Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Ocean Correspondence Course

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Mulge

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Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore Correspondence Course

I'm based in the Netherlands, for family reasons my wife will spend much of the autumn/winter in the UK and I'm faced with long dark evenings alone. Having 35 years of sailing experience under my belt (for 10 of which I've owned something more than a dinghy) I feel that I'm ready to augment my on the water experience with some theory and I'm thinking seriously about enrolling for a correspondence course to study for the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore theory qualification.

I'd be very appreciative of any experience forumites would share regarding the providers of these courses - the good and the bad, please.

Thanks

Mark
 
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Skysail said:
Just to clarify, I think you are looking for CS/YM OFFSHORE, not OCEAN? Ocean is astronavigation, long distance passages, etc.

YM Offshore is the next step up from Day Skipper.

The online courses from CM Online

http://www.cmonline.co.uk/cmohomedom1.html?1NN6+1253288034119

get good feedback.
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Skysail - you are right, of course - thanks for pointing out my mistake - I'm definitely not looking for astronavigation skills just yet.

Mark
 
Dave,

Thanks for the tip about Skysail's charts.

I take it that you are also a happy customer of Chichester Maritime. If so, did you try a keep a complete hard copy of the course for future reference and were you able to do so - the website has a reference to not printing Admiralty charts or text that might leave a gap in the record.

Mark
 
I don't think you will have a problem with completeness. All the chartwork is on 2 RYA practice charts which you will get as hard copy, plus Training Almanac, RYA book, etc.

Why not email CMonline to clarify it? If you want a complete handy quick guide, Reeds Skippers Handbook for about £6.00 is excellent.
 
Skysail said:
YM Offshore is the next step up from Day Skipper.
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Well, to be a pedant, YM Offshore is a step up from Coastal Skipper, which is the next step up from Day Skipper. There's a big leap between a Day Skipper and a Yachtmaster.

Mulge said:
I'm thinking seriously about enrolling for a correspondence course to study for the Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Offshore theory qualification.
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To - um - be a pedant about this much misunderstood point, there IS NO 'theory qualification' for CS/ YM. You just do an exam for 12 hours or so on your boat, during which you will be examined on all aspects, practical and theoretical, of the syllabus, to the examiner's satisfaction. You can do a course in the theory first, if you find it easiest to learn that way, and you can get a course completion certificate to show you've attended, but it's not a qualification. There is only one Yachtmaster Offshore qualification.
 
BelleSerene,

Thanks for this.

On your first point, as far as theory courses are concerned there appears to be only one that combines the theory requried for Coastal Skipper and YM Offshore in one, so in that context it seems to me to be the next step.

Re your second point - I had understood that the course completion certificate wasn't the full monty, as it were, but hadn't realised that it wasn't actually required, nor does it offer exemption from any part of the examination for the YM qualification.

That said, my driver for following the course is the prospect of winter evenings with nothing else to do and it might actually encourage me to follow up with preparation for the on board examination sooner rather than later - my memory for what I learn rather than experience isn't what it used to be, (IIRC).

Mark
 
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Thanks for all the recommendations. I've enrolled today, and cited you all as the reason why I chose Chichester Maritime. If you are on commission you can claim now!

Mark
 
Mulge said:
I take it that you are also a happy customer of Chichester Maritime. If so, did you try a keep a complete hard copy of the course for future reference and were you able to do so - the website has a reference to not printing Admiralty charts or text that might leave a gap in the record.

Mark
Click to expand...

All courses still on PC along with Hard Copy info. So can still dip in whenever needed.
 
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