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How to Pass the Yachtmaster Exam

Yachtmaster certificate of competence exam top tips, which yachtmaster.

First we need to be clear which Yachtmaster exam we are talking about. Leaving things like the Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner Qualifications aside there are no less than 8 separate RYA certificates that are called “Yachtmaster”. This includes the 3 independently examined levels of Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence, (coastal, offshore and ocean).

RYA MCA Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased Course

( Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased for short). This is a 6 day course which includes three written papers. It is assumed knowledge for all of the certificates that follow, so we will assume for the purposes of this article that you have already completed this course.

Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence (power or sail)

This certificate follows the successful completion of a practical exam which is discussed in this article. The exam can be taken on board a sailing yacht or motor boat, (and the qualification is endorsed for the relative type of craft). The Yachtmaster Coastal CoC certifies skippers to operate  up-to 20 miles from a safe haven on board commercial vessels up-to 24m, carrying up-to 12 passengers. It can also be used as an entry requirement for super yacht Officer Training ( OOW 3000 ).

Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence (power or sail)

A higher level practical exam, also discussed in this article. This certifies skippers to operate up-to 150 miles from a safe haven on board commercial vessels up-to 2000 tonnes, (again with up-to 12 passengers). It can also be used as an entry requirement for super yacht officer training and is a requirement to progress onto Yachtmaster Ocean CoC (below) and/or  MCA Master 200 .

RYA MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Certificate

aka Ocean Shorebased . This is a 5 day (or 40 hour online) course which includes one written paper. It is assumed knowledge for the oral exam that follows and beyond the scope of this article. You can read all about the Ocean Yachtmaster Course and Exam here .

Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence (power or sail)

An even higher level certificate that qualifies the holder to skipper beyond the 150 mile from a safe haven limit of the Yachtmaster Offshore CoC. The Yachtmaster Ocean exam is an oral exam and one of its pre requisites is the Yachtmaster Offshore CoC (above).The Yachtmaster Ocean Exam is beyond the scope of this article, but by popular request we have written a separate article about it,   MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence .

RYA MCA Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore Certificate of Competence Practical Exam

Getting back on topic this article specifically relates to the two practical exams (Coastal and Offshore), each can be taken onboard a sailing yacht or motor boat.

The exam for the Yachtmaster Coastal CoC and the Yachtmaster Offshore CoC is very similar and in fact different candidates can be examined together even if they are not taking the same level.

Exams are conducted with 1-4 candidates on board the vessel.

You can take the Yachtmaster exam on a sailing yacht or motorboat, and you will become a Sail or Power Yachtmaster as appropriate. This article covers sail and power exams as much of the advice is generic.

The RYA/MCA Yachtmaster qualification is the global standard for sailing and motor boating. The definition of a Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore is: ‘A yachtsman or woman competent to skipper a cruising yacht on any passage that can be completed without the use of astro navigation.’

The RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence remains the logical target of many a self-motivated sailor. It also represents the icing on the cake for those looking for the reassurance of an external assessment.

How long is the Yachtmaster Exam?

There can be up to 4 candidates on the boat with the examiner. A examiner will not conduct more than 4 exams at once and will not plan to examine more than 2 candidates in a 24 hour period. He/she will need to see each candidate skipper the boat underway by night.

Yachtmaster Coastal Exam Duration

• 1 Candidate – 6 to 10 hours
• More than one candidate  – 4 to 8 hours each

Yachtmaster Offshore Exam Duration

• 1 Candidate – 8 to 12 hours
• More than one candidate  – 5 to 9 hours each

For many candidates this means there will be a pause mid-exam while they and the examiner get some sleep before restarting in the morning. It is not unknown for exams to span two nights if there are 4 candidates (for example Friday evening 1800- Sunday morning 1100)

Listed below are some top tips to help you prepare for your RYA/MCA Yachtmaster exam.

Prepare early for your yachtmaster exam.

Most candidates spend some time with an Instructor, whether this is a 5-day preparation course with a sea school or some bespoke tuition on board their own boat. A half decent Yachtmaster Instructor will take you through many of the exercises that an Examiner will expect you to demonstrate and will put you in the mind-set of an exam candidate.

On the day  of the exam make sure you are ready in good time so that you aren’t involved in a last-minute faff. If you’re relaxing in the cockpit with a cup of tea when the examiner arrives, the examiner will be more impressed than if you’ve put yourself under stress attempting to work out the day’s tidal heights or secondary ports last minute!

When given a navigation task, prepare fully, make notes, prepare pilotage sketches and plan well! Nip below every so often en route to keep an eye on what’s going on in the chart department and whizz back on deck pronto to carry on skippering the boat. Don’t panic and don’t spend all your time sat behind the chart table, taking no notice of what’s going on around you, this is an obvious sign of someone who is ill prepared for the passage they are skippering.

HAVE YOUR YACHTMASTER EXAM PAPERWORK READY (and the kettle boiling)

The very first part of the exam will be paperwork. Before the examiner can proceed he/she will;

• Ask for your completed exam application form, be sure it is completed in advance and details your qualifying sea time.
• Ask for payment, (the examiner can not proceed if you do not pay up front)
• Ask for sight of your Short Range Certificate , (or a pass form if you have recently taken the course and exam and are awaiting the actual certificate). Higher level GMDSS certificates are acceptable.
• Request a passport photo of you (write your name on the back).
• Chat with you about your yachting background and qualifying sea time
• Outline what he/she expect from you over the coming day(s).

If you are applying for a commercial endorsement at the same time you will also require as a minimum;

• PPR Certificate
• Sea Survival Certificate
• Seafarers Medical Certificate
• Commercial endorsement form and payment

You will also need to hold an in date  First Aid Certificate .

BE TIDY AND ORGANISED THROUGHOUT YOUR YACHTMASTER EXAM

First impressions count! Make yourself presentable and ensure you’re looking professional. That’s you and the boat!

