Nomad Sailing has provided students with downloadable course material to assist your with your course. This material is password protected and your instructor will provide the details.
In order to access this material you will need Adobe Reader software.
Day Skipper Week One
Introduction
- Latitude, longitude. Navigational terms. True bearings and courses. Charts. Navigational publications. Chart corrections. Use of plotters and dividers.
- Visual aids to navigation
- Systems of Buoyage. Lighthouses, beacons and light characteristics.
Day Skipper Week Two
Compass
- Application of variation.
- Compass Check. Deviation. Swinging the Compass.
- Use of the hand bearing compass.
Position Fixing
- Sources of position lines.
- Potential accuracy of fixing methods. 3 point fix.
Tides Part 1
- Tidal definitions levels and datum. Use of tide tables. Calculating heights at standard ports. Use of the tidal curve.
Day Skipper Week Three
Tidal Streams
- Use of tidal stream atlases and diamonds for chartwork.
Chartwork 1
- Dead Reckoning and Estimated Position
Collision Regulations 1
- Steering and Sailing Rules.
- Day Shapes.
Day Skipper Week Four
Chartwork 2
- Calculating Course to Steer (CTS)
- Calculating ETA
Meteorology 1
- Sea State, Wind, Clouds.
- Basic Weather Systems.
Collision Regulations 2
- Lights, Sounds.
Day Skipper Week Five
Meteorology 2
- Forecasts and Forecast terminology.
- Fog. Fog navigation. Precautions to be taken in fog
GPS
- GPS functions and limitations
- Use of waypoints and routes
Anchoring
- Types of anchor, where to anchor, cable calculations, tripping lines.
Day Skipper Week Six
Electronic Charts
- Use of electronic charts.
- Electronic plotting functions
Secondary Ports
- Calculating time and height of tide by interpolation.
Ropework
- Properties of Synthetic Rope. Knots.
Day Skipper Week Seven
Passage Planning
- Appraisal, Planning, Execution and Monitoring
- SOLAS B
Safety at Sea
- Safety Equipment and the safety brief
- Methods of indicating distress including flares and mayday format.
- GMDSS
Day Skipper Week Eight
Pilotage
- Charts, alamanc, pilots books
- Use of bearings, transits and other aids to pilotage
- Preparing a pilotage plan
Stabilty
- principles of stabilty, factors and catagories of vessel
Day Skipper Mock Chartwork Exam
Have a go at a chartwork paper, the paper as with the real exam will include questions covering the following areas:- A three point fix
- A course to steer
- An Estimated position
- A tidal height calculation