Yachtmaster Coastal
A worthwhile qualification on your way up the ladder
The Certificate of Competence at Yachtmaster Coastal level is an extremely worthy qualification that tends to be overlooked in the nautical industry.
Not everyone is ready for the Yachtmaster offshore straight away. This is a great way to understand the yachtmaster exam process and the standards to be attained.
The Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence is for mariners who have the knowledge and experience required to skipper a yacht on coastal cruises but do not, as yet, have the experience for longer offshore passages.
The requirements for the coastal level of assessment are less than that of the Offshore candidates and can be more realistic for young deck crew working their way up in the industry.
The level of Coastal, the candidate should have around 30 days of experience at sea with two days acting as skipper, 800 sea miles logged and 12 night hours. These pre-exam experience requirements can be reduced to 20 days at sea, two days as skipper, 400 miles and 12 night hours if the candidate holds a Coastal Skipper course certificate. As with all Yachtmaster exam pre-requisites, half the qualifying sea time must have been in tidal waters.
We train Yachtmaster Coastal students alongside the Yachtmaster Offshore training course candidates and provides all the support necessary to help the candidates achieve their goal.
The exam will include an assessment of your skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRPCS (collision regulations), meteorology and signals.
Course content
- 5 days onboard a sailing yacht
- sailing to different ports and anchorages
- skippering a yacht on longer passages
- living on board with other crew
- building new practical skills :
- safety at sea
- Preparation for sea,
- deck work,
- navigation,
- pilotage,
- night cruising
- meteorology,
- rules of the road, maintenance and repair work,
- engines,
- victualling,
- emergency situations,
- yacht handling under power,
- yacht handling under sail,
- passage planning
- use of electronic navigation
Course costs
- RYA yachtmaster ocean course 790e
- practical trip for celestial sights 450e (2 days)
- RYA exam fees for ocean oral 250e (£200 direct to RYA)
We will make a customised proposal to need individual requirements, providing discount on the list price of RYA courses.
Qualifying Passages
| Exam | Between 7m LWL and 24m LOA (less than 80gt) | Over 24m LOA up to 500gt |
|---|---|---|
| RYA Yachtmaster Coastal | Yes | No |
| RYA Yachtmaster Offshore | Yes | No |
| RYA Yachtmaster Ocean | Yes | Yes |
Qualifying Seatime
1 At least 50 per cent of qualifying mileage must be completed on this size of vessel
2 With supporting testimonials or a Seaman’s Discharge book
What is include
- Course material
- use of a sextant during the course
- RYA course completion certificates
- teas, coffee soft drinks
What is not included
- flights and travel to course
- accomodation ashore
- meals and drinks ashore
- personal travel insurance
- any RYA examination fees for certification
The examiner is flying in from outside the area, the exam candidates are to share the expenses between them. these will be detail the flights/travel expenses and advised in advance.
Each exam candidate contributes to the flight/travel expenses of the examiners.
Exam fees are to be paid directly to the RYA on your exam application form.
The exam will include an assessment of your skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, 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 shorebased courses up to Yachtmaster™ Coastal level.
If you need a Yachtmaster™ Coastal Certificate of Competence in order to work on board a commercial craft subject the MCA’s codes of practice, you will need to get it commercially endorsed – see left. You can then work on commercial vessels up to 24m in length, operating in category 3, 4, 5 and 6 waters – that is up to 20 miles from a safe haven.