Make sure the yacht is clean, tidy and seamanlike. The waterline crisp, sail covers looking ship shape, ropes coiled neatly and carefully stowed and fenders aligned. An experienced skipper once told me, you should know your boat so well that you should be able to find anything you need at any moment in time, including at night during power failure! A tidy boat is a sure sign of a safe boat.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT PREPARATION, FOR YOUR YACHTMASTER EXAM

Repetition, repetition, repetition. There is no point in having sailed (or motored) thousands and thousands of nautical miles if you can’t carry out Day Skipper tasks. If you can not confidently demonstrate all boat handling or seamanship skills, such as picking up a mooring buoy or putting a reef in, then you’re not ready for the exam yet!

There is nothing worse than entering or leaving a marina, wondering if you’re going to hit something. Brief your crew, make sure everyone knows what they are doing, and proceed with confidence. If the boat slides smoothly out of her berth with crew briefed and knowing what’s expected you will look good. Your calm manner, and a sensible amount of revs for power handling will immediately put the examiner’s mind at ease and give no reason for concern. If Plan A fails, take a breath, and start over. The examiner understands that mistakes can be made under exam conditions, he/she will be more impressed if you stop, recompose yourself and get the manoeuvre right, rather than continue to try and complete a bodged first attempt. There is no such things as a perfect exam, every candidate will make small mistakes, the stronger candidates will spot them, themselves and do something about them.

Without a doubt, you will be quizzed on COLREGS . There’s no reason for a candidate, not to have these regulations engrained into their brain. A good way of ensuring you have these nailed, is to study ‘A Seaman’s Guide to the Rule of the Road.’

YACHTMASTER EXAM IRPCS

There is no need to learn the collision regulation parrot fashion but you should have a working knowledge of every rule and you should be able to;

• Identify any vessel at night by lights
• Describe the day shape for any vessel
• Describe the fog signal for any vessel
• Explain any rule
• Apply the collision regulations practically through the exam
• Explain what actions you would take in fog if you have detected another vessel by radar alone.

Candidates who forget a particular rule such as “ what does a vessel constrained by night display at night? ” MAY still pass if they know the rest of the rules and are otherwise strong, however a candidate who fails to apply the rules correctly when he/she is skippering will fail. If a large vessel sounds 5 horns at you during your exam you are going to have to work very hard to recover! Do not put yourself in a position where this might occur.

YACHTMASTER OFFSHORE SHOREBASED KNOWLEDGE

Be ready, know your subject.

You can be quizzed on anything within the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased Course,  you will also be expected to put the navigation, IRPCS, passage planning and forecast skills from this course into practice. If you don’t have this knowledge then you are waisting your exam fee as you will fail. You will also be tested on a basic understanding of Radar and Diesel engines . I am a strong believer that all Yachtmaster candidates as well as having passed the Yachtmaster Offshore Shorebased course should also have attended the following courses before taking their practical exam as you can be tested on any and all of these areas.

• RYA Short Range Certificate , it is likely you will each be quizzed on VHF procedures, distress alerting, the mayday call or other calls during the exam. You may also need to make a routine call to a marina or harbour during the exam.
• RYA Sea Survival . The safety brief that you deliver will include lots of content from this course, (i.e flares, EPIRB, life raft and life jackets), you can expect to be questioned on more detail on these and other areas.
• RYA Diesel . Typically candidates will be examined on engine checks and they will also be given a part of the engine to talk about or a common problem to solve, for example, “ Can you talk me through how you would bleed the full system on this engine ,” or “ Show me the components of the cooling system and explain which part of it may need servicing at sea if the system has run dry for a brief period’ “
• RYA Radar.  If the vessel is fitted with a radar you will be tested on its basic set up and use. You should be able to fix position by radar, find a spot on the chart by radar and identify when a risk of collision exists by radar. If there is not a radar set on board, any of this can be tested theoretically. All candidates should be tested on radar and motor candidate tend to be pushed a little further on this area, (while they escape the sailing part of the assessment).
• RYA First Aid . While you are required to hold a First Aid Certificate, Yachtmaster examiners will not test First Aid beyond the treatment for hypothermia, the effects of cold shock, calling for medical assistance and discussing evacuation by helicopter.

TAKE CHARGE DURING YOUR YACHTMASTER EXAM

One of the key things an examiner is looking for, is to see how good the candidates are at taking charge. This is more than just a sailing (or motoring) exam it is a skippering exam. Can you manage your boat? Can you manage your crew? Clear, decisive and safe briefings followed by ongoing directions to the crew are required.

Good leadership and seamanship alike, do not involve barking orders, it is about being in control in a calm, effective and efficient manner while showing you can skipper (lead). Demonstrate your organisational and methodical thinking.

Play to your strengths. There is no definitive way to be a skipper, so don’t change your tried and tested methods to try and impress. Stick with what you know and carry them out smoothly and confidently. Don’t rush and panic. “Go slow like a pro.”

YACHMASTER EXAM MAN OVERBOARD

It is almost a, “dead cert,” that each candidate will be asked to demonstrate a MOB drill at some point during the exam. This is typically done using a fender or similar attached to a small weight, (never a real person). There is a myth that Yachtmaster Examiners expect the drill to be carried out by the “RYA method,” and this is true, what is not true however is the various myths of what constitutes the RYA method!

Yachtmaster Exam – Man Overboard RYA Method

Your examiner will expect you to a take charge, not to loose sight of the MOB (fender), to get back to it safely without endangering other crew and to get the boat stopped alongside the casualty with the casualty somewhere safe (i.e near the leeward shroud on a sail boat and not too close to the props on a motor exam), ready for pick up back on board.

Man Overboard Exam Tips

If you are training with other candidates agree a method that works for all of you. When you are the skipper under assessment you want your crew to react and know what is expected of them. If each candidate on the same boat opts for a different MOB method it can lead to confusion.

Along the way you should simulate/say everything relevant to the casualties survival (mention throwing the MOB gear overboard, appoint a spotter, press the MOB function on the GPS, tell the examiner you would assign a crew members to issue a distress alert and Mayday call).

Man Overboard Exam Tips (for sail candidates)

In addition to the tick list in the above paragraph, use the engine! The exact drill of how you reach/tack, slow down, speed up etc. will vary from candidate to candidate and boat to boat. The important thing is that the method you opt to use works and is safe. I advise against gybing during your MOB drill in medium and stronger winds.

