Day Skipper Practical

[Carien du Plooy]

Well, just before winter fully arrives, I headed off to Chatham to do my Day Skipper Practical course. Again I opted for Elite Sailing School as I found them so good during the theory course with very competitive prices and a good reputation in the London sailing world.

As luck would have it (as with my Competent Crew course) again we were only 2 on the course, being one of the last courses for the season. It was me and a young guy who had just returned from working as an engineer on a Super Yacht. Needless to say, thanks to my stint on a Super Yacht, we had a lot in common and clicked easily, which made for a much more enjoyable course than if we had not gotten along.

We spent 5 days on board the sailing school yacht, visiting places like Brightling Sea and the Ilse of Sheppy, all in the Thames Estuary. I really learnt a tremendous amount and wanted to do the whole week over again by the time we had finished. Some of the major points I learnt was to navigate by depth contours, finding appropriate night anchorages, spotting light beacons at night against an mirage of shore lights (which was oh so stressful, but next time I'll know what to expect) and coming onto a mooring and alongside a pontoon smoothly. Patience seems to be the name of the game - if you don't rush things, you can pretty much get it 100% every time. We also sailed alongside a wind farm the one night, which was such a privilege to see up close and hear the soft humming noises it makes. I know there are various factions of thought on wind farms, but I personally think it to be a brilliant idea.

So 5 days and 4 nights of sailing later and I have my Day Skipper Practical certificate.......the plan seems to be running smoothly...........