Inshore Skipper

Experience required prior training:          At least one sailing cruise

Certification required prior training:        None

Minimum age required:                              16 years old

Suggested number of training hours:        50 hours

Who can run the training:                          ISSA Instructor

Who can do the examination:                     ISSA Instructor

How to submit the application:                  To authorized ISSA school only

Skills and knowledge required for an Inshore Skipper:

Yacht’s construction

• Knows the basic parts of yacht and what are the designed for:
  • Cockpit;
  • Bildge;
  • Heads;
  • Galley;
  • Bow;
  • Stern, aft, etc.
• Can operate elementary yacht’s systems:
  • Toilet;
  • Gass oven;
  • Sink;
  • Shower;
• Can fill up the water and diesel tanks;
• Can operate the inboard engine;
  • Start is;
  • Switch it off;
  • Check operation of cooling system;
  • Check oil level;
  • Top up engine oil;
  • Check cooling fluid level;
  • Top up cooling fluid level;
  • Control the tension of V-belt on engine;
  • Find bottom valves;
  • Recognize the breakdown of impeller in cooling system and possibly replace it;
  • Check whether alternator is charging batteries when engine is working.

• Knows elementary equipment of yacht:
  • Boom;
  • Mast (with various methods of sail reefing);
  • Rigging;
  • Haulyards;
  • Echosounder (location, operation, typical errors);
  • Log;
  • Steering system;

Can name the points of sail in relation to wind

Operating sail sheets and haulyards.

• Can:
  • Manage crew to set and bring down the sails;
  • Manage the crew to reef down and shake off the reefs;
  • Adjust sails depending on the point of sails;
  • Make a tack;
  • Make a gybe.

Line and spring handling

• Can combine two lines of the same and different diameter;
• Can make:
  • Bowline;
  • Fast a line on a cleat;
  • Fishermen’s bend;
  • Coil mooring lines;
• Can:
  • Pass, take, make fast on cleat, let go mooring lines;
  • Throw mooring lines;
  • Describe different ways of taking a mooring.

Handling fenders.

• Can:
  • Fix the fenders using adequate knots;
  • Effectively apply the manouvring fender;

Operating the anchor.

• Can:
  • Prepare the ancher for weighing (switches and controls);
  • Operate the windlass (control the letting out and pulling in of the chain);
  • Select safe location for staying at anchor;
  • Apply rules for safe anchoring (4xdepth, anchor alarm/watch);
  • Distinguish different types of anchors and their characteristics.

Handling the dinghy.

• Can:
  • Inflate dinghy, take it off the deck and put it back on the deck;
  • Secure the dinghy to the yachts;
  • Paddle;
  • Secure the dinghy on the deck of the yacht;
  • Install the outboard engine on the yacht (for storage) and on the dinghy (for work);
  • Connect the fuel system to the outboard engine;
  • Start and switch off the outboard engine.

Safety.

• Can:
  • Perform the safety briefing:
    • Under deck:
      • Gas system;
      • Toilet operation;
      • Fire fighting equipment;
      • Water supply system;
      • Electric system.
    • On deck:
      • How to move on deck;
      • How to apply personnal safety equipment (harness, jackstay, etc.);
      • Apply distress singalling equipment (pirotechnics, flags, etc.);
      • Liferaft;
      • Different methods to send distress signal;
      • Make a distress call with help of VHF;
      • Knows procedures to be applied in restricted visibility;
      • Basic knowledge about SAR procedures (RIB, helicopter);
      • First Aid Kit (location and content).

Handling yacht under power.

• Can:
  • Manouver a yacht under power;
  • Approach a MOB;
  • Take a berth/leave a berth (longside, stern-to, bow-to);
  • Weigh anchor.

Handling yacht under sails.

• Can:
  • Heave-to;
  • Approach MOB – as emergency manouver;
  • Approach a bouy/ weigh anchor – as emergency manouver;

International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea

• Knows the navigation shapes and lights:
  • Vessel not under command;
  • Vessel restricted in ability to manouver;
  • Vessel engaged in fishing;
  • Vessel aground;
  • Pitol vessel;
  • Towing set
  • Sailing yacht;
  • Power driven vessel;
• Knows the vessels’ priority at sea;
• Knows how to proceed in a „close encounter” situation;
• Is familiar and complies with the requiremet for continues observation;
• Is familiar with other legal obligations of a skipper and crew;
• Is familiar with and understands after-collission rules applicable at sea.

Navigational Aids

• Knows, understands and is able to recognize latteral and smaller channel marks at day time in system IALA A and B;
• Knows, understands and is able to recognize cardinal marks and other navigational marks (safe water mark, isolated danger mark) at day time;
• Is able to use the list of marks and symbols used on charts (eg. Chart 5011);
• Is able to apply navigational publications when planning a port’s entry (pilot books, almanachs, navigational plans);
• Knows and can recognize light characteristics of Lighthouses/navigational marks.

Terrestrial navigation

• Knows and understands the basic terms from geography:
  • Latitude;
  • Longitude;
  • Magnetic pole;
  • Gegraphic pole;
  • Earth’s magnetic field;
• Knows the basic types of sea charts, their construction and application:
  • Mercator’s projection chart (how is it constructed, spreading of parallels, construction parallel)
  • Passage charts, coastal charts, plans;
• Can read elementary information from a chart that is crutial for safe sailing:
  • Depths;
  • Distance;
  • Navigational obstacles
  • Navigational marks;
• Can read charts/ plot latitude and longitude;
• Knows and understands the phenomenon of Earth’s magnetism, variation and deviation;
• Can use a compass;
• Can calculate, set, read and plot courses on a chart with respect of variation, deviation and leeway;
• Can plot yacht’s position using bearing lines;
• Can plot yacht’s position using the maintained course, distance ran and estimated leeway;
• Can make use of various bearing lines;
• Has general information about tides and tide-related dangers.

Eletronic-based navigation

• Knows how the GPS system works;
• Can enable and check the elementary settings of GPS and plotter;
• Can set and read adequate course on GPS;
• Can plot a position on a chart taken from a GPS;
• Knows what is AIS, ARPA, VTS.

Meteorology

• Knows the Beaufort scale and its meaning for small craft;
• Knows sources of meteo information and how to use them;
• Has the basic knowledge about high, low pressure areas, fronts;
• Can recognize cumulonimbus clouds;
• Understands meteo messages (including those broadcast by radio coastal stations)
• Can take meteo factors into consideration when planning a passage in a coastal zone:
• Has the habit not to leave harbour without valid weather forecast.

Other

• Environmental friendly approach and respect to other yachtsmen and women;
• Knows and applies basic pro-environmental rules;