A sail candidate who opts to approach the casualty from upwind (where the mainsail will be filled as you sail or motor downwind) would be demonstrating a gross misunderstanding of how to control speed and how to stop a sailing yacht.

Man Overboard Exam Tips (for power candidates)

In addition to the tick list two paragraphs above be mindful of the rest of the crew. If at high speed when the MOB occurs, don’t turn suddenly, instead slow the boat down and ensure crew know if you intend to make a sharp turn. We don’t want  a crew ember (or the examiner) to fall over or worse overboard! On many boats in light and moderate conditions you can turn the boat and follow your wake to return to the MOB, in rougher sea states this might not work. There are basically three steps.

• Dont loose the MOB’s position
• Get back to the MOB
• Get alongside the MOB for pick up, without running him over

On many motor boats having got the boat back to the vicinity of the MOB, it pays to orientate yourself beam onto the wind and upwind of the MOB and allow the vessel to be blown sideways towards the MOB, this protects him/her from the risk of the bow and engine and is often referred to as the drift down method. As with sailing there are lost of variations on this method and what is important is the method that you use is safe and that it works.

YACHMASTER EXAM SAILING MANOUVERS

It is likely that you will be asked to either sail onto or sail off a swinging mooring (mooring bouy), an anchor or a pontoon. Make sure you are comfortable and competent at all before your exam. By way of example I will focus here on the mooring buoy. In non tidal waters the boat will lie on the mooring head to wind so the approach will be on a close reach under mainsail. In tidal waters certain combination of wind against tide may dictate an approach under headsail on a different point of sail.

The examiner will expect to see you;

• Brief the crew on how the manoeuvre will be performed
• Helm throughout the manoeuvre
• Prepare the boat for the manoeuvre (using the crew)
• Select the correct direction and angle of approach
• Select the correct sail combination for this approach
• Control the boat speed on the approach bringing the boat to a stop in a controlled manner
• Picking up and secure to the mooring bouy safely

If at any point the manoeuvre is not working the examiner will expect you to make the decision to bail-out and to have an escape plan in mind. Remember it will be your call to bail out not his.

YACHTMASTER EXAM, BOAT HANDLING UNDER POWER

During the exam you will have to demonstrate some boat handling under power. This may be a natural part of a passage you are skippering (i.e. at the start and end of the passage) or may be a specific boat handling session. Most candidates will demonstrate they can moor up, depart a berth and turn the boat in a confined space. You may be asked to demonstrate more than one berth so the examiner can see how you respond to different states of wind and tide. Some times an examiner will be specific (for example ask you to berth starboard side to, stern first on pontoon XYZ), other times he will leave some of the decision making to you and simply say berth on pontoon ABC. In the second  example he will expect to see you make a sensible decision as to whether to moor bow or stern first and from where to approach. If you are asked to repeat a manoeuvre performed by another candidate do not make the mistake of blindly copying the last candidate, take a minute to consider if they did it well or if an alternative approach would work better. Every boat manouvers differently but there are some givens for close quarter handling;

• Slow is Pro!
• Approaching down forces i.e. down tide (or down wind if no tide) is poor seamanship if you have the option not to
• Using excessive engine revs in confined space demonstrates a lack of experience and control
• Turning against prop walk should be avoided if possible.
• Using wind, tide, pivot points, momentum and prop walk to assist you will all make your manoeuvring easier and, “score you points” in the examiner’s mind.

If the manoeuvre is not working, bailing out safely is far better than perceiving trying to a make the best of a bad job. I can assure you that if you are half way through a manoeuvre and suddenly realise you have selected the wrong approach the examiner has spotted this several minutes earlier. He/she will be quietly hoping you opt to rectify the error rather than compounding it by continuing. Don’t disappoint him by continuing an approach that is clearly too fast or not going to work.

Just like the sailing manoeuvres described above you need to helm the boat through these manoeuvres, brief the crew and perform the manoeuvre well. You should not rely on crew jumping ashore with lines to stop the boat, you as helm should stop the boat so that crew can step ashore safely. If a spring line is appropriate to depart a berth then use it, but don’t over complicate things. It is quite embarrassing when a candidate opts to “spring off” a “wind off” berth when they could have simply just let the lines go. If manoeuvring in close quarters still phases you then you are not ready for the Yachtmaster exam and need some more boat handling practice first.

YACHTMASTER EXAM SUMMARY

There are many more components to the exam (pilotage, blind pilotage, voyage planning etc.) and the above is just a taster. If I have not scared you off yet, you have your own boat and require bespoke training (power or sail) I can be contacted through this site.

Yachtmaster Instructor

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Yachtmaster Theory Quiz

Test your knowledge with these 10 theory questions. The quiz is aimed at those planning to join us for a Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore preparation week. This is NOT an admission test, but it is meant for you to check your theory knowledge and identify any gaps, so they can be filled before you join us for the practical week. Remember, whilst we will also review your theory notions, there will be no time to actually study them if you don’t know them already. And these are only a small sample of what the Yachtmaster examiner may be asking! If your score is not good, please consider signing up for the Yachtmaster Shorebased theory course. Fill in your name and email and click on Start. Select your answer and move onto the next question. At the end of the quiz you will see how you scored and you will be able to review the correct answers.

Yachtmaster - pre test

Test your knowledge with these 10 theory questions. The quiz is aimed at aspiring RYA Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore. Select your answer and move onto the next question. At the end of the quiz you will see how you scored and you will be able to review the correct answers.

Hi, welcome to our Yachtmaster quiz page, where you can informally test your knowledge before attending one of our courses. Please fill out the information below:

What additional lights does a pilot vessel show whilst on duty?

What vessel would show these lights?

What happens to the wind after a cold front has passed (Northern hemisphere)

What is the name of the fog that typically forms at sea?

What is the name of this buoy?

What is the compass course to be followed to hold a True course of 145 degrees?

What is the meaning of this mark?

What is the name of the line that points from you to a target on a Radar screen?

What is the name of the Angle of Heel at which a vessel will capsize?

You hear three horn blasts from a big vessel. What is she communicating?

