RYA Training diagram flow
«Click» on any of the courses below to get full information on syllabusses and requirements ■
«start yachting» [practical]
A short introduction to sailing for complete beginners
By the end of the course you will have experienced steering a yacht, sail handling, ropework and be aware of safety on board. Holders of the Start Yachting certificate can go on to complete the Competence Crew course in a reduced time of three days or two weekends ■
►Pre-course experience
none
►Assumed knowledge
none
►Minimum duration
two days
►Minimum age
none
►Course content
The yacht, ropework, underway,
rules of the road, man overboard recovery,
clothing and equipment, Emergency
equipment and precautions, meteorology;
►Ability after the course
Basic knowledge of yachting.
«essential navigation & seamanship» [shorebased]
The course has been available in the classroom for a few years, but now it is possible to take it online too through our RYA Interactive e-learning site. However you decide to take the course, it offers a great introduction to navigation and safety awareness for new, inexperienced or rusty skippers and crew. This course is for anyone interested in sailing, motor boating, sea angling or diving, and works well in complementing our on-the-water training, such as the Powerboat Level 2, Start Yachting and Helmsman courses. This is a highly informative course with lots of opportunities for you to put your new found knowledge into practice. If you decide to take the course online, you will find many interactive exercises to help reinforce the information and lots of chances to try out what you’ve learned. In the classroom, the course is taught over 16 hours with exercises to complete along the way. It can be covered as a series of short sessions or over two full days. You will receive a course pack which includes a chart, plotter, dividers, course handbook, exercises and an electronic chart plotter CD ■
course topics include
►Charts and publications;
► Safety;
► Engine checks;
► Buoyage;
► Tidal awareness;
► Visual and electronic navigation;
► Pilotage;
► Rules of the road;
► Anchoring;
► Weather forecasts;
► Passage planning;
«competent crew» [practical]
This course is for beginners and those who would like to become active crew members rather than just passengers
Experience living on board and really get to know the boat. Virtually all the course is hands on. You are the crew - without you the sails won’t go up and the boat won’t be steered. By the end of the course you should be able to steer, handle sails, keep a lookout, row a dinghy and assist in all the day to day duties on board. You should also have visited some interesting places and had an enjoyable holiday ■
►Pre-course experience
none
►Assumed knowledge
none
►Minimum duration
5 days. Often run over 3 weekends or 3 days
plus a weekend. If you hav done the Start
Yachting course, this course can be
completed in 3 or 4 days;
►Minimum age
none
►Course content
Knowledge of sea terms and parts of a boat,
her rigging and sails, sail handling, ropework,
fire precautions and fighting, personal safety
equipment, man overboard, emergency
equipment, meteorology, seasickness,
helmsmanship, general duties, manners
and customs, rules of the road, dinghies;
►Ability after the course
Able to steer, handle sails, keep a lookout,
row a dinghy and assist in all the day to day
routines.
«day skipper» [shorebased]
This course covers the prescribed syllabus for the award of the RYA Day Skipper shorebased certificate
The Day Skipper Course is designed primarily for: • Students who are new to sailing; • Students with dinghy or a little crewing experience; • Boatowners who have yet to make extended passages at sea; Course material includes charts , Admiralty and RYA publications, personal tuition, RYA Day Skipper shorebased assessment and certificate ■
►Pre-course experience
none
►Assumed knowledge
We assume no previous knowledge and
each opic is fully explained and illustrated
as it is introduced.;
►Minimum duration
Course can be completed in 40 hours,
at 8 hours it can be completed in 5 days;
►Course content
Beginning with simple chartwork and nautical
erminology, the course progresses through to
tidal predictions, buoyage recognition,
position fixing (including GPS), steering
and sailing rules, weather patterns, and
navigation in fog and at night. The emphasis
throughout the course is upon personal
safety, including the use of man-overboard
equipment, lifejackets, flares, HF and GMDSS;
► Ability after the course
As the course draws to a conclusion, all these
subjects are combined in a demonstration of
practical passage planning, giving sufficient
knowledge for conducting your own coastal
passage or similar passage.
