Day Skipper Theory Online for Free — What You Can Get for £0

You can learn the whole Day Skipper theory syllabus online for free, but you cannot get the RYA certificate for free. The Day Skipper theory course completion certificate is only issued by an RYA Recognised Training Centre after you enrol on its course (online or in a classroom, about 40 hours) and pass its exam papers, and centres charge for that. Free study is still the best way to arrive ready: our free Day Skipper course covers the syllabus, with a practice exam at the end.

A chart with a pencil, dividers, an eraser and notes laid out for a navigation exercise — Theory homework: a chart, pencil, dividers and the plotting exercises. Photo: J. S. Bond, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Free vs paid: what you get

What free study covers and what only an RYA course gives you.
	Free online study	RYA theory course (paid)
Learn the syllabus	Yes: navigation, tides, rules of the road, weather, safety	Yes
Practice questions	Yes, e.g. our practice exam	Yes, plus course exercises
Marked exam papers	No	Yes, by an RYA instructor
RYA course completion certificate	No	Yes, after passing the papers
Tutor to ask	No	Yes, in the room or online

If you only want the knowledge, for example to crew more confidently or plan your own passages, free study may be all you need. If you want the certificate, for an ICC or a charter company, free study is preparation, not a replacement.

A free study plan

A seven-step study path: charts and position, tides, course to steer, rules of the road, buoyage, weather and a practice exam — The free study plan at a glance.

Charts and position: how to read a nautical chart, then position fixing and the three-point fix.
Tides: reading a tide table, the rule of twelfths and tidal heights. Check your working with the tide calculator.
Course to steer: course plotting with tidal streams and our course to steer guide. Practise with the Portland plotter.
Rules of the road: lights, shapes and sound signals, then drill them in the COLREGs trainer.
Buoyage: cardinal marks and the buoyage quiz.
Weather: reading the Shipping Forecast and weather fronts.
Test yourself: sit the Day Skipper practice exam under timed conditions and revise the topics it flags.

Other free resources

ADMIRALTY EasyTide for free tidal predictions to practise against real ports.
The Met Office Shipping Forecast, read daily, is the best free weather practice there is.
Our printable cheat sheets for lights, buoyage and the phonetic alphabet, and the sailing glossary.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a free RYA Day Skipper theory course?

Not one that leads to the certificate. The RYA course completion certificate comes from an RYA Recognised Training Centre, which charges for the course and exam. You can study the syllabus for free first.

Can I just sit the Day Skipper theory exam without the course?

The papers are part of the training centre's course, so you normally enrol on the course to sit them. Ask a centre whether it offers any shorter option for experienced candidates.

Is free study enough to pass?

It can teach you everything in the syllabus, but you will still need lots of chartwork practice on paper, which is what the exam tests most.

Start revising

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