Shipmaster View

A skipper is a person who has command of a boat or sea-craft or tug, more or less equivalent to "captain in charge aboard ship." At sea, the skipper as shipmaster or captain has the absolute command over the crew. The skipper may or may not be the owner of the boat.
The word is derived from the low German and Dutch word schipper; schip is Dutch for "ship". In Dutch sch- is pronounced sx and English-speakers rendered this as sk.
The word "skipper" is used more than "captain" for some types of craft, for example fishing boats.
It is also more frequently used than captain with privately-owned noncommercial vessels, such as small yachts and other recreational boats, mostly in cases where the person in command of the boat is likely not a licensed or professional captain, suggesting the term is less formal.