«day skipper» [practical]
Our RYA Day Skipper training will guide you through preparation for sea, deck work, navigation, pilotage, and meteorology. Learn the rules of the road, maintenance and repair work, engines, and how to cope in emergency situations. The exciting part comes when you start learning how to handle the yacht, both under sail and under power. Passage making and night cruising are highlights of the RYA Day Skipper course ■
►Pre-course experience
5 days sea time, 100 miles, 4 night hours;
►Assumed knowledge
Navigation to day Skipper Shorebased
and basic sailing ability;
►Minimum duration
5 days;
►Minimum age
16 years;
►Course content
Basic Pilotage, boat handling,
watch organisation;
►Ability after the course
Skipper a small yacht
in familiar waters by day.
«coastal skipper & yachtmaster® offshore» [shorebased]
This course covers the prescribed syllabus for the award of the RYA | MCA Yachtmaster® Coastal | Yachtmaster® shorebased certificate
The format of the course is such that the introductory modules act as a refresher on the basic concepts of navigation. However, it is too brief to be of value to the complete beginner and is intended to assist those whose knowledge has become a bit rusty. Course material includes: • charts • Admiralty and RYA publications • personal tuition • RYA/MCA Coastal Skipper | Yachtmaster® Offshore shorebased assessment and certificate ■
►Pre-course experience
People who have previously complete
a Day Skipper theory course;
►Assumed knowledge
People who have sufficient knowledge
to be able to plot EPs, CTS, calculate
secondary port tidal heights and
interpolate tidal streams;
►Minimum duration
Courses takes 40-45 hours of study ;
►Course content
Navigational techniques are refined
and expanded upon and whilst chartwork
(including electronic aids) and tidal
factors are studied to an advanced level,
the emphasis is upon the practical
knowledge required to become a skilled
offshore skipper. Safety is stressed
throughout with emphasis on collision
regulations, interpreting weather forecasts,
boat handling and coping with emergencies,
concludes the course at an internationally
recognised level of competence.
«coastal skipper» [practical]
Advanced skippering techniques for yachtsmen and women with considerable knowledge of sailing and navigation,
wanting to undertake coastal passages by day and night
Like the Day Skipper course, this course consists of skippered passages in a variety of situations. Each trainee will skipper more challenging passages and learn more about passage planning, pilotage by day and night, boat handling, safety and emergency situations. It is a satisfying but intensive week, with candidates often working towards a Certificate of Competence.
Most centres will expect you to complete the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster® Offshore shorebased course beforehand as there is insufficient time to teach you theory during the week. Coastal Skippers should be able to undertake more difficult passages by day and night and handle the yacht in more demanding conditions. By the end of the course you should have the knowledge, if not the experience, to become a Yachtmaster®. The course can be taken in tidal or non-tidal waters and your certificate will be endorsed accordingly ■
►Pre-course experience
15 days, 2 days as skipper,
300 miles, 8 night hours;
►Assumed knowledge
Boat handling to the standard of Day Skipper
and navigation to shorebased Coastal;
►Minimum duration | age
5 days | 17 years;
►Course content
Passage planning, Preparation for sea,
Pilotage, Passage making and ability as
skipper, Yacht handling under power,
Yacht handling under sail, Adverse weather
conditions, Emergency situations;
►Ability after the course
Able to skipper a yacht on coastal
passages by day and night.
«yachtmaster® ocean» [shorebased]
This course covers the prescribed syllabus for the award of the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster® Ocean shorebased certificate
When out of sight of land for prolonged periods we can no longer depend on the comforting presence of traditional+ navigational marks, and so we have to rely on the sun, moon and stars as well as electronic aids to find our position and maintain our intended ocean route. Whilst looking at both these aspects of navigation this course concentrates on astronavigation by observation of all the celestial bodies ■
►Assumed knowledge
No advanced mathematics is involved
nor is the possession of a sextant required.
Assuming a prior knowledge of coastal
navigation, the recognition of the stars
and navigational planets is explained
together with the use of a sextant;
►Minimum duration
Course can be completed in as little
as four weeks. On average, at 4 hours
a week it could take 5 - 6 months
to complete. Full tutor support
is provided for 12 months;
►Course content
Electronic instrumentation, now in everyday
use, is a vital part of the course. Meteorology
and climatology, and the planning of ocean
passages, complete the syllabus.
Course material includes: • extracts from the
Nautical Almanac • practice astronomical
tables • personal tuition (including assessment
papers) • RYA/MCA Yachtmaster® Ocean
shorebased assessment and certificate.