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

How to pass your Yachtmaster exam

• Chris Beeson
• September 16, 2015

The global standard of sailing qualifications is achievable for any experienced, competent skipper. Tom Cunliffe explains how to pass your Yachtmaster exam

The only certificates accepted by the authorities are those issued after an at-sea examination. To become a fully-fledged Yachtmaster, the practical test is the only one that counts Credit: Graham Snook/YM

Tom Cunliffe is an RYA Yachtmaster examiner. He has passed and failed hundreds of Yachtmaster candidates over the years

We in the UK are exceedingly fortunate. Just as the English language is the best bet for a world traveller, our very own RYA/MCA Yachtmaster qualification happens to be the global standard for sailing. It’s required for anyone planning to become a professional and, thanks to the continuing efforts of the RYA, Brits who sail for leisure still don’t have to carry any proof of competence in home waters. Despite this blessed lack of regulation, the Yachtmaster certificate remains the logical target of many a self-motivated sailor. It also represents the icing on the cake for those looking for the reassurance of an external assessment.

Courses and exams

Yachtmaster training can take place on a boat or in a classroom. A shore-based course, either at desks in a school or via the increasingly popular Internet distance learning programmes, ends with a Yachtmaster theory exam. Success in this will help a student in subsequent qualification upgrades, but it is not officially recognised. The only certificates accepted by the authorities are those issued after an at-sea examination – the Yachtmaster Practical . To become a fully-fledged Yachtmaster, this practical test is the one that really counts.

Yachtmaster Prep

Meteorology matters: a favourite with examiners is to produce a weather map and invite you to analyse it. Be ready and know your subject

This is a non-RYA course and, as such, has no official status or syllabus. However, it is run successfully by many RYA sailing schools to prepare candidates for an examination which generally follows on at the end. Up to four students spend several days together on the boat in which they will be examined. The benefits are that they get to know one another and their yacht under the guidance of a highly qualified Yachtmaster Instructor. The general feeling is that these tutors can’t teach you much you don’t already know in a week, but that they are very good at coaching the best out of those skills you already have. Prep courses are great for brushing up on how to jump through the various hoops an examiner may set up. What they can’t do is make someone who doesn’t have suitably constructive mileage into the confident skipper examiners are looking for.

Coastal or Offshore – what’s my level?

Recently, the old Coastal Skipper ticket has been superseded by the new ‘Yachtmaster Coastal’ certificate. The qualifying mileage for this MCA-recognised qualification is 800, with passage and night-hour requirements being relaxed in comparison with ‘Yachtmaster Offshore’, which keeps its 2,500-mile entry level. Either is a proper Yachtmaster qualification and can be described as such. Only the often-dropped suffix distinguishes the two. The syllabi are identical, the variant is the rigour of the examination. Apply for ‘coastal’ and the examiner, recognising that you have less sea-time, will be more inclined to cut you a bit of slack.

The RYA has noted that most candidates are really only making ‘coastal-status’ passages. In real terms, this includes an annual trip across the Irish Sea, the North Sea or the Channel in a calculated weather window, which is very different from setting off from Ramsgate towards Norway with five days and potentially serious conditions ahead of you. The implications should be clear: unless you need the Offshore ticket for professional reasons, if in doubt, go for Coastal.

Preparing yourself and the boat

A relaxed candidate with a mug of tea makes a better impression than a harassed-looking one

If you’ve signed on with a sailing school, you’ll be stuck with the boat you’re given. You can be confident that this yacht ticks all the official boxes by being coded for commercial use, but while some are very up-together, others are not. If the boat is generally sloppy and scruffy, you can at least make an effort to stow the mainsheet in a seamanlike manner while you are nominally skipper.

Neatly coiled lines reflect well on the skipper

You can also ensure that fenders are hung at the same level, sharpen up the guardrails and see that things generally look as though somebody knows the difference and cares. Then the examiner won’t hold the ratty lifebuoys and the smelly bilge against you.

Mind that your dress and demeanour don’t make a bad first impression

Try to be ready in good time so that you aren’t involved in a last-minute kerfuffle. If you’re relaxing in the cockpit with a mug of tea when the examiner arrives, he or she will be more impressed than if you’re frantically working out tidal heights and scuffling through the chart table. Wear sensible kit. Don’t worry if it’s not this season’s fashion. My examiner turned up in an old duffel coat back in 1978 and I think I was wearing a canvas smock and a flat cap, but the smock was freshly laundered and the cap was right way round…

The main thing is that you can sail, but an examiner is always pleased to be freed of any hassle with the paperwork. Most of us are no better with admin than you are, so make our lives easy by producing an up-to-date first aid ticket and all the rest, plus a cheque made out to the RYA – not the examiner, perish the thought!

Passage planning

Your passage plan should be realistic. Keep it simple and be ready to adapt and update as things develop

You may be given the opportunity to produce a passage plan before the examiner arrives. If so, make it realistic. Don’t plot every course to the last degree. After all, you don’t know what speed you’ll make or what the wind will really do. Check tidal gates, distances, viable alternatives and the weather. Look at any hazards, sort out a time to leave and have a plan for updating as things develop. That’s about what you’d do if there were no exam, and that’s what I, at least, want to see.

Examination on your own boat

A nicely level line of fenders sends a good signal to the examiner

You don’t have to go to a sailing school to be a Yachtmaster. I love it when a candidate asks to be examined without training on his own boat. Don’t worry if she isn’t coded. There’s no legal requirement that she should be. Most of mine haven’t been either, and I couldn’t care less.

As an examiner, I want to see that your priorities are sound and that you’re thinking clearly and for yourself. On the day, the yacht must be clean, tidy and seamanlike. Waterline crisp, sail covers Bristol fashion, not looking like some poor bird with a broken wing, ropes carefully stowed, a comprehensive chart kit for the waters to be sailed, the makings of a meal plus snacks and, of course, everything that counts should be working.

