rya yachtmaster ocean examiners

RYA Certificates of Competence, Part 5 - Yachtmaster Ocean

Sailing qualification recognised around the world as a clear mark of your sailing ability.

By Marcin Wojtyczka

In this article in series about RYA certifications we reveal how to pass the RYA Yachtmaster® Ocean Certificate of Competence.

The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence is proof that you have the knowledge and experience needed to skipper a yacht on passages of any length in all parts of the world. The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean is the highest certification level at RYA.

The holder of a Yachtmaster Ocean qualification should be competent to skipper a yacht of up to 24 metres LOA (up to 200gt) anywhere in the World (Category 0 waters - unlimited).

The assessment is done by oral interrogation (~1.5 hours). You also need to pass the written (~1.5 hours) exam if you did not complete the Ocean Theory course, complete a qualifying passage, and prepare narrative account and navigational records. You have to stand to attention before seasoned RYA-appointed examiner and convince him that you sailed as skipper or first mate and that you know the job. To be honest, there is probably no better way of doing it.

Don’t treat the examination just as an exam. This is a great opportunity to get feedback on your skills and become a better sailor.

Requirements

You can find the official requirements here .

• Hold an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence
• Have completed a qualifying passage which meets the following criteria: You were fully involved with the planning of the passage, including a selection of the route, the navigational plan, checking the material condition of the yacht and her equipment, spare gear, victuals and organising the watch-keeping routine. Throughout the passage you must have acted in a responsible capacity either in sole charge of a watch or as a skipper. Qualifying passage should be non-stop by the shortest navigable route with no change of skipper. During the qualifying passage a minimum non-stop distance of 600 miles must have been run by the log, the yacht must have been at sea continuously for at least 96 hours and the yacht must have been more than 50 miles from land or any charted navigational object while sailing a distance of 200 miles. You can find the exact requirements of the qualifying passage here . If you have any doubts about whether your chosen route qualifies, you can always contact RYA at [email protected] During the qualifying passage you should take some sights to prove that you are actually capable of navigating out of sight of land by astro navigation. If circumstances prevent astro sights from being taken on the ocean-qualifying passage you can also take them on another shorter passage. You just have to make sure to be enough far from shore so that the sights are taken out of sight of land.

Preparation

Before taking the oral exam, it is recommended to take Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course . If you complete the course, you will be exempted from the written examination.

Please also take a look at our routes . On all our offshore passages we are navigating using celestial navigation. Some of our passages qualify for the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certification where you can be a watch leader to meet the qualifying passage requirements. Many of our participants passed the prestigious RYA Yachtmaster Ocean exam and keep returning year after year to us in order to become yet more confident and experienced. Our practical on-the-water training builds confidence, teaching you everything from basic terminology and safety tips to how to skipper a yacht and manage its crew.

Exam Syllabus

During the oral exam, the questions should generally be related to your qualifying passage but may also refer to longer passages if needed to find out if you are capable of an ocean crossing. You may be required to answer questions on all aspects of ocean passage-making in a yacht, including passage planning, navigation, worldwide meteorology, crew management and yacht preparation, maintenance and repairs.

After booking the exam and at least 1 week before the exam date you must provide the examiner with:

• A narrative account of the planning and execution of the qualifying passage.
• Navigational records, completed on board a yacht on passage, out of sight of land, showing that you navigated the yacht without the use of electronic navigational aids. As a minimum, this should include the planning, reduction, and plotting of a sun-run-meridian altitude or sun-run-sun sight and a compass check carried out using the bearing of the sun, moon, star or planet.

The examiner will not be hard on you if you provide a good narrative account and lots of navigational records. You should show him or her that you thought about many aspects of voyage planning and execution, and that you care about the safety of the yacht and the crew. You will definitely fail if you show a cavalier altitude.

The narrative should include the following:

• Brief description of the chosen vessel and suitability for the voyage
• Crew selection
• Pre-checks on the condition of the yacht, including hull, rigging, engine, electrics and fittings checks
• Navigational passage planning: route selection, sources of information to decide on a strategy, expected and possible durations of the passage if no wind/rig failure/divert to the port of refuge etc.
• Navigational equipment: electronic and manuals
• Weather: source of information pre-departure, weather forecasting sources on passage, actual weather experienced
• Harbours planned: pilotage, reporting, berthing, customs and immigrations procedures
• Ports of refuge
• Watchkeeping rota
• Consumables provisioning: victualling (water and food) and fueling/bunkering - estimating daily usage, the amount carried, allowance for delays, calms and emergencies, preparation for what-if scenarios (e.g. contamination of water, fridge failure etc.)
• Consumables monitoring en route: fuel, gas, food, water, battery
• Methods of charging batteries, battery capacity and electrical consumption calculations
• Medical kit carried and preparation for medical emergencies (e.g. availability of suitable courses)
• Standing orders
• Safety briefing conducted
• Routine equipment checks and maintenance, precautionary replacements
• Drills practices before departure and during the passage
• Fire precautions
• VHF / HF / MF channels monitored
• Communications equipment carried
• Position reporting to shore stations
• Navigational hazards including shipping lanes and shallows
• Expected shipping traffic and other vessels encountered (e.g. fishing fleets)
• Use of courtesy ensigns and Q flag
• Emergency (contingency) plans: MOB, rig failure, hull breach, steering failure, port/hatch failure, engine failure, abandon ship, divert to the port of refuge, heavy weather preparation and tactics, emergency repairs (e.g. jury-rigging, repairing damage to the hull, jury-steering)
• Spare gear and tools required, carried and used
• Deck safety: clipping on and numbers of the crew on deck
• Charts and publications used
• Copy of ship’s log and charts
• Navigation by sextant: all written sight reduction, compass check and plotting sheets completed at sea (not tidied up ashore)
• Procedure for cleaning and securing the yacht at the end of the passage

Example of RYA Yachtmaster Ocean narrative.

The written exam will include questions on celestial navigation (sights and sight reduction) and worldwide meteorology.

If you hold the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased course completion certificate you will be exempted from the written examination.

Learning materials

• Celestial Navigation in practice - Astro navigation primer.
• Celestial Navigation - With the Sight Reduction Tables with Pub. No 249 - This book gives the clearest explanation of how celestial navigation works and how to use it without bogging down in theory.
• How to use sextant (PDF) , Video
• RYA Certificates of Competence
• Certificates

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

The history of the RYA Yachtmaster scheme as it turns 50

• James Stevens
• December 27, 2023

Chairman of the Yachtmaster Qualification Panel, James Stevens looks back at half a century of the Yachtmaster qualification

The RYA started examining Yachtmaster candidates in 1973 but in fact the very first Yachtmaster certificates were awarded much earlier. In 1938 at the request of the Admiralty, the Board of Trade began to hold examinations for Yachtmasters primarily for Royal Navy reservists but also for amateur yacht skippers. It was prescient of the Admiralty to consider a military need for a fleet of competent yachtsmen as that is exactly what was required two years later at Dunkirk.

