programme: Online – VHF Course.
7) What’s the next qualification after Day Skipper?
If you want to progress within the RYA scheme, the usual next step is building sea time and experience, then moving towards RYA Coastal Skipper (Practical). From there, many sailors work towards Yachtmaster preparation when they meet the mileage and experience requirements.
If that’s on your horizon, you can read about our higher-level training here: RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Exam Preparation.