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RYA Yachtmaster Preparation Course and Exam with Academy Sailing

RYA YACHTMASTER
PREPARATION & EXAM

The RYA Yachtmaster Preparation course with Academy Sailing is aimed at preparing candidates for the RYA Yachtmaster examination.

The RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence (CoC) is the penultimate qualification in the RYA’s training programme with only Yachtmaster Ocean and subsequent instructor certifications being superior to it.  A holder of the Yachtmaster Offshore CoC can pursue commercial endorsement through the RYA (on behalf of the Department of Transport (DoT) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)) which then allows you to work in the maritime industry.

RYA Yachtsmaster Preperation & Exam with Academy Sailing

The Certificate of Competence is only available after an independently assessed practical examination has been undertaken and passed. The candidate is examined on the water by an RYA appointed Yachtmaster Examiner. Candidates may be quizzed on any part of the Yachtmaster syllabus including the shorebased theory components.

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Yachtmaster Coastal vs Yachtmaster Offshore

RYA Yachtsmaster Preperation & Exam with Academy Sailing

The Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence is split into three levels. These are:-
 

  • Yachtmaster Coastal

  • Yachtmaster Offshore

  • Yachtmaster Ocean

 

Unlike the RYA Day Skipper or RYA Coastal qualifications, all three qualifications are gained through external examination.

The holder of a Yachtmaster Coastal CoC should be competent to skipper a yacht of up to 24 metres LOA in waters up to 20 miles from a safe haven. A Yachtmaster Offshore is qualified to skipper a vessel of the same size up to 150 miles from a safe haven. The Yachtmaster Ocean CoC extends the Yachtmaster Offshore qualification and qualifies the holder to skipper a vessel of the same size and up to 200gt anywhere in the world with no limits on distance from a safe haven, meaning this is an ocean-crossing professional qualification.

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The difference between the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and RYA Yachtmaster Coastal is primarily one of depth of knowledge and competence. A good candidate has probably been RYA Day Skipper qualified for a few years (perhaps Coastal Skipper too) and should have sailed extensively in different areas as skipper. He or she should also have recently studied for and passed the RYA Yachtmaster Shorebased Theory Course.

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Readiness

RYA Yachtsmaster Preperation & Exam with Academy Sailing

Sailors interested in attaining the Yachtmaster CoC should be under no illusion with regards to the high standards required to achieve this qualification. Your Academy Sailing RYA Yachmaster Instructor will help refine your practical and application of theory knowledge during your preparation course, but they step ashore when handing over to the independent RYA Yachtmaster Examiner.

At Academy Sailing we will discuss your experience level and general readiness before committing you to the preparation course and exam. As a rule of thumb, your current theory knowledge should be at Yachtmaster theory level with a good knowledge of navigation, weather, readying and managing a yacht and her crew, and with the ability to handle a yacht under power or sail in close quarters situations. But this is a preparation course so the whole point is to provide a tailored focus on skills you want help refining so as to be as ready for the examiner as possible.

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Pre-Course / Exam Requirements

 

Minimum age of 17 for Yachtmaster Coastal CoC or 18 for Yachtmaster Offshore.

 

Yachtmaster Coastal exam candidates:-

 

  • 30 days at sea.

  • 2 days as skipper and at least 800 miles logged, including 12 night hours.

  • Half the qualifying sea time must be conducted in tidal waters.

 

If you hold the Coastal Skipper course certificate already then the above is reduced to:-

 

  • 20 days at sea with 2 days as skipper, 400 miles logged and 12 night hours.

  • Half the qualifying sea time must be conducted in tidal waters.

 

Yachtmaster Offshore exam candidates:-

 

  • 50 days at sea.

  • 2,500 miles logged, including at least 5 passages over 60 miles measured along the rhumb line from the port of departure to the destination, acting as skipper for at least two of these passages and including two which have involved overnight passages.

  • The candidate must have 5 days experience as skipper. At least half this mileage and passages must be in tidal waters.

  • All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to the exam.

  • All qualifying seatime should be ​on a sailing yacht of no more than 24m LOA.

 

All  Candidates (Yachmaster Coastal and Yachtmaster Offshore) should:-

 

  • Hold the RYA Yachtmaster theory qualification.

  • Hold a GMDSS compliant Marine Radio Operator's Certificate such as the RYA Short Range Certificate or higher

  • Have an in-date RYA First Aid Certificate or another valid first aid certificate (as detailed on the RYA website).

  • Have (and bring with them) a photographic ID card, or document such as passport or driving license, along with 2 recent passport photos.