In the early 1970s the RYA took over the administration of the exam after a protracted negotiation led by Commander Bill Anderson, who had recently left the Royal Navy and had been appointed RYA Cruising Secretary. It was an innovative idea for a sports governing body to run a Department for Transport test but under Bill’s leadership it became a gold standard for amateur and professional yacht skippers. The first RYA yachtmaster certificate was issued in 1973 on behalf of the RYA and the Board of Trade.

To support the training for the exam the RYA introduced a series of courses taught at recognised practical and shorebased schools, the latter mainly local authority evening classes. Prior to this, several organisations, notably the armed forces, had run their own courses and assessments but Bill convinced them they would all benefit from a national programme. For 50 years the RYA cruising scheme has provided knowledge to thousands of sailors.

In 1973 the Ssail cruising scheme and Yachtmaster qualification was introduced

History of RYA training

The Board of Trade Yachtmaster exam was an oral test only. During the 1970s RYA candidates for Yachtmaster Offshore could take a practical course followed by an oral test or be examined directly with a practical assessment.

A mileage requirement was introduced. Assessments for the lower level of Coastal Skipper (now Yachtmaster Coastal) remained as an oral test following a course until the mid 1980s. Subsequently all offshore and coastal skipper candidates had to pass a practical exam as they do now and the mileage and experience requirements were increased.

The Yachtmaster Ocean exam has remained as an oral test following an ocean passage. RYA instructors and examiners are qualified following a training and assessment course. The RYA also publishes books on every aspect of the syllabus and many other nautical subjects, and has become Europe’s largest nautical publisher.

In 1984 the British barque Marques sank off Bermuda during a Tall Ships Race with the loss of 19 lives. In response, the Board of Trade’s successor, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) introduced a code of practice for equipment and stability for sail training vessels and sailing school yachts. Later this was extended to all small commercial vessels.

In 1976 the powerboat training scheme was introduced

Mandatory qualification

Commercial Yachtmaster qualifications, which were suggested by the RYA, were incorporated into the Code. Before this time there was no legal requirement for skippers to be qualified for carrying up to 12 paying passengers on yachts under 24m. In the yachting sector the Code made little difference to the accident rate, as most professionals already held a Yachtmaster certificate, but it did have an impact on sea angling and other commercial activities.

Professional skippers take the same practical Yachtmaster test as amateurs but in addition attend a sea survival course, have a medical fitness examination and must pass an online test on the rules and regulations.

In spite of the RYA’s position as the provider of compulsory certificates for commercial skippers, it has successfully campaigned against the introduction of mandatory licensing for recreational boat users.

In 202 Princess Anne presented the first ‘Yachtmaster of the Year’ award

Before 2002 exams were almost always held in the UK but in response to demand, the RYA expanded the scheme worldwide, recognising training centres and examining Yachtmasters in the Mediterranean, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbean and USA. Currently there are 336 centres offering courses in 37 countries.

The word Yachtmaster, for training and exams, was trademarked by the RYA throughout the world and the certificates, which looked similar to those of the Merchant Navy were redesigned to include anti-fraud features.

RYA Yachtmaster rapidly became the world leader for yachting qualifications. Currently just over half the 3,500 candidates examined annually are non-British citizens. The MCA introduced manning regulations for yachts over 200 tons, the Large Yacht Code and RYA Yachtmaster was chosen as a pre-entry qualification. About 20% of Yachtmaster candidates progress to these MCA certificates.

In 2003 the Yachtmaster name trademarked internationally

Revisions underway

From the RYA’s point of view, the challenge of administering the Yachtmaster exam is to ensure the standard is the same all over the world. Examiners and instructors are updated regularly and reassessed at sea every five years. An independent quality assurance company, The Leadership Factor, calls 50 candidates a month and asks them about their experience of the exam. Examiners and the RYA receive these reports, which record exactly what the candidate said about their exam and examiner. A summary of the results is published on the RYA website and shows a high level of satisfaction, even from the fails.

A young James Stevens runs a Yachtmaster Instructor course

A joint RYA MCA committee, the Yachtmaster Qualification Panel, oversees standards and the syllabus and can, after a hearing, withdraw qualifications for a period of time, usually between six months and 10 years after which the exam may be retaken. There are usually no more than two hearings a year and they often follow a serious accident such as loss of a vessel or a fatality.

In 2023 a Yachtmaster offshore candidate would recognise many of the subjects in the 1970s syllabus. Navigation, tides, pilotage, weather, boat handling and passage making are all still there, but today’s candidate is, of course, expected to be proficient with GPS and modern techniques.

The syllabus is regularly updated and there is a major revision underway. Yachts and navigation have changed dramatically, so it is important the RYA is not teaching the history of yachting.

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RYA Yachtmaster Offshore

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore is one of the most highly respected and prestigious sailing qualifications in the world and we pride ourselves on training many high calibre Yachtmaster Candidates. Exam Preparation Courses are delivered by one of our fully qualified and extremely experienced RYA Yachtmaster Instructors.

Please click here to see the progression of RYA Sailing Practical Courses and the recommended path for both theory and practical courses.

We have also put together some details notes on The Yachtmaster exam here.

The week starts with an assessment day, when the instructor will gauge your strengths and weaknesses. The rest of the time will be spent improving weak areas in order to prepare you for the exam. You will take command of the yacht on short passages, by day and night. You will be required to navigate in a seamanlike manner, with both efficiency and safety. Your instructor will give you guidance and coaching on boat handling techniques both at sea and in a confined space.

Examiners expect a high level of expertise, particularly in safety critical exercises such as man overboard, or sailing down wind. Your instructor will also ensure that the theory subjects, in particular meteorology, IRPCS, buoyage and passage planning are not new to you.  At the end of the week, you will be given an honest debrief, leaving you confident in your own ability, taking the exam if you feel ready to do so.

At the end of the preparation course, the instructor will leave the process and an Independent RYA Examiner will come aboard to conduct the exam. Every student will be examined on how they skipper the yacht on short passages and complete various other tasks.

Although this is a sailing exam, you will be expected to be familiar with all the vessels systems which includes knowledge of engines to at least the level of the one-day RYA Diesel Engine Maintenance course .

A knowledge of the operation of radar and GPS is also expected.

The examiner will want to see you dock the boat under engine in a variety of circumstances possibly alongside and stern-to. He/she may set you a challenge to dock in a particular place or ask you to choose. He/she will also expect you to be able to handle and turn the vessel in a confined space with awareness of the effects of the prevailing conditions. You will also be expected to be able to handle the vessel under sail in a confined space and this may include sailing on and/or off a mooring, your anchor or a dock. The examiner is looking for good boat control, use of crew, wind awareness and a good lookout for other vessels in the area. Once at sea it is a legal requirement to keep a log. This doesn’t have to be detailed but the examiner will want to see that you know where you are at all times. Don’t be afraid to reef, we are cruising not racing, but at the same time make sure you have enough sail up to keep the vessel going. Also make sure you have practiced your classic navigation as fixing your position, CTS and EP may all come into the exam. Also be comfortable with tidal problems and operation of the GPS, specifically the one on the exam vessel.

