Yachtmaster Professional Qualifications
Where you can work with RYA qualifications
Working with a Yachtmaster™ Coastal certificate
A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster™ Coastal Certificate of Competence will enable you to skipper vessels up to 24 metres in length, operating in category 3,4,5, and 6 waters – up to 20 miles from a safe haven.
Working with a Yachtmaster™ Offshore certificate
A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence will enable you to work as a Master of commercial vessels of up to 200gt in category 1 to 6 waters – that is up to 150 miles from a safe haven.
This Certificate of Competence can used commercially in its own right, or as a pre-requisite for the MCA’s Officer of the Watch qualification, which enables you to work worldwide on vessels of up to 3000gt.
Working with a Yachtmaster™ Ocean certificate
A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster™ Ocean Certificate of Competence will enable you to work worldwide as a Master of commercial vessels of up to 200gt.
This Certificate of Competence can be used commercially in its own right. It is also a pre-requisite for the MCA’s Chief Mate, Master 500 and Master 3000 qualifications.
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If you are working on a British flagged boat, the categorisation of waters and required certification below applies to you. RYA certificates can be commercially endorsed for the following areas of operation:
Category 0 Unrestricted (ie: worldwide)
Certificate required RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence
Category 1 Up to 150 miles from a safe haven
Certificate required RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence
Category 2 Up to 60 miles from a safe haven
Certificate required RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence
Category 3 Up to 20 miles from a safe haven
Certificate required RYA Advanced Powerboat certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Coastal certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence, or
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence
Category 4 Up to 20 miles from a safe haven, in favourable weather and daylight
Certificate required RYA Advanced Powerboat certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Coastal certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence, or
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence
Categroy 5 To sea, within 20 miles from a nominated departure point in favourable weather and daylight
Certificate required RYA Day Skipper practical and shorebased certificate,
RYA Advanced Powerboat certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Coastal certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence, or
RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence
Category 6
To sea, within 3 miles from a nominated departure point(S) and never more than 3 miles from land, in favourable weather and daylight.
Certificate required RYA Powerboat Level 2,
RYA Day Skipper practical certificate,
RYA Advanced Powerboat certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Coastal certificate of competence,
RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certificate of competence
Non British flagged vessels
If you are working on board a non-British boat, your RYA certificates are likely to be acceptable but you will need to comply with the rules of the flag state. Please contact the relevant maritime authority for full details of their requirements.
The Yachtmaster offshore is an important certificate. It signifies that a skipper is competent on a yacht to make passages up to 150nm from harbour. It a an aspiration for many yachtsmen and a key achievement for those wishing to follow a professional career in yachting. The Yachtmaster offshore is obtained by examination which involves exercises, challenges and tasks from any part of the syllabus to demonstrate the ability and confidence of the skipper.
We help you prepare for the exam look at your strengths and weaknesses. We can then build a on the areas that need developed to put you in the best position for the exam. This is typically 4-5 days depending on the breadth of experience.
