SailQuest Skipper Certificate

SailQuest Sailing School in Pattaya will issue certificates to qualified sailors. Students who successfully complete the SailQuest Skipper Course will receive the SailQuest Skipper certificate with sail or power endorsement.


SailQuest Skipper Certificate Course outline:

The SQ Skipper Certificate syllabus is set to give you a broad range of knowledge required to take command of a sail or power yacht of up to 55 feet, on your own. It covers all the subjects required to prepare the boat, plan the passage, instruct the crew and command the vessel at sea.

The course syllabus separates theory and practical instruction and subjects covered in theory are then put into practice in the practical session on the SailQuest training yacht.

The 10 day course course includes 2 nights out at sea, including a night passage where ships lights and buoyage lights can be experienced. In addition, the student will be required to command a short passage from alongside over a triangular course to a safe anchorage and be responsible for the entire passage and its planning.

Examination - there is a written exam on the last day and the practical is by continuous assessment during the course.


The goal of the 10 day SQ Skipper course is:

"Be responsible for command of a vessel up to a maximum length of 24 meters (either auxiliary powered sailing vessels or a power vessels - per certificate endorsement) and its crew in coastal waters up to a distance of 25 miles offshore in mainly light to moderate conditions during daylight hours".

Prerequisites:

Candidates are required to have logged a total of 200 nautical miles and 10 days at sea. SailQuest students will meet these requirements when they complete the Sailquest 5/10 day SQ Crew/Skipper course.

What will I learn?:

This course covers all the subjects that will enable you to be a responsible Captain in command of a yacht and her crew. During the 10 day course you will learn....

  • The responsibilities of the captain of a sailing or power yacht
  • How to plan a passage and plot a safe course and instruct his crew member on the passage hazards and undertake such a passage by day or night
  • A good knowledge of weather issues and tides and their effects on the passage planned
  • A complete knowledge on the rules associated with collision avoidance for sailing vessels and vessels likely to be encountered during the planned passage
  • The commands and responses expected to be given to the crew.

SQ Skipper Syllabus:

Introduction

  • Importance of taking command of the crew and watchkeepers
  • Introduce Watchkeepers, brief your crew and answer questions
  • Ensure they are rested and fit for duty
  • Ensure they have adequate food and sleep
  • Be prepared to call the Captain if in doubt

Taking over the vessel - check out

  • Hull and rig checks
  • Machinery and systems checks
  • Instrument checks
  • Safety equipment checks
  • Spare tools and equipment
  • Fuel and water - capacity and state
  • Provisions - Menus - galley equipment
  • Course plan lodged with responsible person

Meteorology

  • Sources of weather information
  • Personal observation
  • Fog
  • Anabatic and Katabatic winds
  • Cause of weather patterns
  • Cloud types
  • Global weather and winds
  • Weather patterns associated with pressure and fontal systems
  • Storm development and storm avoidance
  • Ocean currents
  • Fetch and wave action 

Basic Rules of the Road

  • Study Rules 1-19
  • Collision avoidance, lights, shapes and sounds afloat
  • Identification of collision targets
  • Actions required by stand on and give way vessels

Passage Planning

  • Pilots and almanacs
  • Plotting courses and position
  • Consideration of tides - Tide Tables, Currents, rip tides, tidal gates
  • Electronic aids to navigation - GPS - chartplotter
  • Chartwork 

Navigation

  • Course consideration of hazards, tidal gates, daylight hours etc
  • Waypoints located and plotted
  • Bearings calculated for each waypoint including allowance for variation
  • Distance between way points
  • Time to reach each waypoint at estimated average speed
  • Total journey time
  • Expected tidal currents during the passage
  • Expected wind during the passage
  • Calculate probable impact of current and wind direction on proposed course and journey time
  • Estimated position plotting 

Anchors and anchoring

  • Types of anchors and their benefits
  • Chain and warp
  • Scope
  • Fouling
  • Tripping line
  • Setting the anchor
  • Lying to two anchors

Safety & General topics

  • Sailing procedure for MOB
  • Man Overboard drills
  • Abandoning ship procedures
  • Dingy operations & manuvering
  • Yacht systems - plumbing, electrical and mechanical

Sailing & Boat Handling

  • How to Sail - Sailing theory
  • Points of sail, true & apparent wind
  • Sail handling, reefing, tacking, jybing, etc.
  • Picking up a mooring, docking, close quarter boat handling

Additional practical:

On the practical section each student will take the role of Captain for one or more passages from leaving a dock or mooring to arriving at a marina or anchorage. The course includes a night passage to include leaving an anchorage and setting an anchorage at night. Students will be required to take the role of skipper during this training and demonstrate and emergency heave to, MOB retrieval and COL REGs and collision avoidance.