Cost is $1695 plus RYA Exam fee of around $300 [depends on exchange rate]. Please click on the ' Training Dates & Booking ' button on the right to check available dates.

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Chieftain Training

RYA & STCW Courses – Sail, Power, Super-Yacht & Workboat

What is an Ocean Yachtmaster

What is an ocean yachtmaster and how to become an ocean yachtmaster.

The RYA/MCA Ocean Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence (CoC) is the highest level certificate in the RYA scheme. It can be used by blue water leisure sailors and by commercial skippers and crew. Under the MCA Codes of practice the Ocean Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence holder, (with relevant commercial endorsement etc.) can skipper a vessel;

• Up to 200 tonnes
• Carrying up to 12 passengers
• Anywhere globally (i.e. beyond the 150 miles from a safe haven limit imposed upon a Yachtmaster Offshore ).

Furthermore the Yachtmaster Ocean CoC Exam is required for the Chief Officer 3000 Certificate of Competence  (for yachts over 200 tonne).

There are 5 stepping stones to becoming an Ocean Yachtmaster CoC holder. Steps 1-4 can be taken in any order although the order presented below is the most logical. Step 5 can only be completed once the first 4 steps have been completed.

• Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence

RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Shorebased Course

Ocean qualifying passage.

• Sights and Compass Check by sextant at sea

RYA/MCA Ocean Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence Oral Exam

It is technically possible to take the Ocean Yachtmaster CoC Oral exam without having previously completed the RYA Ocean Shorebased Course but not advised as it involves an additional written exam and you would require all of the relevant knowledge taught on the course. Further information is detailed the relevant 5 steps below;

Becoming a Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence Holder

While you can proceed towards the RYA Ocean shorebased course and the Ocean practical steps (qualifying passage and sights) you can not proceed to the Oral exam without first holding the Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence .

This is a 40-hour theory course. It can be taken;

• Over 5 consecutive days face to face in the classroom
• Over 13 evenings face to face night school in the classroom
• Over 5.5 days face to face using zoom
• Online in your own time.

Whichever format you choose the course culminates in a written paper.

The course concentrates on astro navigation, i.e using a sextant and the heavenly bodies (sun, moon, stars and planets) to fix your position. The course also devotes time to ocean voyage planning and worldwide meteorology.

Full details can be found at Ocean Yachtmaster Shorebased Course

While you don’t strictly need to be a Yachtmaster Offshore before taking the Ocean Yachtmaster Shorebased Course , the following knowledge is assumed before the Ocean Shorebased course starts;

• Use of plotting instruments (plotter, dividers etc.)
• Latitude and longitude, knots and nautical miles
• Variation and deviation
• Application of UT, DST
• 2/3 Point fixes and angles of cut
• Dead Reckoning / EP (and ideally the Running Fix)
• GPS and other electronic nav aids
• Coastal/offshore voyage planning
• Sources of forecast information
• Synoptic charts
• Low pressure systems
• Coastal communications /distress comms. (Navtex, VHF, EPIRBs and SARTs)

Is the Ocean Shorebased Written Exam Invigilated?

If you take a face to face Ocean Yachtmaster Shorebased Course then the written paper is invigilated and marked by your Instructor.

If you choose to take the Online or Webinar RYA Ocean Yachtmaster Shorebased Course then face to face invigilation may be required (see table below).

What qualifies as a RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Qualifying Passage?

An Ocean Qualifying Passage must have been taken in the last 10 years. Sea time prior to this date does not qualify. The passage must meet the following requirements

Ocean Candidate’s Role On Board

For your qualifying passage you should be either the skipper or mate in sole charge of a watch. You must have been  fully involved in the planning of the passage, including selection of the route, the navigational plan, checking the material condition of the vessel and her equipment, storing with spare gear, water and victuals and organising the watch-keeping routine.

If the skipper changes role at any point during the passage, then neither skipper can use the passage as a qualifying passage.

It is our opinion that it is impossible for multiple Ocean Yachtmaster candidates to use the same passage as their qualifying passage as you can not all fit the definitions above. More than two candidates would be highly unlikely more than three impossible.

The passage has several minimum requirements

• Departure and arrival ports must be more than 600 miles apart by the shortest navigable route
• Minimum non-stop distance of 600 miles must have been run by the log
• At least 200 miles of that passage must have been more 50 miles from land (or charted objects capable of being used for navigation/position fixing, such as an offshore oil rig)
• The vessel must have been at sea continuously for at least 96 hours

Passages such as recognised races which may not comply exactly with these requirements may be submitted to the RYA for consideration before the voyage.

Examples of Ocean qualifying passages (non stop passages)

• Trans-Atlantic ARC Rally (Canary Islands to St. Lucia/Caribbean)
• Between Azores and anywhere in mainland Europe/UK or the Canary Islands
• Between Bermuda and any of; Bahamas, Caribbean, Canada or most of USA (parts of North Carolina fall below the requirements)
• Between Bermuda and the Azores or Europe
• Solent/UK to Cascais/Portugal,Algarve, Southern Spain or Gibraltar (assuming you follow the rum line or stay offshore when crossing Biscay)
• Trans Pacific Passage (excluding passages between Alaska and Russia, on or close to the Bering Sea)
• Atlantic Germany (Elbe) to Scotland, where the 200 mile run is impossible due to oil rigs)
• Gibraltar to Northern Lanzarote where the mileage falls slightly below 600
• RORC Fastnet Race which does not follow the shortest navigable route or have the 200 mile run
• Northern Spain to Majorca, although well over 600 miles, very little of the passage is over 50 miles from land

If you still are not sure about whether a passage qualifies, then check out the RYA’s definition of a qualifying passage .

Vessel used for Ocean Qualifying Passage

The yacht (or vessel) must be;

• Minimum size 7m, LWL
• Maximum size 500 tonnes (If the vessel is over 24m LOA then the candidate would need to hold an OOW 3000 Certificate of Competence to act as Officer of the Watch on the passage).

Sights and Compass Check by Sextant at Sea

You are required to provide your Ocean Examiner with a minimum of’

• Sun Run Mer Pass (or sun run sun, sun run planet etc.)
• Compass check carried out using the bearing of the sun, moon, a star or planet

Sights are usually taken on the qualifying passage however in some circumstances (such as lots of cloud cover) this is not possible. If sights have been taken on another passage then the following requirement apply to this passage.

