Own Boat Tuition
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Course content:
The preparation part of the week is intended to act as a refresher on pilotage, boat handling, safety, skippering and passage planning. In particular, skills like blind navigation, electronic navigation (radar and GPS), night pilotage and MOB procedure are considered. During the exam, candidates will be set tasks to demonstrate their ability as a Yachtmaster and can be asked questions on any part of the syllabus for all practical and shorebased courses up to Yachtmaster level.
What’s included:
What’s not included:
Course duration:
Minimum four days plus the exam. If only 1 candidate preparation will be reduced to 2 / 3 days. Night work included.
Exams: 1 day per 2 students maximum 2 days
Full details of the exam syllabus, and requirements, are shown in the RYA’s Motor Cruising Logbook (code G158).
There isn’t a formal ‘Yachtmaster’ training course leading up to the ‘Yachtmaster’ exam. Those who have not previously taken RYA courses often find it useful to book themselves in for some informal yachtmaster training at an RYA centre prior to their exam. ‘Yachtmaster’ prep/exam candidates should be honest with themselves when assessing their boat handling ability and if your boat handling (twin shaft) is weak then time spent strengthening this aspect, prior to your prep week will be invaluable. Mendez Marine can help you prep your boat handling skills and theory in order to get you to where you need to be.
The Yachtmaster™ “Prep” Course is designed to find out the weak points and work them up to exam standard. These “Prep” courses are scheduled or can be run on demand and will include time for the exam.
Please note… The Yachtmaster Exam is a pass or fail exam – we will do our utmost to polish your existing skills in preparation for the exam but there is little or no time to teach new skills such as boat handling.
How can I take this course?
The exam preparation course is held on our school boat, Fenland Dancer. She is a Princess 368 with a fly bridge and 2 x 300Hp Cummins engines on shafts. She has the latest Raymarine electronic equipment and her salon was refurbished summer 2019.
Any classroom work takes place in the Mendez Marine office or onboard Fenland Dancer.
Charter of boat only for an exam is £1200
| Pre-requisites | Knowledge up to RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Theory. The full course certificate, with an adjudicated exam if Commercial Endorsement required. Understanding of electronic navigation equipment, practical use of Radar and understand how a Diesel engine works |
| Minimum seatime | Coastal: 30 days motor cruising, 800 miles logged, 12 night hours, 2 days as skipper (ideally over 60 miles along the rhumb line). If you hold the Coastal Skipper practical course completion certificate this is reduced to 20 days, 400 miles, 12 night hours, 2 days as skipper (ideally over 60 miles along the rhumb line). Offshore: 50 days, 2,500 miles 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. 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. NB. Qualifying seatime in boats over 24m only counts as 50% of the minimum requirement. Refer to RYA qualifying passages |
| Form of exam | Practical |
| Exam duration | Coastal: 6-10 hours for one candidate, 8-14 hours for two candidates Offshore: 8-12 hours for 1 candidate, 10-18 hours for 2 candidates. Including night exercise. |
| Minimum Duration | 2 days if only 1 candidate plus exam. There will be 1 night exercise. |
| Minimum age | 18 years |
| Maximum Student : Instructor Ratio | 5:1 (due to the size of the school boat we keep student ratios to 4 : 1) |
| Certification required | A restricted (VHF only) Radio Operators Certificate or a GMDSS Short Range Certificate or higher grade of marine radio certificate. A valid first aid certificate (first aid qualifications held by Police, Fire and Armed Services are acceptable) or STCW basic safety training. |
| Recommended Certificates | RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster Theory, RYA Radar, RYA Diesel Engine |
The exam will include an assessment of your skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRPCS, meteorology and signals.
The exam fee is additional and is currently £224.00 Offshore, £193 Coastal. Commercial Endorsement costs £35.00
If taking the Preparation course and exam on your own boat: The boat used must be between 7m (23ft) and 24m (78ft) and be in sound, seaworthy condition, equipped to the standard set out in the RYA book Cruising Yacht Safety (code C8). The boat must be equipped with a full up to date set of charts and navigational publications and be efficiently crewed (minimum 2), as the examiner will not take part in the management of the boat during the exam.
Before you book your exam please check that you:
If you need a Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence in order to work on board a commercial craft subject to the MCA’s codes of practice, you will need to get it commercially endorsed. You can then work as a Master of commercial vessels of up to 200gt in category 1 to 6 waters – up to 150 miles from a safe haven.
The RYA Yachtmaster™ Offshore Certificate of Competence can be used commercially in its own right. It is also a pre-requisite for the MCA’s Officer of the Watch qualification, which enables you to work worldwide on vessels of up to 3000gt. click here for information.
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