RYA RADAR COURSE View Dates
The RYA Radar Course is designed for both leisure and commercial skippers operating small craft, including both motorboats and sailing yachts. With radar now a standard tool on many vessels, it plays a critical role in pilotage, navigation, and collision avoidance—but only when used by a trained operator.
This hands-on course equips you with the essential knowledge to confidently operate marine radar. You’ll learn how to interpret radar images, set up the system effectively, and use it in a practical seafaring context. With this solid foundation, you’ll be ready to gain real-world experience on the water.
Whether you’re preparing for yourRYA Yachtmaster Power or RYA Advanced Powerboat COC exam or are a RYA Day Skipper Practical studen tlooking to enhance your navigational skills, this course is a vital step in your professional or personal development.
WHY TAKE THE RYA RADAR COURSE?
Why Take This Course?
Radar can help you:
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Detect vessels, landmasses, and navigation marks in fog or darkness
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Avoid collisions through safe radar plotting
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Navigate safely near shore or in busy waters
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Understand how to get the best performance from your radar system
Small craft radar is probably the most versatile of all electronic navigation aids. There are very few marine radar training centres in the UK. Over a day of training we can teach you how to adjust the controls, interpret the picture and make use of the set for navigation and for collision avoidance.
WHERE IS THE RYA RADAR COURSE RUN?
The RYA Radar course is run from;
- Chieftain Training, Hamble (monthly)
- Chieftain Training, London (monthly)
- On board your boat (mixture of laptop simulator and your live set) on a bespoke date to be agreed
RYA Radar Course at our classroom
Most students join one of our regular classroom courses. The day is a mix of theory and of practical use of our touch screen radar simulators.
RYA Radar Course onboard your vessel
We can run a bespoke course on board your vessel. We will start with your on-board Radar and take you through its functions and tuning. We then switch to a lap top simulator where the Instructor can reproduce scenarios and set bits of coastline, buoys and approaching vessels to appear on the screen as required. We then return to your live radar set for a few more exercises. Onboard courses typically work with 1 or 2 students but can be extended to 3 or 4 on larger vessels that have room on board for two lap top simulators, the Instructor and all of the students.
HOW LONG IS THE RYA RADAR COURSE?
The RYA Radar course takes one-day and typically runs 0915 to 1615. If you also book the practical day RYA Radar Level 2, It operates the same hours
WHAT ARE THE 1-DAY RYA RADAR COURSE PRE REQUISITES?
- No previous radar knowledge is required
- Basic understanding of navigation and collision regulations (Day Skipper level or above).
- This course is aimed at sailors and power boaters of approaching Advanced Powerboat or Coastal Skipper Level (or above).
Many students on this course have seen and tried to use a radar set previously but not necessarily experienced a great deal of success.
WHAT IS THE RYA RADAR COURSE CONTENT?
- Basic understanding of Radar, propagation and conditions that give rise to abnormal propagation
- Setting up the radar and use of;brilliance, contrast, gain, range & tuning)
- How to measure bearing and range
- Position Fixing by Radar
- Sea clutter and rain clutter
- Radar reflectors, (passive & active)
- Navigation
- Racons
- Radar ranging
- Position fixing by EBL and VRM
- Clearing ranges & pilotage
- Parallel indexing
- Collision Avoidance
- Relative motion
- Auto plotting aids
- IRPCS rules 5 (look-out), 6 (safe-speed), 7 (risk of collision) and 19 (restricted visibility)
- Assessing risk of collision
- Closest point of approach
- Plotting and assessing the course and speed of another vessel
- Applying Rule 19
- The practical limitations of small craft radar
- Auto plotting aids
INCLUDED IN THE 1-DAY RADAR COURSE
- Day of shorebased Radar training
- Use of our Radar Training Simulators
- RYA Radar Student book and plotting sheets
- RYA Radar Course Certificate
- Tea & Coffee
- Off street private parking (at our Hamble Centre)
NOT INCLUDED
- Lunch
- Parking (at our London Centre)
WHAT IS THE RYA RADAR COURSE TEACHING RATIO?
The RYA sets the following minimum ratios – one simulator per 3 students and 1 Instructor per 12 students. Chieftain smashes both of those ratios.
- Maximum 8 students
- 1 Simulator per student
While the class does not exceed 8. The class size is typically 3-6, and we will run the course with as few as 2 students .
OPTIONAL EXTRA
PC Simulator
All students have access to our PC simulator during the course, however if you would like your own license to run the software on your own PC, you can buy it at the time of booking the course.
As much as we are massive fans of Macs and iPads, the simulator is only available for Windows based PCs, it will work with any version of Windows from Windows XP to Windows 11. The lifetime license to the Lightmaster Radar Simulator is normally £60, however you can buy it from us for £50 at the same time as you book the course.
Radar Level 2
We offer a second day of Radar training (Radar Level 2) on board a small motor yacht where you get to put into practice all of the skills you learnt in the classroom on RYA Radar (day 1).
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
“The RYA Radar course was eye-opening. I’d sometimes seen radar on charter boats but never understood how to use it properly. Now I wouldn’t go offshore without it.”
– Simon L., Private Skipper
“Excellent teaching and really good practical exercises. Highly recommended.”
– Laura T., Yachtmaster Trainee
WHY CHOOSE CHIEFTAIN TRAINING
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Qualified instructors with real-world radar experience
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Small class sizes for personal attention
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Practical, scenario-based learning
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Based in Hamble and London – easy access from across the UK
Book Your RYA Radar Place Now
Limited spaces available. Click below to check course dates and book your place.