• The vessel must of been out of sight of land and charted objects when the sights are taken/used.
• The vessel must be on a passage by the shortest navigable route. You can not therefore simply head offshore take sights and return to departure port.

We always advise candidates to present the examiner with more than the minimum required sights. If you present the examiner with additional sights and your preferred set suffers from errors you still stand a chance of passing the exam.

Prior to the exam you will need to provide the examiner with;

• A narrative account of the planning and execution of the qualifying passage providing all relevant details.
• Navigational records, completed on board a yacht on passage, out of sight of land showing that the candidate has navigated the yacht without the use of electronic navigational aids. The records must include as a minimum, planning, reduction and plotting of a sun run meridian altitude sight and a compass check carried out using the bearing of the sun, moon, a star or planet.

During the oral exam you will be required to answer questions on all aspects of ocean passage making in a yacht, including passage planning, navigation, worldwide meteorology, crew management and yacht preparation, maintenance and repairs.

If you already hold the RYA Ocean Shorebased Course Certificate , the exam typically takes 1.5 hours although examiners can continue questioning considerably longer. If you do not hold the Ocean Shorebased certificate then your exam will take considerably longer as you will also have to take a written test.

Does the Ocean Yachtmaster Qualifying Passage have to be on the same type of vessel as I took my Yachtmaster Offshore Exam on (i.e. power or sail)?

Most candidates will qualify in the same kind of vessel as they passed their Offshore exam, however it is possible to qualify as a Yachtmaster Offshore (power) and then comlpete the Yachtmaster Ocean requirements on a sail vessel (or vice versa).

I hold a OOW (Yacht 3000gt) CoC but not a Yachtmaster Offshore CoC

If you passed the Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence Exam instead of the Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence Exam as your entry requirement into the OOW 3000 CoC then you will not be eligible to hold the Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence. On passing the oral exam you will receive a pass confirmation certificate.

How do I commercially endorse the Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence?

Those working under the MCA Codes of practice will require a commercial endorsement. Information can be found at RYA Commercial Endorsements . If you already hold a commercial endorsement on your Yachtmaster Offshore CoC then it is simply transferred across.

Do I require any other certificates to operate commercially as an Ocean Yachtmaster?

To operate a coded sailing yacht in Category 1 or 0 waters (i.e. Over 60 miles from a safe haven) you will additionally require a RYA Diesel Certificate .

To operate the mandatory GMDSS radio equipment on a commercial vessel in Sea Area A2 (more than about 35 miles offshore) you require either a Long Range Certificate (LRC) or STCW General Operator Certificate (GOC) .

To skipper a coded vessel in Category 1 or 0 waters (i.e. Over 60 miles from a safe haven) you will additionally need to hold  STCW Proficiency in Medical First Aid and Proficiency in Medical Care , unless there is a current qualified nurse practitioner (or higher) on board.

If working aboard a vessel in Category 1 or 0 waters (i.e. Over 60 miles from a safe haven) you will need a ENG1 Medical certificate.  The alternatives which are suitable further inshore such as ML5 Medical Certificate  are not valid in category 1 and 0 waters.

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RYA Yachtmaster Ocean

• 6th November 2023
• by Pete Green

Part 1 Theory

Is it still relevant for today?

RYA Yachtmaster Ocean is the RYA’s highest shore-based theory qualification. With multiple sources of GPS on a boat, why is it still relevant to learn an instrument based on 800-year-old technology and look up data from volumes of paper tables?

For centuries sailors have navigated oceans by fixing a position with a sextant observing the sun, moon, stars, and planets. Today, it is not only a fascinating art, but an essential alternative to GPS and electronic plotters when redundancy and reliability are essential for crossing oceans.

Electronics and the power to supply them can and do fail.  Salt water is an enemy and there is plenty of it in the middle of an ocean.  You may have redundancy with multiple GPS devices but that doesn’t help if none of them are receiving because of jamming, interference, or atmospheric conditions.

If you know the sun rises in the East and the North star is in the North, you already have some astronavigation knowledge.  With the reliability of just paper & pencil and a simple mechanical instrument, you can find out where you are on the planet to within a few nautical miles.

Many sailors will embark on learning celestial navigation for their own satisfaction, knowledge and dare I say pleasure.  For others, it is a required vocational qualification and revered standard.  Halcyon Yachts employs yacht delivery skippers with a minimum Yachtmaster Ocean qualification so to become a delivery skipper it is a qualification you rightly need to gain.

RYA Syllabus and Pre-Requisites

To get the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence you need to be a Yachtmaster Offshore, do a qualifying passage, take astro navigation sights and pass an exam.

The qualifying passage must be over 600 nm (and over 96 hours) where 200 nm are more than 50 nm from land or charted objects and completed within the last 10 years. You must evidence taking a full part in the planning and preparation and had a solo watch. The astro navigation requirements are a sun or noon sight transfer position fix and a celestial compass check, not necessarily on the qualifying passage.

The exam is an oral and written test.  The oral test covers all aspects of ocean passage making in a yacht, including planning, navigation, meteorology, crew management and yacht preparation, maintenance, and repairs. Candidates must send the examiner an account of the qualifying passage and evidence of taking sights 48 hours in advance.

The good news is if you pass the Yachtmaster Ocean Theory you don’t need to take the written part of the exam and that is the subject of this blog.

Ocean Theory Courses

The two main routes to learning RYA Ocean theory are classroom and online.  Courses are typically a weeklong or online with 40 hours estimated study and cost from under £300.

There are many providers of online theory courses, I used www.skipperson line.net which has a modern interactive interface, worked on all my devices, and allowed learning at my own pace. The exam can be done at home if just for personal development but if commercial endorsement is required then the exam must be invigilated by any RYA Instructor using only the student tables and sight proforma templates provided.

What is Astronavigation?

I won’t pretend to explain astronavigation in a blog but can give a flavour of the content and principles. It was only on the last course module covering the North Star (Polaris) that I had the eureka moment and things clicked into place, so I’ll start there to give a layman’s guide to the theory.

The North Star is always in the North so it’s bearing (or Azimuth) is always north.  It is almost directly above the North Pole (89° 16’ N) so is in the same place every day!  If you were stood at the North Pole, it would be right above you, on your Zenith (an imaginary point directly above a location). If you were close to the equator, it would be very low in the sky, almost on the horizon (90° from your Zenith).  Some basic trigonometry then proves your latitude (in the Northern hemisphere) is always equal to the height of the North Star above the horizon.

Let’s say you measure Polaris as having an altitude of 50°, then your latitude is also 50°.  This doesn’t tell you where you are, but it does confirm your latitude as one position line.  At 50° latitude you could be anywhere west of the Isles of Scilly, East of New Foundland or in the North Pacific but hopefully you’ll be able to narrow that down!

The principal is then the same as Day Skipper, getting position lines from more than one source (or the same one transferred over time) then plotting where they cross to get a fix. If you get stuck an excellent additional resource is “The Practical Guide to Celestial Navigation” by Phil Somerville.  A copy of which is now on the bookshelf of my boat along with some generic proformas and plotting sheets.