What the examiner is looking for

Feeling relaxed in close quarters

Competent, confident boathandling counts well in your favour

If there’s one thing that will upset an examiner, it isn’t that you forgot to put on your lifejacket, it’s that he feels insecure when you begin manoeuvring in a marina. Take it from me, there’s nothing worse than sitting at the backstay wondering what you’re going to hit. If the boat slides sweetly out of her berth with everyone knowing what’s required and no shouting, then moves away easily with the examiner confident you’re in charge, that you’ve checked the next alleyway for collision risk, that your choice of speed is sensible and efficient and that it never enters his head to feel anxious, you’re well on the way to a pass after five minutes. No course can teach you this. It can only tick the box confirming you’ve managed it once or twice. The rest is up to you and your sea time.

Wind awareness

You should always be aware of the true wind direction and how it will influence any manoeuvres

Here’s another subject you can’t learn on a prep course. Knowing where the wind is and how it relates your position to any impending manoeuvres is critical. I often ask a candidate where the wind is coming from when he’s approaching a situation we both know will involve some sort of gyration under sail. If he looks instinctively at the masthead or, worse still, an instrument set to apparent wind, he’s dropped a bagful of points. At this stage, his mind should be setting up where the boat will best be placed to make her critical turns. Apparent wind isn’t going to help him much. What he should be doing is glancing at the water and noting the tiny ripples to assess what the true wind is actually doing. I’m often amazed at how many folk have never been shown how to do this. Racing sailors can handle it in their sleep, because they need to predict windshifts, but cruisers tend to get lazy, so make sure you can read the wind.

Good sailing

No need for incessant, race-style tweaking, but pay due attention to sail trim while the yacht is under way. If there’s a mainsheet traveller, use it

Ensure that the genoa sheet leads are properly positioned for the point of sail you’re on

Lovely: both mainsail and genoa set up with the right amounts of tension and twist

All examiners hate to see a yacht sloppily sailed on passage. Make sure that your crew are using the traveller, that genoa fairleads are properly positioned, that the main is well set up with kicker and mainsheet tension for twist. Above all, do not sail over-sheeted. It’s a dead giveaway that you just haven’t been out there enough yet.

Too much staring at the plotter screen betrays nervousness

In the days before GPS set navigators free, people used to fail exams by what we called ‘sailing the chart table’ rather than skippering the yacht. Assuming the test to be all about some sort of imagined ‘correct navigational practice’, candidates nailed themselves to the navigatorium when they should have been up on deck directing operations and watching out for the ship coming up astern that was suddenly looking bigger every moment. Well, guess what? Nothing has changed. This remains a big problem with neophyte Yachtmasters.

Sail the boat, not the chart table

The secret is to plan well, then nip below every so often on passage to keep an eye on what’s going on in the chart department and whizz back on deck pronto to carry on skippering the boat. I’ll lay a pound to a penny it’s what you do when there’s no examiner on board, so have the confidence to back your own usual practices. This is particularly important at night in crowded waters. An unsuccessful candidate often fails himself by allowing disorientation to creep in, simply by not keeping the true perspective on events, which can only be found on deck.

The use of electronic nav-aids such as GPS is not ‘cheating’ – it’s an integral part of navigation

All examiners have their own take on use of electronics. Personally, I want to know my candidate is making modern aids to navigation, including a chart plotter if there one, an integral part of his navigational policy. The idea, as one candidate suggested, that use of GPS is somehow ‘cheating’ is incomprehensible to me. I will almost certainly ask at some stage that the yacht be navigated classically, to see how easy my man is with what, for most people, are now backup skills. If I’m unconvinced by his performance, off he goes to think again.

Your chartwork should be fluid and accurate

Skilled chartwork comes with use, and no amount of last-minute swotting can make up for weeks of doing it as a matter of course. Plotting traditional fixes is a good giveaway these days. With GPS all around us, we only do this for real when electronics fail. I’ve seen a person take 15 minutes to select three objects from a background studded with lights, then plot the results. The yacht had moved over two miles in the meantime…

It’s absolutely vital that you maintain a decent logbook during the exam

It’s absolutely vital, whether navigating with a giant chart plotter or a Walker log, that you maintain a decent log book. Without this, if GPS fails for any reason at all, you’re lost, Mate, so is your exam, and quite right too!

Take command

One of the most important questions on most examiners’ private lists is how good the candidate is at taking charge. If he’s managing well, we probably won’t even notice that he’s in command, that his crew all know what’s expected of them and that their skipper is quietly checking that they’re doing it. Good leadership is seldom about barking orders, and never about ignoring all on board, yet leadership is what being a Yachtmaster is all about. First, you must be sufficiently comfortable with your own skill levels not to have to worry about little things like picking up a mooring. Only then can you consider what may go wrong for the poor soul on the foredeck in a gale at midnight.

The classic skills

These are what most people imagine success in an exam is based upon. Actually, these basic skills merely help an examiner build up an overall picture of the candidate. It’s generally not a hanging matter if one manoeuvre goes a bit haywire. Even a grounding is often more interesting for what the candidate does about it than for the fact that it has happened. After all, nobody is perfect, especially under the stress of an exam.

Man overboard

An effective, confidently executed man overboard drill speaks volumes about a candidate’s boat-handling ability but it’s not necessarily curtains if the manoeuvre goes a bit haywire

Errors in principle are not popular with examiners. Mistakes under pressure may sometimes be forgiven, and man overboard is a case in point. If the boat sails past the dummy with her mainsail full and the examiner asks, ‘What went wrong?’ It won’t get you much of a score if you reply, ‘I was going too fast.’

‘Candidate’s speciality, stating the bleeding obvious,’ the examiner will note on his pad, and move on, downhearted.

However, if you say, ‘I’m kicking myself because I was too far upwind and couldn’t de-power the main. I tried to get onto a close reach but I misjudged my approach,’ he’s more likely to take a lenient view – especially if you’ve opted for ‘Coastal’.

Securing the yacht alongside

When I was examining instructors regularly, I’d often sail up to Poole Quay (a tidal wall) shortly before closing time. I’d hop off the boat as soon as she touched the piling, saying, ‘You sort her out, skipper, I’m off for a quick pint.’ I’d then do just that. When I returned 10 minutes later, if the yacht was neatly snugged down with four lines ashore, ends on the dock, a fender board in place, sails neatly stowed and all hands below cooking and relaxing, the guy was in good shape for a pass. If I found discussions on deck about whether to ‘hand the end back for a spring’, and people blundering about in the dark, things didn’t look so bright for our hero. Have a system and know how to execute it.

