coastal skipper practical tips please

[Stig]

Did the Yachtmaster exam a few years ago and was advised in advance to never take the chart on deck! Apparantly some examiners regard this as a fundamental danger i.e. it could be lost overboard

 

[jb2006]

I did the coastal skipper exam acouple of years back - as other posts say it is similar to a YM exam with more tolerance - as long as you display reasonable competence and safe behaviours.

The crucial difference with the exam and the course completion is that the course certificate is issued by the training establishment who although they should not 'pass' substandard candidates have an interest in a high success rate.

The RYA/MCA examiner is independent of the school and therefore should have no other agenda than an unbiassed assessment of candidates. He won't be trying to trick you into failure though

I think that if you do the exam it is worth doing a preparation course first (helps with the nerves) - you get the passage skills etc from the CS course but the prep course brushes up your close handling, anchoring, blind navigation, MOB for the exam.

JB