Using a Sextant

The shore-based course teaches how to use a sextant but unless you construct an artificial horizon with a bowl of water you’ll have to wait until on passage to try it out.

It is called sextant because its arc is 1/6 th of a circle i.e., 60° but it can measure angles up to 120° using a principle of double reflection. The mechanics are to adjust the sextant arm whilst using telescope, mirrors, and shades to bring the celestial body being measured down (or up) to meet the horizon.  You should take a series of readings over a minute or two and average them on a chart ignoring outliers to select a reading you will use.

There are then some adjustments to make including “index error” of the instrument, “dip” from curvature of the earth based on your height of eye and various potential altitude corrections such as the semi-diameter of the celestial body, terrestrial refraction, and parallax.

The final corrected result is the True Altitude (Ho).  After looking up in tables what the Calculated Altitude (Hc) should be, the difference is then how far away you are on the earth’s surface from an assumed position giving a position line.

We have produced a series of videos that will also help you to learn and master the sextant:

What Sights Can You Take?

To take a sight both horizon and celestial body must be visible, and you need more than one sight for a fix.  One method is to take a sun sight, update your approximate position to be on the sun sight position line then apply dead reckoning and take another sun sight as a running fix.  This is known as a “sun run sun”, one of the position lines could be a simple latitude derived from a “noon sight”, the sun at local noon (Meridian Passage).

Other options may be available at twilight if the moon and planets are visible along with the horizon. Possibly easier are stars.  Of the 2 x 10 23 stars in the visible universe and the 4,500 visible by eye, the positions of 57 most useful stars are recorded in non-perpetual volumes valid for a few years (epoch). To simplify things, altitude and azimuth are given relative to a hypothetic point in the sky (Aries) and don’t require sight reduction calculations.

Meridians and Hour Angles

The Earth is mapped by an imaginary grid of latitude and longitude lines. Latitudes run from 0° at the equator to 90° North and South at the poles.  Latitudes are measured in degrees of declination, the angle north or south from the celestial equator. The declination of the sun changes seasonally from the tropic of Cancer 23.4°N (northern hemisphere summer) to the tropic of Capricorn 23.4°S (northern hemisphere winter) as the Earth orbits the sun.

Longitudes are vertical meridians like segments of a chocolate orange running East to West from a prime meridian. Greenwich meridian was voted by 22 countries as the global prime meridian in 1884, although France continued using the Paris meridian until 1911.

Each minute of longitude is a nautical mile at the surface, and hence a degree of longitude is 60nm. In Astro navigation, the longitude position of a heavenly body is measured by Greenwich Hour Angle (GHA) running west from 0° Greenwich Meridian.  A longitude of 90° East is thus GHA 270°. The earth rotates every 24 hours, hence 15° per hour or 1° every 4 minutes. As you sail west, noon becomes later.

A Local Hour Angle (LHA) is the angle from your position to the heavenly body and is GHA minus your longitude if west or GHA plus longitude if East. For stars we use a Siderial Hour Angle (SHA) which is the angle between GHA and “Aries”, a hypothetical point in where the sun crosses the celestial equator on the northern spring equinox.

Because the earth spins, to measure any hour angle from celestial bodies you need to know the exact time to the second. The British Parliament passed the Longitude Act in 1714 with a reward of £20,000 (£3.35m in 2023) for solving longitude at sea to within half a degree, eventually won by John Harrison, carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer.

Today a cheap digital watch set to GMT will work but may still need correcting as can vary 15-30 seconds per month.  In preparation for taking sights, I set three cheap digital watches to the exact time using www.time.is and plan to measure their variation before leaving.

5 Top Tips for Tables

The theory course is full of opportunities to make errors and it can be hugely frustrating having to trace your steps back to the start to try and find the error.  Here are some things that tripped me up when referring to the student tables provided:

Read the headings for columns and rows very carefully.  Column headings can change down the page for blocks of rows (e.g., data for stars) so may it not be the heading at the very top.

Check carefully whether data is positive or negative. In some cases, refer to prior rows where this is given.

The typeface is old and sometimes tricky to read.  Look at the trend for the previous and subsequent periods as a check.

Note how data trends to check if you should add or subtract.  Is declination for example increasing or decreasing and apply that when using data for corrections.

Get used to mental arithmetic in base 60.  A simple technique for subtraction is to re-write degrees and minutes with one less degree (e.g., convert 90° 00’ to 89° 60’) to make base 60 subtraction easier.

Proformas and Spreadsheets

For each type of sight (sun, planets, moon, and stars) there is a separate proforma to use in calculations.  I made my own spreadsheet versions as calculators for backup and for notes to remind me of the process.  Other versions can be found online with various formats, but these worked for me.  They are free to download and whilst I believe they are stress tested they come with no warranty and are no substitute for paper and pen!

Example Sun Sight from Excel Templates – Free Download: Astro Nav Templates

More than just Astro

The theory course is not just astronavigation but includes ocean passage planning, communications, global meteorology and how to check your compass.  You may find some parts of passage planning common sense and communications is a rapidly changing subject with advances in satellite internet access.  You will however need to dust off your Yachtmaster Offshore meteorology and learn about great circle passages, tropical cyclones, trade winds and ocean currents.

Taking the Exam

The exam is two hours long and you will have some sight reductions, plotting and non-astro navigation questions to answer.  For an online course, you’ll need a computer, internet connection and venue with any RYA instructor to invigilate.

Take your time to get settled with coloured pens, 2b pencils, plotter, dividers, student tables and some plain A4 paper. Unlike previous theory courses, plotting is not done on charts but on self-made plotting sheets.  You can buy generic plotting sheets, but the course will teach you to make your own based on your approximate latitude to get the relative scale right.  The student tables are all based on 50° latitude so I made a plotting sheet for that and (with permission) printed half a dozen off to take into the exam which I was very glad of.

You start the exam in your own time, then move forwards or backwards through the questions to complete as you wish. When the time is up, you’ll be asked to upload scans or photos of your work, a camera phone is useful for this.

Getting the Result

Once uploaded, a system message said results would come through in 2 or 3 working days’ time, however I had an email that evening confirming I had passed along with detailed feedback and model answers. Shortly after, an electronic copy of the certification was emailed with a hard copy in the post.

If you are a member of Halcyon Yachts, then please update us with any new RYA qualifications by email to [email protected] . To become a yacht delivery skipper with Halcyon Yachts you will need RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Commercially Endorsed, at least 10,000 NM experience as skipper, a trial sail, good references, and skippers’ third-party liability insurance.