… and don’t forget

Mooring and anchoring

Mooring and anchoring under sail should present no challenge to the aspiring Yachtmaster. When in doubt, drop the mainsail

These are Day Skipper skills that should pose no threat to a Yachtmaster candidate. Under sail, just remember first to assess whether the wind is with or against the tide. If you get lucky and it’s against, drop the main and arrive stemming the stream, spilling under headsail or creeping along under bare poles. If wind and tide are at all ambiguous, never forget the old adage – when in doubt, drop the mainsail.

Meteorology

As forecasting has become more comprehensive and accessible, I’ve noticed a reduction in candidates’ capacity to understand what’s going on and to read a bulletin creatively. Anyone who can’t describe the typical cloud sequence on a North Atlantic depression gets nil points from me, and failure to understand the basics of air masses is going to run up a black mark too. A favourite with examiners is to produce a weather map and invite their Yachtmaster to analyse it. Be ready, and know your subject.

Tom sees no reason not to have a chart in the cockpit, but some examiners disapprove of it. Be ready to justify your choice

Many candidates produce excellent pilotage plans for entering a strange harbour. I’m happy with that, and most examiners love it. Personally, I prefer to sketch a few notes on the actual chart and have it in the cockpit held down with a winch handle, yet I’ve met examiners who’d be horrified to see a chart on deck at all. So there you have it. Do what suits you best, then be ready to justify your choice. Actually, this advice is good across the board. The examiner wants to see what you really do, not some fantasy you’ve cooked up because you think he might like it. That is a weak candidate’s policy and it often backfires.

No shortcuts here, you just need to know your stuff – and finding the time to learn isn’t difficult

So far as the MCA is concerned, this is the crunch. Examiners are encouraged to demand high standards in this subject, and there’s no reason for a candidate, knowing full well he is to be put on the griddle, not to have the regulations burned into his heart. The best way to be exam-proof is to invest in A Seaman’s Guide to the Rule of the Road, available for modest money from all good chandlers or Bookharbour.com. Place it prominently in the heads some months before the exam and devote five minutes of the shining hour each day to digesting its wondrous contents. The book makes it easy and there’s no excuse for disappointing the Board of Trade!

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This course will introduce you to the principles of astro navigation, the practical use of the sextant, the measurement of time, position fixing by the sun and stars, compass checking and great circle sailing.  

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At the end of each lesson there are excercises containg similar questions to the exam, with detailed and illustrated answers sent to you immediately to confirm your progress and fully prepare you for your final exams.

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When you have completed the course you can request the final exam.

This is assessed by our RYA Instructors and detailed feedback is provided in any areas that may require further study within the course.

If you pass the final exam you will be awarded the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Course Certificate , which will be posted to you.

Ad ditional free resits, with suitable Instructor guidance, are available if required.

If you  are working towards your Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence, successful completion of this course exempts you from the written exam.

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Ability to repeat when in doubt

Logical and clear. What was really good was the ability to go back and repeat or all or part of a lesson to ensure you truly understand a concept / principle, something which is more difficult to do when in a real classroom situation

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Day Skipper Knowledge self test

• Post author: Dhara
• Post published: 16th January 2019
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• Yachting Monthly's Scuttlebutt

RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Written Paper - Grrrrr

• Thread starter rpthomas
• Start date 28 Feb 2006
• 28 Feb 2006

Don't u just love the RYA? I have the sights and the passage to qualify for my Ocean exam, and so asked the RYA for back papers so I could see the level at which the written test would be set. "Its in the syllabus", said the RYA. No, its not. What the syllabus tells me are the subject areas, not the level at which they will be covered. Atomic theory is covered in O Level Science, but you wouldn't expect a 15 year old to answer Graduate level questions. So I'm stuck. I don't want to spend five days learning how to use a Sextant and reduce sights (things I know already) just so I can avoid the written test, but have no idea what level the paper is set at so can't easily revise for the written test. Every competent examination body publishes back or sample question sets for their examinations. The RYA do it for their Restricted Radio Certification (though the book has some startling errors, like not including the position of the distressed vessel in its Mayday Relay example). If the RYA expects to be taken seriously, they should do this for ALL their written tests. (Rant over). Anyone done it? Anyone got any back papers? Can you give me some pointers? Perhaps there is an RYA Ocean examiner reading this. If so, can you help? Richard  

I didn't have to do a written test, just had a chat with the examiner and showed him I knew what I was doing....my technique was not RYA method, so did some star sight calcs using their method. He'll quickly know if your up to looking after people and boat in ocean crossings. Maybe check exactly what they expect of you? mine didn't want me to do any questions and answers.  

snowleopard

Active member.

It's been a few years and they've changed the syllabus a bit but FWIW- There WILL be a question on TRSs so you need to be able to identify dangerous/navigable semicircles and what action to take based on changes in wind direction, pressure and forecasts for either hemisphere. For the nav, though you might be asked briefly about sextant errors, the questions will mainly be based on written observations. You will be given name of body, time, deck watch error, observed altitude, index error and DR position and asked to plot an intercept. Noon lat will almost certainly come into it and they may put them together to get a sun-run-sun fix. They like to use the moon to see if you can do the extra bits. I don't know how far they go into star sights these days but if it's still the same as it was 13 years ago, expect a question along the lines of 'at time x in DR position x, identify suitable stars for a fix and give azimuths and angle to set on the sextant' (they expect you to use air tables vol 1) You'll need a copy of the RYA practice navigation tables which contain extracts from nautical almanac and air tables - no use using your own as the dates of the questions may be several years ago!  