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Course Length

 

The Yachtmaster course itself lasts 5 days, and the exam part lasts up to 2 days. This means the overall period is 7 days.

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What's Included?

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There are no hidden extra costs to any of our courses. Your course fee covers:-
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  • Accommodation (yacht has central heating throughout)

  • All meals - delicious breakfasts, lunches and evening meals on board

  • Tea / coffee / snacks all day

  • Free parking at the marina

  • Your own allocated bunk

  • Use of state-of-the-art GoreTex sailing jacket and salopettes (new every season)

  • All safety equipment including personal issue lifejacket

  • Your RYA Instructor & hire of the yacht

  • All mooring fees

  • Fuel and gas

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Cost; £1050

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There are a maximum of only 3 students on a Yachtmaster course. The £1050 cost covers both the 5 day preparation course and up to 2 additional days use of the yacht included at the end of the 5 days. As per RYA policy and procedure, the RYA examination fee is paid separately to the RYA by the student. There are no hidden extras. A deposit of £250 reserves a place on your chosen course with the balance being due 7 weeks before the start of the course. See full terms and conditions for more information.

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From our base in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, we are close to London and easy to reach from across the east of England.

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Maximum student to instructor ratio 3:1.

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Course Syllabus

 

Every Yachtmaster Preparation course is different. This is because your RYA Yachtmaster Instructor will tailor your time on board to focus on the skills you want help refining in readiness for the exam.   

 

​Your independent RYA Yachmaster Examiner will expect you to be able to demonstrate competence with the following:-

 

International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS) questions will be confined to the International Regulations and although candidates must be aware of the existence of Local Regulations, they will not be expected to memorise specific local regulations. IRPCS regs to have good knowledge of:-

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  • General rules (1-3).

  • Steering and sailing rules (4-19).

  • Lights and shapes (20-31).

  • Sound and light signals (32-37).

  • Signals for vessels fishing in close proximity (Annex II).

  • Distress signals (Annex IV).

 

Safety; Candidates will be expected to know what safety equipment should be carried on board a yacht, based either on the recommendations in the RYA Boat Safety Handbook (C8), the ISAF Special Regulations or the Codes of Practice for the safety of Small Commercial Vessels. In particular, candidates must know the responsibilities of a skipper in relation to:-

 

  • Safety harnesses.

  • Lifejackets.

  • Distress flares.

  • Fire prevention and fighting.

  • Liferafts Knowledge of rescue procedures.

  • Helicopter rescue.

 

Candidates for Yachtmaster Offshore will be expected to answer questions or demonstrate ability in more complex situations and will also be expected to show a higher level of expertise including:-

 

  • Coming to and weighing anchor under power or sail in various conditions of wind and tide.

  • All berthing and unberthing situations in various conditions of wind and tide.

  • Recovery of man overboard (under both sail or power).

  • Towing under open sea conditions and in confined areas.

  • Boat handling in confined areas under sail.

  • Boat handling in heavy weather helmsmanship and sail trim to sail to best advantage.

  • Use of warps for securing in an alongside berth and for shifting berth or winding.

 

General Seamanship including:-

 

  • Maintenance.

  • Properties, use and care of synthetic fibre ropes.

  • Knots.

  • General deck-work at sea and in harbour.

  • Engine operations and routine checks.

  • Improvisation of jury rigs following gear failure.

 

Responsibilities of skipper:-

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  • Can skipper a yacht and manage the crew.

  • Communication with crew.

  • Delegation of responsibility and watch-keeping organisation.

  • Preparing yacht for sea and for adverse weather.

  • Tactics for heavy weather and restricted visibilityEmergency and distress situations.

  • Victualling for a cruise and feeding at sea.

  • Customs procedures.

  • Standards of behaviour and courtesy.

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Navigation:-

 

  • Charts, navigational publications and sources of navigational information.

  • Chartwork including position fixing and shaping course to allow for tidal stream and leeway.

  • Tide and tidal stream calculations.

  • Buoyage and visual aids to navigation.

  • Instruments including compasses, logs, echo sounders, radio navaids and chartwork instruments.

  • Passage planning and navigational tactics.

  • Pilotage techniques.

  • Navigational records.

  • Limits of navigational accuracy and margins if safety.

  • Lee shore dangers.

  • Use of electronic navigation aids for passage planning and passage navigation.

  • Use of waypoints and electronic routing.

 

Meteorology:-

 

Definition of terms.

Sources of weather forecasts.

Weather systems and local weather effects.

Interpretation of weather forecasts, barometric trends and visible phenomena.

Ability to make passage planning decisions based on forecast information.

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Yachtmaster Enquiry

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