RYA Day Skipper Theory Online: 6 Course Prices Compared
What is RYA Day Skipper theory online?
RYA Day Skipper theory online is the RYA's shore-based navigation and seamanship course, studied at your own pace on a provider's website. It costs £245–£295, takes about 40 hours plus exams you sit at home, and gets you the same RYA shorebased certificate as a classroom student.
The course teaches you enough to skipper a small yacht or motorboat in daylight, in waters you know. The RYA course page lists the syllabus:
- Seamanship
- Coastal navigation and pilotage
- Chartwork and electronic charts
- Position fixing and plotting a course to steer
- Tides
- Weather forecasting and meteorology
- Collision regulations (the IRPCS, or "colregs")
The RYA puts it at 40 hours plus exam time. There's no minimum age and no entry requirement, and practical experience is "desirable" but not required. Most of your time goes on chartwork: working out tidal heights, plotting fixes and allowing for tidal streams on paper training charts.
Admiralty chart 2040, the western Solent: tidal streams, depths and buoyage like this are what Day Skipper chartwork exercises teach you to read. Photo: United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, public domain.
How much does Day Skipper theory online cost?
On 5 November 2026, the six RYA Day Skipper theory online courses below cost £245–£295. Two of them include a plotter and dividers. The others charge about £28 for a set, and you can't do the chartwork without one. Access runs from six to 12 months, and every course includes final exams you take at home.
Every price below comes from the provider's own course page, checked 5 November 2026. Euro and dollar figures use the European Central Bank reference rates for that day (£1 = €1.199 = $1.346), rounded. Providers run offers often, so check the booking page before you pay.
| Provider | Price (GBP / EUR / USD) | Kit included | Plotter and dividers | Access | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubicon3 | £245 / €294 / $330 | 2 training charts, almanac, course notes posted | £28 extra | 12 months, extendable | Mocks + 2 final online exams, free resits |
| Urban Truant | £260 / €312 / $350 | Charts, almanac, RYA notes; free worldwide shipping | Included | Self-paced; lifetime access to materials after you pass | 2 × 120-minute papers at home, resits included |
| First Class Sailing | £267 / €320 / $359 | 2 training charts + almanac | £28 extra | 6 months, extendable for a fee | Mocks + 2 final online exams, free resits |
| Navathome | £275 / €330 / $370 | Chartplotter, VHF and radar simulators | Included | 6 months, then paid extensions | 2 papers, about 1.5 hours each |
| Skippers Online | £295 / €354 / $397 | 2 training charts + almanac | £28 extra | 12 months, extendable; lifetime access to materials | Mocks + 2 final exams marked by RYA instructors, free resits |
| Sail Ionian | £295 / €354 / $397 | Day Skipper pack + almanac listed; UK post free, +£20 Europe, +£40 worldwide | Not mentioned | 12 months, extendable | Final assessment at home (about 3 hours) |
Which is the best online Day Skipper theory course?
There isn't one best course. The lessons are much alike, so compare the total price, the kit and how long you get.
- Cheapest all-in: Urban Truant at £260. That includes the plotter, dividers, exams, resits and postage. Rubicon3's £245 headline price becomes £273 once you add its £28 plotter set.
- Plotter included: only Urban Truant and Navathome. Add £28 at Rubicon3, First Class Sailing and Skippers Online. Sail Ionian doesn't mention one, so ask.
- Longest access: 12 months at Rubicon3, Skippers Online and Sail Ionian. First Class Sailing and Navathome start you on six.
- Several brands share the same platforms. First Class Sailing names Skippers Online as its delivery partner, and Sailtrain resells Navathome's course (£275 with a free plotter and dividers). So you're mostly comparing price, kit and support, not the lessons.
- Crewing abroad? Urban Truant ships free worldwide. Sail Ionian charges £20 for Europe and £40 for elsewhere. Check the others before you pay.
How long does Day Skipper theory online take?
Plan for around 40 hours of study, plus three to four hours of final exams. Sail Ionian says 40–45 hours and Rubicon3 says 40–50. Most people need longer for the tidal calculations.
How many weeks it takes depends on you:
- Full-time: one to two weeks if you treat it like a classroom course.
- Evenings and weekends: roughly 6–10 weeks at 5 hours a week.