Quite correct Tiga. You can take the oral exam without doing the written paper but if you do, they will want a lot more than just a chat about passage planning and a flip through your sights. I don't know how you'd go about taking the shorebased exam without taking the course first.  

jamesjermain

I did the theory many years ago and can't remember the details too well. As I recall, the course (a long weekend) concluded more with a course completion certificate than an actual exam - there was a process of continual assessment including a quite formal astro test. Like most RYA certificates, there are two routes to it: classic classroom-exam-practical-pass/fail; and proven previous experience straight to competence assessment. The YMO theory course is really there to teach astro and consolidate knowledge on ocean met. (particularly hurricanes, passage planning, yacht preparation, crew management (particularly watches and safety), sources of information (pilots, almanacs, tables etc). You also need a first aid certificate. The actual 'exam' is an oral assessment in which your sights and log books are examined and you can ebe questioned on any aspect of the published syllabus. The level required is, I have gathered, quite variable. You may be asked some very basic questions together with some quite searching ones. I suspect the examiner will suss you out quite quickly then either give you an easy ride or get more penetrating if he thinks you might not be up to it or boarderline in some areas. As I discovered in my YM Offshore assessment, the examiner might also think - 'I've got a right one here, let's see what he can really do' - and throw the works at you. Fortunately I/we coped. The worst was manoverboard under jury steering. I think he was a bit surprised when we did it.  

hantsgaffer

I'm working through The Ocean theory at the moment, The RYA practice tables for Ocean, have a set of questions in the front along with a 'check paper', alas no answers but you can see the level. Mainly reductions to position and plot from a set of readings, some planning of star sights and the theory around Ocean crossing, tropical storms etc.  

Ah! Thanks. I'll get the book. And thanks, guys. It seems slightly more flexible than the RYA guff seems to suggest. R  

You might try : - "Ocean Yachtmaster Excercises" by Pat Langley-Price & Philip Ouvry specifically headed at the RYA exam - I used it as a prep. before I took my exam and it worked ....  

Well-known member

[ QUOTE ] The RYA do it for their Restricted Radio Certification (though the book has some startling errors, like not including the position of the distressed vessel in its Mayday Relay example). Richard [/ QUOTE ] I'm curious. None of the standard SRC exam papers I have covers a mayday relay, and the examples in the recommended textbook show you simply relaying the mayday message received. Which after all is what you should do. So what is it that you are referring to? Anyway, when I did my YMO theory (never gone far enough to do the practical) the learning was about moon, sun and star sights, tropical revolving storms, and boat management / skippering on long crossings. Mind you GPS was then in its infancy. I would be surprised if they still put the same emphasis on the sextant nowadays. The meteorolgy is particularly interesting.  

Sorry, I should have made the reference clearer: VHF Radio (inc GDSS) VHF G22/02 Updated 2002 Pub: RYA page 27 QUOTE: "The mayday call and message" The Mayday Relay Call and message are formatted as follows: Mayday Relay (repeated three times) This is (name or callsign of the station making the tx, spoken three times) Mayday (Name and MMSI of vessel in distress) Nature of the distress Assistance required Time (optional) Over END QUOTE OK, so you have relayed the mayday message. But what is the position of the vessel in distress? The introductory text makes it clear that the Class D VHF DSC has no facility for sending a position with an Urgency alarm, and even if it did, it would be yours, not the distressed vessell. If it sent a Mayday and you know its MMSI and are relaying its distress call, presumably you will either have its position from DSC screen, or from the original message. Or at least an estimated position for it, even if its a bearing from you and you give your own position. A relayed Mayday with no position seems to me to be missing the point of the whole thing. Presumably the Coastguard will call it up using its MMSI and ask it? This post wasn't meant as a whinge, but simply frustration with the RYA doesn't seem to provide the kind of examination support that other examination authorities do, and a request for insight from others who have done the written test. Thanks to those who have offered suggestions, which are helpful. Richard  

I too have a question mark over how much the RYA are actually an examining body, when compared to those that serve other vocational and professional sectors. I struggle with their lack of consistency in how practical and theory is taught, and the almost secretative nature of past examination papers. Then there is the minmum level of external verficiation in observing and verfiying that instructors and sailing schools are doing their job correctly and complying with quality standards. The result is that we all have a different view of what the RYA will expect from us in an "examination" and have a wide range of stories to tell over how easy or how hard it was to pass. Are we and our cash being taken for a ride ? Just a bit of paper from the RYA or a real qualification to be recognised ?  

Now: Examination Standards at RYA Thanks. Given that the MCA delegate the setting of standards to the RYA, and given the desire to keep Yachting free of regulation (its about the only place that is, these days), it seems important that the RYA should exhibit the same level of professionalism as other examining bodies. Should this be a separate topic? Richard  

bilbobaggins

Re: Now: Examination Standards at RYA The RYA *is* the awarding body, in education admin parlance, and it does levy an annual fee on 'training providers' which is apparently hypothecated for the 'external verification' task. There is a commendable urge to minimise the costs - standardisation visits are expensive, in any field - and it is ( very informally ) acknowledged that such visits tend to be geared to those providers that are causing a volume of complaints. The RYA considers that 'training providers' such as FE colleges are well capable of developing and maintaining standards of instruction, for they are involved in that in a continuing process, in everything else they do. It's the sailing schools, with sometimes very ropy standards of pedagogy and usually a very strong-willed character in charge, that require all the diplomacy and gentle handling of egos that 'RYA Towers' is so well regarded for. Don't lose sight of the fact that the RYA is 'a company limited by guarantee' and, at its core, a business. I don't know how the RYA would otherwise 'vet' the standards of someone who does his own thing, certain in the knowledge that he "knows all this stuff and that no half-baked, jumped-up RYA instructor has anything to tell him about boat handling and management" - even though that tutor may have decades of relevant experience, several teacher and/or trainer courses under his/her belt, and has been through an RYA assessment instructor course as well. The several YM Ocean examiners I've met could, each and all of 'em, separate the wheat from the chaff in minutes flat. They're as good as it gets. The guy I got considered that he was entitled to question me about 'any part of the syllabus' - both he and I took that to mean *anything* from Competent Crew, onwards. And I think that's fair enough.... Good luck with your 'sun's amplitudes' and your moon and planet fixes. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif  

Re: Now: Examination Standards at RYA I think your comments raise even more questions in my head. Does the RYA allow the quality and robustness of their qualification sytem to be comprised in the name of saving themselves the cost of increased external verification ? Are FE Colleges considered by the RYA to be exempt from being monitored by their assumed status and capability, despite some of the worst experiences of teaching today being found in evening class courses ? To maintain diplomacy, (ie income), are some accredited centres for RYA qualifications a law unto themsleves in terms of how it should, be taught and examined ? Is the RYA more of a "business" that is non-profit making as a result of high fees demanded by their examiners, or is it an "Awarding Body" that should come into line with quality assurance standards that others have to follow under the Qualifications Curriculum Authority ? Most sailors do not undertand how Awarding Bodies and qualifications work in the UK. Ignorance is one the ways our academic bodies avoid the truth about the real value of a so called recognised qualification. How many of us throught we could drive car after we had passed our test, only to find it was simply a legal requirement to be on the road and there was still much to learn.  