Our continued outstanding reputation is based on the skills and dedication of our skippers. We have the highest standards in the industry, as such our Skippers are qualified to RYA Yachtmaster Ocean as a minimum.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and have learned a new skill that will be used.  For nearly a decade I carried a Mark 25 Davis sextant on my 32ft yacht with an equally unopened astronavigation book. Not much use without the sight reduction tables, proformas, plotting sheets and knowledge to use it. Our next long passage I’m going to enjoy impressing the crew by plotting a few sights to update our dead reckoning with a fix.  We will of course still use GPS, but the Mark 25 will no longer be hidden at the bottom of a locker.

Author: Richard Payne, Sales and Operations Manager – Halcyon Yachts. 

With highly qualified and experienced crew, Halcyon Yachts Ltd offers a dedicated international yacht delivery service. For more information or to see details of their recent deliveries please visit: https://halcyonyachts.com/

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RYA Yachtmaster™ Ocean Theory

Price: from £485 (Finance now available)

Location: Starts from our base at Premier Gosport Marina

Duration: 5 days

The RYA Yachtmaster™ Ocean Theory Course brings students with at least the RYA Yachtmaster™ Coastal or Yachtmaster™ Offshore qualification and some sailing experience, up to Yachtmaster™ Ocean level (Theory only).

Take a look at our live course calendar  for dates for the RYA Yachtmaster™ Ocean Theory course!

Booking details

No dates currently available. Please contact us for more info.

Course Information

Joining Instructions: Please click here for course joining instructions

The RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Exam application fee isn’t included in the above cost. Please click here to print-off the RYA Yachtmaster exam application form :

Recommended Reading: RYA Day Skipper Handbook Sail (G71), RYA Yacht Sailing Techniques (G94), RYA Yachtmaster™ scheme and syllabus (G158)

Course Prerequisites:  RYA/MCA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence for those intending to ultimately gain the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster™ Ocean Certificate of Competence, otherwise a knowledge of navigation to RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster™ Offshore theory level

Minimum Age: 17+

Holiday Insurance: We would advise ALL our customers to ensure they have suitable holiday insurance in-place. Yachtsman’s insurance is available from a variety of souces like Topsail Insurance and can cover things like cancellations and personal effects cover.

Who is the course for:

This is perfect for those sailors who have completed their RYA/MCA Yachtmaster™ Offshore and want to explore the world with some blue water sailing experience or major ocean-going passages.

What we cover on the course:

The course does cover all aspects of ocean navigation with particular emphasis on the use of astro-navigation and worldwide meteorology.

The lessons on astro-navigation will unlock the mysteries of the sextant and allow you to confidently take sights at sea to obtain your position and carry out compass checks.

• The earth and the celestial sphere
• Practical guide to use and care of sextant at sea
• Meridian altitudes
• Sun, star and other sights
• Ocean passage planning

Another important aspect of ocean sailing is worldwide meteorology, passage planning and communications at sea.

Publications and charts that assist the ocean navigator such as routing charts and other pilot books will be discussed and used.

The course also recognises that there has been a vast improvement in technology available to help with ocean routing and weather prediction.

Time will be spent discussing the various computer programmes, internet sites and satellite/radio broadcasts available to the modern ocean navigator.

Crew management, watch keeping, victualling, water and fuel management and emergency equipment are also covered to give a real all-round course and a vast depth of knowledge.

Upon having successfully passed this theory course you will be ready to put the theory into practice on an ocean voyage and passage.

If you return form your ocean passage and have done the required navigation and sights, you are eligible to sit the ocean master certificate of confidence exam.

This can be arranged through ourselves or direct with the RYA.

Course formats & details:

Courses run in a choice of two formats:

• 3 consecutive weekends: (Saturday to Sunday)
• 5 continuous days: (Monday to Friday)

The course includes free overnight accommodation aboard our immaculate, well-maintained yachts, and free tea and coffee, although no meals are included in the course cost (Free accommodation is during low season only and subject to yacht availability – Please check with us beforehand).

All meals are at the students own cost and are taken at any of the great local establishments in Gosport, or a short ferry hop across the harbour to Portsmouth.

Please note that during high season accommodation on-board cannot be guaranteed, so please ensure if you need to take advantage of this benefit you inform us of your requirements well in advance. Should we have no free boats available, you will need to arrange overnight accommodation at your own cost.

Fancy going VIP and having your own exclusive private course for you and your friends or family? You can book the whole yacht just for your own exclusive course from only £485 per person. Enjoy the course in style, with up to five persons on the boat being taught by one of our friendly, experienced Yachtmaster Instructors! What a way to start your sailing adventure!

Our Chief Instructor says this about the Yachtmaster™ Ocean Theory Course:

This is one of the coolest things you possibly can do as a Yachtsman.

Being able to use a sextant and navigate with confidence in the middle of the ocean is one of the pinnacles of sailing.

Being out in the middle of the ocean, stood in the cockpit taking sights and then using reduction tables to work out where you are makes some of the most amazing journeys throughout your time as a Yachtsman.

Carrying that wooden box with you onto the vessel as you move towards your passage can be an amazing feeling. With the additions of world meteorology and also ocean passage planning the course really is a good all rounder for those who want to prepare themselves for an ocean voyage of a lifetime.

Related courses

Channel island cruises.

Our exciting and very popular luxury 7-day Channel Island Cruises are aimed at breaking the confines of the Solent for a relaxed and enjoyable Channel Islands adventure. They are a great way to relax, gain sea miles, enhance your sailing skills and see the beautiful Channel Islands. All under the watchful eye of our professional Skipper.

Take a look at our live course calendar  for dates for the Channel Island Cruise!

Spinnaker & Downwind Sailing

The popular and fun Spinnaker & Downwind Sailing Weekend is a great introduction to flying the “big kite”, especially for budding racing sailors wanting a taster of the skills required. This is an essential for those wanting to do any offshore racing, including the iconic RORC Fastnet race!

Take a look at our live course calendar  for dates for the Spinnaker & Downwind Sailing Weekend!

RYA Sea Survival

The RYA Sea Survival Course is an essential for any sailor. Teaching self-help techniques and what to do when all is lost, it’s a prerequisite for longer passages and those wanting to get into racing like RORC Fastnet!

Take a look at our live course calendar  for dates for the RYA Sea Survival course!

Customer reviews

A fantastic weekend of sailing, almost 130 NM in all, with a relaxed, but fully engaging skipper. Great set up and brilliant on the admin. Thanks Stef, Tom et al!

I did a weeks coastal skipper course getting ready for my yacht master and I have to say it was one of the best training weeks I’ve had - our training instructor was superb, exactly the sort of person that you want. He could inspire, provide discipline and impart knowledge as well as let you learn through your own mistakes. Tom and Steph run an excellent operation there and I highly recommend it. They’re flexible and very helpful when it comes to your journey into being a qualified sailor.

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• Certificates of Competence

Qualifying passages

Definitions.