«RYA yachtmaster® coastal» [certificate of competence]
The Yachtmaster® Coastal has the knowledge needed to skipper a yacht on coastal cruises but does not necessarily
have the experience needed to undertake longer passages
Full details of the exam requirements | syllabus are shown in the RYA’s Sail Cruising Logbook (code G15) and the Motor Cruising Logbook (code G18), both available from the RYA webshop. Yachtmaster® Coastal practical exams can be taken under sail or power and your certificate will be endorsed accordingly;
The candidate or a training centre provides the boat and the RYA provides an examiner. The exam will include: • assessment of your skippering skills • boat handling • navigation • general seamanship • safety awareness and knowledge of the IRPCS (collision regulations) • meteorology and signals;
Candidates will be set tasks to demonstrate their ability and may also be asked questions on any part of the syllabus for all practical and shore-based courses up to Yachtmaster® Coastal level ■
exam pre-requisites
►Minimum seatime
30 days, 2 days as skipper, 800 miles,
12 night hours (if you hold the Coastal
Skipper course certificate this is reduced
to 20 days, 2 days as skipper, 400 miles,
12 night hours). Half the qualifying sea
time must be conducted in tidal waters;
►Form of exam
Practical;
►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).
All candidates are required to hold
a first aid certificate. Acceptable certificates
include the RYA’s First Aid Certificate,
First Aid at Work, First Aid at Sea,
or any other certificate issued on completion
of a course which is a minimum of one day’s
duration, recognised by the Health and Safety
Executive and includes the treatment of
ypothermia, cold shock and drowning;
►Minimum exam duration
6-10 hours for 1 candidate,
8-14 hours for 2 candidates;
►Minimum age
17 years.
«RYA yachtmaster® offshore» [certificate of competence]
The Yachtmaster® Offshore is competent
to skipper a cruising yacht on any passage during which the yacht is no more than 150 miles from Harbour
Full details of the exam requirements | syllabus are shown in the RYA’s Sail and Motor Cruising Logbook (code G158), available from the RYA webshop. Yachtmaster® Offshore practical exams can be taken under sail or power and your certificate will be endorsed accordingly. There is no formal training course leading up to the exam, but those who have not previously taken RYA courses often find it useful to book themselves in for some informal training at an RYA centre prior to their exam. This training can be tailor-made to your specific needs and helps to fill any gaps in your knowledge that may become apparent ■
exam pre-requisites
►Minimum seatime
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;
►Form of exam
Practical;
►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).
All candidates are required to hold
a first aid certificate. Acceptable certificates
include the RYA’s First Aid Certificate,
First Aid at Work, First Aid at Sea,
or any other certificate issued on completion
of a course which is a minimum of one day’s
duration, recognised by the Health and Safety
Executive and includes the treatment of
ypothermia, cold shock and drowning;
►Minimum exam duration
8-12 hours for 1 candidate,
10-18 hours for 2 candidates.
No more than two candidates can be
examined in 24 hours and no more
than four candidates can be examined
in one 2 day session;
►Minimum age
18 years.
«RYA yachtmaster® ocean» [oral exam]
A person holding a Yachtmaster® Ocean qualification is experienced
and competent to skipper a yacht on passages of any length in all parts of the world
The Yachtmaster®Ocean exam is an oral and written test of your knowledge of ocean passage making including planning, navigation, worldwide meteorology, crew management, yacht preparation, maintenance and repairs. You will also be questioned on your sights taken at sea during an ocean passage ■
exam pre-requisites
►Minimum seatime
Ocean passage as skipper or mate of watch.
The candidate was fully involved in the
planning of the passage, including selection of
the route, the navigational plan, checking the
material condition of the yacht and her
equipment, storing spare gear, water and
victuals and organising the watch-keeping
routine; During the 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 charted objects while
sailing a distance of at least 200 miles.
All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years
prior to the exam;
►Form of exam
Oral and written assessment of sights
take at sea. If you hold the Yachtmaster®
Ocean shorebased certificate you are exempt
from the written assessment;
►Certification required
A GMDSS Short Range Certificate (SRC)
or higher grade of marine radio certificate.
A valid first aid certificate (first aid
qualifications held by Police, Fire and Armed
Services are acceptable). All candidates are
required to hold a first aid certificate.
Acceptable certificates include the RYA’s First
Aid Certificate, First Aid at Work, First Aid
at Sea, or any other certificate issued on
completion of a course which is a minimum
of one day’s duration, recognised by
the Health and Safety Executive and includes
the treatment of ypothermia, cold shock and
drowning;
►Minimum exam duration
Approximately 1.5 hours;
►Minimum age 18 years.
share VMByachts on social