You also need a first aid certificate. ___________________________________________________ ??????? The RYA regs only state that the Ocean certificate " is open to candidates who hold the RYA/DoT Yachtmaster Offshore certificate or DoT coastal certificate issued-------------- prior to 1974" also, <You can take the oral exam without doing the written paper but if you do, they will want a lot more than just a chat about passage planning and a flip through your sights. I don't know how you'd go about taking the shorebased exam without taking the course first.> From 'RYA Yachtmaster (Ocean) Excercises and tables booklet' - "candidates who do not hold course completion certificate for the RYA/DoT Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased course will be required to take a written exam on the star sight planning and reduction and meteorology"  

[ QUOTE ] I too have a question mark over how much the RYA are actually an examining body, when compared to those that serve other vocational and professional sectors. I struggle with their lack of consistency in how practical and theory is taught, and the almost secretative nature of past examination papers. Then there is the minmum level of external verficiation in observing and verfiying that instructors and sailing schools are doing their job correctly and complying with quality standards. The result is that we all have a different view of what the RYA will expect from us in an "examination" and have a wide range of stories to tell over how easy or how hard it was to pass. Are we and our cash being taken for a ride ? Just a bit of paper from the RYA or a real qualification to be recognised ? [/ QUOTE ] There is an issue of balance and proportionality here. You cannot treat a day skipper qualification in the way you would "recognised qualifications in professional or vocational sectors". Leaving aside the question of cost and what the RYA can do with just £20 or so fee it charges, day skipper courses are aimed at giving some basic skills to those who want to go sailing. Raise the cost too much, make them too difficult and the take up would fall. The RYA policy is one of encouraging people to continue to learn, not one of making hurdles for them to jump over. By the time you get onto YM, there is outside examination seperate from the sailing school and mostly done by master mariners. But even YM is not really a serious professional qualification. Any RYA teacher worth his salt has past exam papers available for mocks etc. But do you really need to see past papers to know that you will be asked to do a course to steer, and an EP and a secondary port etc in the YM theory. The questions are exactly the same as those you see in the exercises anyway. Whilst the practical is a judgement of your ability to skipper a yacht done by a professional skipper. Sailing is not an academic subject to be taught in a schoolroom way. Its a practical skill with limited book learning.  

Doug_Stormforce

Richard I can not of course give away any exact question/answers from the written papers. I can however tell you in answer to your original question your knowledge level would be expected to be able to do the following. Reduce sun sight and mer pass plot position lines and run between sights. Describe basioc corrections that you would make.allow for with a sextant in normal use Be aware of global trends month by month ie what time of year to attemp a Northen Hemphisphere West to East Trans Atlantic passage. Understand basic trends of a hurricane/TRS, when they occur, if you are in the likey track or not and what action to take if you are in the likely track. there is nothing that comes up in the paper that isnt coveed in Tom Cunliffes book or learnt from a bit of ocean sailing mixed with common sense. hope this helps  

• 12 Jun 2013

thumbsupsyd

Dear Richard and other sailors, Thanks for the info on the Ocean stuff. Very useful. I'm have been planning on taking it myself now for a number of years, but being a delivery skipper have found it difficult to combine a period of having the money and having the time! I've usually got one of those, but never both! I'm loathe to take the sailing school route, I've thrown far too much money at them at various stages of my career. Thus I stumbled on this thread, trying to get hold of past papers. In an attempt to avoid even the correspondence/online theory courses. So I put it to you guys. Whats the cheapest way to get a commercially endorsed ocean yachtmaster? FYI. I am a commercially endorsed YM. With 50 000nm experience, a lot of which is comprised of 'ocean' passages. Good winds and safe sailing. Matthew Skipper with Thumbs Up Sailing Yacht Delivery http://www.sailingyachtdelivery.com  

• 23 Dec 2013

I am providing this information because I do not agree with the apparent RYA policy of secrecy around the level of the ocean written exam. I see this as an attempt to have people give lots of money to the RYA for their courses despite already having the knowledge and experience required. I spent many unnecessary hours worrying about the exam. This was not needed. If you have the knowledge and experience to get through the oral the written will be trivial. The 2 hr exam is in two parts. Part A, Sun run Sun sight reduction and plot. If you can reduce meridian passage and sun sights you are ok here. The RYA approved method is to use the example 249 table provided but check with your examiner on approved methods, most will be flexible. Part B Three questions on Ocean planning and handling. One question will be about tropical revolving storms, you should know this well anyway. One question will be about prevailing ocean conditions, here are the two examples that I have. My concern about being asked about monsoons in the Indian Ocean were totally unfounded. List and describe the information on an Admiralty Routeing Chart. Which of the following routes has the best chances of favorable currents:- Newfoundland-UK Gib-Canaries Portugal-UK One question will be about boat prep for passage here are the two examples I have:- Discuss how you would provision a 37ft boat with 4 people aboard for a passage of 2700nm from the Canaries to Caribbean. Discuss storage and fresh water requirement. Discuss how you would prevent cross contamination of fresh water. What charts and publications would you have aboard a yacht for an ocean passage. If you have done a few passages as skipper this should be no problem Good luck with your exams Prometheus.  

• 24 Dec 2013

The RYA don't like passing out old exam papers as the questions rotate every 2 or 3 years ans with a full set of previous papers you could walk the exam. Having said that it's not difficult, you get extra marks (or possibly just marks) for logical layout which the poor old examiner can follow when he's marking it all.  

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