- On a yacht between guest trips: it will take longer than you expect. That's why the access period matters. Six months goes fast in a busy season, and extensions cost money (Sailtrain charges £40 for each extra six months on the Navathome course).
Is Day Skipper theory online as good as a classroom course?
You get the same RYA shorebased certificate either way. The choice comes down to how you learn and what you can spend.
Online suits you if you work irregular hours, you're outside the UK, or you want to spend less. Classroom prices vary more. Sussex Yacht Club's five-Sunday course for winter 2026–27, for example, is listed at £365–£515, and you bring your own plotter.
A classroom suits you if you've never had to solve maths-style problems against the clock, or you know you won't study on your own. Tidal stream vectors are easier to understand when an instructor draws them in front of you. Online providers offer instructor support by email or phone, but you have to ask for it.
A Portland-style course plotter: online students do the same paper chartwork as classroom students, so check whether a plotter and dividers come in the course pack. Photo: Quantenschaum42, public domain (CC0).
On exams: most online students sit the final papers at home without supervision. Skippers Online says that's fine for leisure skippering, bareboat charter and an ICC. A commercial endorsement is different. The exam then has to be invigilated: Skippers Online says in person at an RYA Recognised Training Centre, and Navathome also asks for invigilation. If you might skipper small boats commercially later, ask about this before you book.
Do you need Day Skipper theory before Day Skipper practical?
The RYA recommends the theory course but doesn't require it. Its Day Skipper practical page does say you need navigation and theory knowledge at Day Skipper shorebased level. You also need basic sailing ability and 5 days, 100 miles and 4 night hours on a sailing yacht, and you must be at least 16. In practice, most schools expect the theory certificate, and you'll struggle on the practical quickly if you don't know the material.
The practical runs over 5 days, 3 weekends, or 3 days plus 2 days. Pass it and you can apply for an ICC.
A cruising yacht under way in the Solent, the kind of boat most Day Skipper practical courses use, typically over five days afloat. Photo: Editor5807, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Do yacht crew need Day Skipper?
No, not to get hired. A green deckhand needs STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical (STCW guide, ENG1 guide). Our guide to breaking into the superyacht industry covers the rest of the first steps. If you want a practical boat ticket for driving tenders, get RYA Powerboat Level 2 first, not Day Skipper.
Day Skipper is worth doing once you've decided to stay on deck and work towards Yachtmaster. The Yachtmaster course builds on the same material, and you'll do much better there with Day Skipper behind you. Confident navigators can skip it and go straight to Yachtmaster theory. A typical deck route is PB2, then Day Skipper, then Yachtmaster. Our Yachtmaster Offshore requirements guide shows the sea time you'll need for that last step.
Captains notice it on a junior CV too. It shows you can read a chart and know the colregs before anyone teaches you. It won't replace sea time or a good reference, but it can tip things your way when captains are choosing junior deckhands or filling deckhand jobs.
If you're studying while dockwalking or doing daywork, put your availability on Radius for free. Captains and recruiters can see you at the port you've checked into, so you don't have to keep refreshing Facebook groups.
Day Skipper theory online: FAQs
What is the cheapest Day Skipper theory online course?
Rubicon3 has the lowest headline price, £245 on 5 November 2026. Once you add its £28 plotter set it costs £273, so Urban Truant's all-in £260 is cheaper overall.
Does the Day Skipper certificate expire?
The RYA's course pages don't give it an expiry date, and schools say it doesn't expire. Your chartwork skills will fade if you don't use them, though.
Does Day Skipper theory get you an ICC?
No. The RYA says it's the Day Skipper practical that lets you apply for an ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft). The theory certificate alone doesn't.
Can you do the Day Skipper course in Greece or abroad?
Yes. You can do the theory online anywhere the chart pack can be posted, and RYA Training Centres abroad run the practical, such as Sail Ionian on Lefkada.
Is Day Skipper theory online hard?
Most of the syllabus isn't hard. People get stuck on tides and course-to-steer chartwork, so expect to do those exercises more than once.
Do online courses include the exam?
Yes. All six include the final exams and the RYA certificate in the price. Urban Truant, Rubicon3, First Class Sailing and Skippers Online also include free resits.