• Skipper:  The skipper is the person nominated and responsible for the planning and execution of a passage including vessel and watch management. The skipper is not necessarily the most experienced or qualified person on board but must be the person with responsibility for the safe execution of the passage. If the skipper's role is transferred to another person at any time during a passage then neither person can claim to have skippered that passage.
• Mate:  For the purpose of qualifying passages, a mate is any person on board who has sole responsibility for managing a navigational watch during a passage. They must be actively engaged in the planning and execution of a passage.
• Tidal:  An area is deemed tidal if published stream, current or tidal range data is available, the influence of which is significant enough to require the effects to be taken into account to plan and execute a safe and efficient passage.
• Days on board:  A day on board or as skipper is a period of eight consecutive hours living on board, the majority of which the vessel should have been at sea. Periods of less than eight hours cannot be aggregated to make up eight hours. Only one eight-hour period may be counted in any 24 hour period.
• During a qualifying passage there should be no change of skipper or mates. Trainee skippers undertaking 60 mile passages are strongly advised to obtain a Coastal Skipper qualification first.

Additional for RYA Yachtmaster Ocean:

• Candidates on Ocean qualifying passages must have acted in a capacity of either mate or skipper throughout the entire passage.
• If circumstances prevent astro sights being taken on the ocean qualifying passage candidates may take their sights on another shorter passage. Such sights must be taken whilst the vessel is on passage and out of sight of land or charted objects capable of being used for navigation/position fixing. The examiner will determine whether the candidate is competent at astro navigation.
• Qualifying passages, sea time and days as skipper must take place on a suitably sized vessel appropriate to the discipline being examined, as detailed below.

Suitability of vessels for exam pre-requisites for RYA Yachtmaster Coastal, Offshore and Ocean exams:

For vessels over 24m LOA greater than 500gt please contact RYA Training 2 .

• Up to 50% of the minimum requirement. Evidence of status on board required by testimonial or seaman's discharge book.
• For vessels up to 200gt candidates must hold a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or higher Certificate of Competence. For vessels over 200gt candidates should hold an STCW Officer of the Watch (Yacht 3000gt) Certificate of Competence or higher to be able stand navigational watches during the passage. Please see MSN 1858 for further information.
• Contact [email protected]  if your sea time is on a yacht greater than 24m and 500gt.

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Three ways to get your ICC qualifications for Mediterranean sailing

How to evidence sailing competence internationally, 8th jun 2018.

• Sailing advice

If you want to sail internationally, you will need to prove your sailing qualifications and take with you evidence of competence for your charter company and local officials. What constitutes as evidence varies hugely depending on the country you want to sail. In this blog, we’ve looked at the International Certificate of For Operators of Pleasure Craft (ICC) and how to get qualified so you can sail the Mediterranean and Adriatic with ease.

What is the ICC?

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea gives a framework for ocean users and you only have a right of passage through a country’s territorial waters if you have continuous passage. A yacht charter is unlikely to be a continuous passage, as most charters involve anchoring or mooring to visit port towns, beaches and islands. This is why if you want to sail abroad, you need to abide by local maritime laws and regulations and prove that you are competent enough to command a vessel.

Some countries accept RYA qualifications, while others require you to have an ICC. The ICC is essential and recommended if you want to sail Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey, for example. However, obtaining your ICC doesn’t mean you don’t have to do any homework before you head off for your sailing destination. You can’t rely on the ICC as internationally accepted evidence of competence, as it hasn’t been accepted by all countries. You still need to research which documents you need to prove your competence in the country you want to sail in. Talk to us if you need advice.

1 Apply through the RYA

If you have your RYA Day Skipper/Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore, you may be able to apply to the RYA and get an ICC issued for free. The RYA is authorised to issue the ICC on behalf of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

You will only be issued an ICC for the competence that has been demonstrated within the following categories: Coastal waters, inland waters, power, sail (including auxiliary engine) and personal watercraft.

To apply, you need to:

• Be over 16 years of age
• Be physically and mentally fit to operate a pleasure craft with sufficient vision and hearing
• Present one of the specified UK certificates or has successfully passed an examination to prove the necessary competence for pleasure craft operation
• Demonstrate nationality or residency to show that nationality does not preclude from being issued with an ICC by the RYA

2 Take an assessment

If you do not have a RYA or MCA certificate, but already have the required level of competence through logged hours, you can take the ICC Assessment to demonstrate your competence.

Sailing Logic has an RYA sea school at Port Hamble Marina and offers a one-day ICC assessment course for £249. Starting at 9am, this is a day of continuous assessment of the required manoeuvres unassisted. On successful completion your assessment is submitted to the RYA for ICC certification.

3 Get your RYA qualifications

Alternatively, if you have enough logged hours, you can take the RYA course:

• Five-day practical RYA Day Skipper course for £599 (you need five days and four hours logged sailing)
• RYA Yachtmaster course for £699 (you need 30 logged days, including 2 days as skipper)

You can also learn to sail or gain your qualification somewhere hotter than the Solent with an RYA recognised sailing school in Greece, Croatia or Turkey. If you are interested in getting even more out of your next sailing adventure then contact one our team for more details.

Talk to our team

If you are unsure what is evidence of competence in the destination you want to sail in, give us a call on 01227 479 900 and we’ll advise.

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yachtmaster offshore renewal

RYA Yachtmaster Offshore exam pre-requisites. 5 passages over 60 miles long, which must include 2 overnight passages and 2 as skipper, which may be reduced to 3 passages including 1 overnight and 1 as skipper if the candidate already holds an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence 3. 1 At least half the qualifying sea time should be ...

How to renew your Yachtmaster. All Yachtmaster Commercial Endorsement certificates must be renewed every 5 years, and for this you must be in possession or justify the following aspects: The shipments of the last 5 years, dates and data of the companies for which you have worked. At least 150 days navigated should be justified.

Click on the Certificates tab to see your list of certificates. Select each certificate you would like to revalidate (renew) by checking the box on the right, then click Revalidate (or Replace if you want to replace your certificate). Follow the prompts through to the payment process to complete your order.

A commercial endorsement is required for work on board British flagged vessels subject to the MCA's codes of practice for small commercial vessels. A number of additional training courses and medical fitness certificates are required to be eligible for a commercial endorsement. For Sail Cruising and Yachtmaster Instructors who only work in ...

It is your responsibility to check your instructor certificate to see when it expires and take the necessary action prior to that date. During busy periods it can take up to 28 days to process your new certificate. Even if you don't hear from us you can revalidate using the links below. Select the option for your training scheme to see how:

Yachtmaster Offshore Training. The IYT Worldwide Yachtmaster Offshore certificate is a recreational certificate of competency to command sailing and/or power vessels up to 24 metres in length up to 150 nm offshore. It is a comprehensive theory and live aboard course consisting of five days classroom theory and a practical component of six days ...

