ISSA Offshore Skipper Course

The International Sailing Schools Association (ISSA) Offshore Skipper Course is a worldwide recreational certificate of competency for operating yachts up to a maximum of 78ft / 24m in coastal waters up to a distance of 60 miles offshore in moderate wind and sea conditions, day and night.

ISSA courses are unique in that theory and practice are seamlessly interwoven and as a consequence students learning is vastly improved. Our Offshore Skipper course requires candidates to have mastered the collision regulations, navigation (DR, EP, Fixes, GPS, Course to Steer etc), tides and currents and have a good knowledge of the ISSA Inshore Skipper Syllabus. Students wishing to attend this course need to have 800 sea miles properly logged and hold an ISSA Inshore Skipper or RYA Day Skipper certificate. The ISSA Offshore course is the equivalent of RYA Yachtmaster Coastal or IYT Coastal Yacht Master.

The course is a 10 day course combining practical and theory in yacht seamanship and navigation for students who have completed a foundation course (Zero to Hero Classic) with Sail in Asia or a 14 day course for students who have alternative accreditation, (RYA, ASA, IYT etc) or significant time lapses, since their original Theory was learnt. We recommend that students who enroll for this course take the 14 day course, as it prepares you for the ISSA Yachtmaster Offshore, - when you have gained the necessary mileage and other pre-requisites.

Theoretical experience and boat handling skills will be will be evaluated on the first afternoon of the course. The following days are spent on a mixture of theory and on-board practical course work and Day 10 or 14 is the examination day. Anyone wishing to attend this course are strongly advised to download our pre-course SELF ASSESSMENT pdf which is designed to see that a prospective student has the necessary knowledge to be successful on the ISSA Offshore Skipper course. We recommend that prospective students complete the STCW2010 Basic Safety Course prior to engaging on this course.

The course is a 10 day/14 day course combining practical and theory in yacht seamanship and navigation.

You need 800 logged miles at sea and to hold an ISSA Inshore Skipper certificate to enroll in this course. Students must have completed the Zero to Hero Skipper foundation course with Sail in Asia to enter the 10 day training course for Offshore Skipper!

If you have not received this Foundation training you may only apply to do the 14 day course for the ISSA Offshore Skipper Certificate.

Students may wish to continue to Yachtmaster Offshore once they have logged the 3,000 miles of seatime required.

The ISSA Offshore Skipper Course (Sailing) candidates will be required to carry out all practical skills under sail and power. The course is examined, at course end for both practical and theoretical competence, if successful, application will be made to the requisite certification authority for an Offshore Skipper Course certificate. Students are required to learn The IRPCS prior to course start. We set the IRPCS exam in the morning, of Day 1. Students that enroll on this course will be sent our highly commended ISSA Offshore Skipper Course Handbook and a list of recommended Apps, to use and to and become familiar with, well before starting the course.

The written examination includes questions on the following subjects; Taditional and Electronic Navigation, Tides and Currents, IRPCS, Pilotage, Weather and forecasting, anchoring and berthing, buoyage, safety, Passage Planning and Seamanship.

ARE YOU READY??? As we have outlined above this is an Advanced Course. If you are not at that level and do not do the pre-study you will find the course difficult to pass. To help you assess if you are ready please download the ISSA Offshore Skipper / Yachtmaster self-assessment. If you are still unsure call us or email us and we will be very happy to help you.

Yachtmaster Self Assessment

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Additional Details:

The course covers:

international collision regulations
review of navigational charts and publications
modern electronic position fixing - NAVIONICS
position fixing methods
tides and currents
pilotage and route planning
safety at sea
meteorology
modern apps
diesel engines
ropework
anchoring
boat handling
docking
passage planning

Certificate Limitations: command of a vessel up to a maximum length of 78 ft /24 metres in coastal waters up to 60 miles offshore in moderate wind and sea conditions. Not for commercial use.

Note: cannot be upgraded to the professional Master of Yachts certificate

Previous experience: ISSA Inshore Skipper Certificate + 800 miles logged sea time as a active crew member
Duration: 14 days
Qualifications: ISSA Offshore Skipper Certficatel
What's included: Safety equipment, Instruction, Yacht, Bottled Water, Fuel and Insurance
What's Optional: iPad, Sailing Gloves, SiA T shirts, SiA Caps and Log Books
What's required: Sun protection. Sun hat. Shorts that cover the knees when sitting are best. Footwear for on-board tennis shoes / trainers / Crocs. Some people like to use gloves. Lightweight wet weather clothing. Navigation Tools (Bretton Plotter and Dividers)