The candidate's eligibility for Yachtmaster Offshore program is defined by a number of requirements. First and foremost, the logged sea time must show a minimum of 2500 nautical miles, about half of which should be in tidal waters. There is a huge debate as to what tidal waters are, and the RYA leaves it to the Yachtmaster candidate to decide ...

The gold standard. The RYA Yachtmaster® Certificate of Competence is often the ultimate aim of aspiring skippers. It is a well known, highly respected qualification worldwide, proving your experience and competence as a skipper. Unlike other qualifications in the cruising programme, there is no formal training course to become an RYA Yachtmaster.

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Motor exam is open to anyone who meets the minimum criteria, with all experience within the last 10 years. 18 years of age or older. 50 days spent at sea. 2500nm cruised, with at least 50% in tidal waters. 5 days as skipper.

To renew your commercial endorsement please use this link. You will need to be in the possession of: ... RYA Yachtmaster Offshore: Allows you to work in Category 1 waters, up to 150 miles from a safe haven. RYA Yachtmaster Ocean: Allows you to work in Category 0 waters, Unrestricted service.

Yachtmaster Offshore navigation. Getting a boat from A to B safely and effectively is still at the heart of the RYA Yachtmaster qualification, as it has been from its inception. The tools available to help us navigate have changed dramatically since 1973, however, and even in the last decade have been transformed.

The STCW endorsement is for holders of the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and Ocean Certificates of Competence working under non-UK maritime authorities. It requires you to take 4 additional courses: The certificate holder has completed training under the STCW code A- VI/1 Para 2.1. This certificate is valid for use as Master of yachts of up to 200gt ...

Aim: The Yachtmaster Coastal has the knowledge needed to skipper a yacht on any passage no further than 150 miles from a safe haven. Duration: (Minimum) 8 - 10 hours for one candidate. 10 - 18 for two. Qualification: Certificate of completion. RYA/MCA Certificates of Competence with a commercial endorsement can be used for vessels up to 200GT and as an entry into Megayacht qualifications.

Prove your ability and experience as a skipper with an RYA Certificate of Competence. Available at Advanced Powerboat and RYA Yachtmaster® Coastal, Offshore and Ocean level, RYA Certificates of Competence are well known qualifications that are highly respected worldwide. Unlike other RYA qualifications, Certificates of Competence are not ...

The IYT Worldwide Yachtmaster Offshore Sail - Catamaran certificate is a recreational certificate of competency for command of sailing catamaran up to 24 metres in length up to 150 nm offshore. ... Certificate Renewal. For many IYT certificates, there is the need to re-qualify for your certificate every 3 to 5 years. This ensures that our ...

In order to gain a Master <200gt CoC, you will need to do some classroom training, some sea service, and finally an oral exam. Required Service: You need to have 6 months of sea service on vessels of any size, whilst holding an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or IYT Master of Yachts Limited certificate. Sea Service Verification Process - please ...

A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence will enable you to work as a Master of commercial vessels of up to 200gt in category 1 to 6 waters - that is up to 150 miles from a safe haven. This Certificate of Competence can used commercially in its own right, or as a pre-requisite for the MCA's Officer of the Watch ...

The Moscow Boat Show is the place to be for an overview of the power and sail industry in Russia. Boating is a way of life for many in the country with world class destination in the Black Sea, the Baltic and close by on the Mediterranean. This year you will find a mix of speed boats, yachts, aqua bikes and services like yacht schools ...

Applying for a STCW endorsement. Applicants who don't already hold a commercial endorsement to their RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or Ocean Certificate of Competence should complete the full commercial endorsement application form (available below) and send it with copies of the STCW certificates mentioned above.The standard commercial endorsement fee applies if the commercial endorsement and STCW ...

We are proud to announce that "Moscow Sailing Academy" has joined our team of partner schools. They will offer our recreational sailing courses from Learn to Sail to Yachtmaster Coastal. IYT courses are approved and accepted by most European countries and charter brokers. Study theoretical and practical training in Moscow and proceed to the Mediterranean […]

May 2015. International Yacht Training Worldwide is a Federally registered Canadian Company (Nov 2007) and was originally founded by Capt. Mark Fry in the United States in December 2002. The company has been trading as IYT since its inception. It has been brought to our attention that a company called "International Yacht Training Academy ...

We are very pleased to announce the addition of "SportFlot" as a training provider for our recreational sailing courses from Dinghy to International Bareboat Skipper. IYT's Bareboat Skipper certificates are accepted for charter in most areas of the E.U. and Caribbean. SportFlot is dedicated to excellence in training yachtsmen and women. They offer a broad […]

• Certificates of Competence

Qualifying passages

Definitions.

• Skipper:  The skipper is the person nominated and responsible for the planning and execution of a passage including vessel and watch management. The skipper is not necessarily the most experienced or qualified person on board but must be the person with responsibility for the safe execution of the passage. If the skipper's role is transferred to another person at any time during a passage then neither person can claim to have skippered that passage.
• Mate:  For the purpose of qualifying passages, a mate is any person on board who has sole responsibility for managing a navigational watch during a passage. They must be actively engaged in the planning and execution of a passage.
• Tidal:  An area is deemed tidal if published stream, current or tidal range data is available, the influence of which is significant enough to require the effects to be taken into account to plan and execute a safe and efficient passage.
• Days on board:  A day on board or as skipper is a period of eight consecutive hours living on board, the majority of which the vessel should have been at sea. Periods of less than eight hours cannot be aggregated to make up eight hours. Only one eight-hour period may be counted in any 24 hour period.
• During a qualifying passage there should be no change of skipper or mates. Trainee skippers undertaking 60 mile passages are strongly advised to obtain a Coastal Skipper qualification first.

Additional for RYA Yachtmaster Ocean:

• Candidates on Ocean qualifying passages must have acted in a capacity of either mate or skipper throughout the entire passage.
• If circumstances prevent astro sights being taken on the ocean qualifying passage candidates may take their sights on another shorter passage. Such sights must be taken whilst the vessel is on passage and out of sight of land or charted objects capable of being used for navigation/position fixing. The examiner will determine whether the candidate is competent at astro navigation.
• Qualifying passages, sea time and days as skipper must take place on a suitably sized vessel appropriate to the discipline being examined, as detailed below.

Suitability of vessels for exam pre-requisites for RYA Yachtmaster Coastal, Offshore and Ocean exams:

For vessels over 24m LOA greater than 500gt please contact RYA Training 2 .

• Up to 50% of the minimum requirement. Evidence of status on board required by testimonial or seaman's discharge book.
• For vessels up to 200gt candidates must hold a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or higher Certificate of Competence. For vessels over 200gt candidates should hold an STCW Officer of the Watch (Yacht 3000gt) Certificate of Competence or higher to be able stand navigational watches during the passage. Please see MSN 1858 for further information.
• Contact [email protected]  if your sea time is on a yacht greater than 24m and 500gt.

yachtmaster offshore prep week