crewing on a YMcourse

[sailbadthesinner]

My mate is doing his YM practical and theory. He needs crew for the 2 day exam and i have volunteered. The other crew is the guy who owns the voat who is the instructor and one other and an examiner. I know the instructor cos he put me through day skip.

how much am i expected to do ? Do i have to make like a mushroom and wait to be told to do anything before doing it, eg trimming a a sail? or should i carry on as normal and do anything i see needs doing?

or should i sit in the corner gibbering drinking heavily and muttering about lost boats and how I miss the 'others who never made it back on our last trip'

really tho
how much should i get involved. if i see him making a calamatous mistake should i jump in?

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>Ok brain let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.</font color=red>

 

[Magic_Sailor]

My recollection is to do as you're told - no advice other than safety related observation.

Reminds me of a joke:

Sarge: When I tell you to jump - what do you do?
Squaddie: Jump Sar'nt Major Sir!
Sarge: And how high do you jump - you horrible little man?
Squaddie: However high you tell me to Sar'nt Major Sir.
Sarge: That's right. And when do you ask me this?
Squaddie: Before I jump Sar'nt Major Sir.
Sarge: No you little worm! You ask me on the way up!!!

Boom boom.




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[DeeGee]

I should have thought giving your pal some dud but good-sounding (ie spun) advice, so he can ignore it, and demonstrate his skipperly skils...


<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all

 

[sailbadthesinner]

oh dud but good sounding is my sepcialty
however what happens if he follows it assuming that, for once, i know what i am on about????
read about that in the MCA accident reports soon.


<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>Ok brain let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.</font color=red>

 

[fluffc]

The YM exam is more about testing the ability of the skipper to run the boat as a whole, more than day-to-day sailing. Yes the examiner needs to see a high level of confidence in the sailing ability, but much of the candidates' time will be spent over a chart table!

As such, treat yourself as a regular crew. You will be needed to sail the boat at some points. (If it was a Coastal Skip exam then the prerequisite is to be a competent monkey - providing manpower and resource where needed, but not running the boat!)

I'm slightly surprised that the instructor is coming along for the exam - I didn't think this was allowed. And its' going to be difficult having the boat owner there and not actually doing the exam. You'll probably need to spend some time making sure the owner doesn't get too nervous!


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[jimi]

I was under the impression that the less time spent by the candidate at the chart table the better ... except on the blind navigation exercise ...

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[sailbadthesinner]

am looking forward to seeing YM exam at first hand without the pressure
wish i had time to do it.
i did ask but swmbo told me in no uncertain terms i could not 'leave me for two weeks to organise a wedding while you bugger of playing in boats. and don't tell me it is hard and you wont have fun cos i know you......'

i could go on she did....



<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>Ok brain let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.</font color=red>

 

[jhr]

Losing points

I had a similar altercation with SWMBO once upon a time; I was up and about on crutches suprisingly quickly..........

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[snowleopard]

do what one of my crew did during the exam:

i was asked to moor between 2 piles in cowes. as we came up alongside the first pile he was supposed to thread a rope through the rail. he fluffed it so leant out further to try again while i hovered (spring tide flowing through the area). he stuck head and shoulders between the upper & lower guard rails and beside a stanchion. as we slid back slowly he was about to be scissored in half by the stanchion and the pile i spotted him and yelled at him to let go and get out.

don't know if that got me the pass but it would be a good one to set up- any volunteers?

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[tcm]

professional sidekick

Oh yes this seems an excellent ruse for sinbad to be "boat twat".

1. Skipper wisely notices bodyslashing possibilities as with snowleopard.

2. Skipper wisely notices that sb not wearing his glasses whilst helming.

3. Skipper wisely corrects sb that it's a north cardinal, explains buoyage, whereafter sb miraculously remebers all buoyage.

4. Skipper wisely reminds sb to wear a lifejacket, and not head straight over bramble bank etc.

5. Skipper cleverly retrieves sb's car keys from seabed in marina with fishing net (and hidden fishing line attached to car keys)

6. Skipper wisely notices that sb is accidentally making a cup of tea using bleach instead of water.

and so on.





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[Twister_Ken]

Obvious innit?

Decide with the candidate the time when he wants to do the MOB - either by the clock or on completing another evolution. You, faithful crew, slip on a wet suit under your oilies and make sure you're wearing a lifejacket. At the appointed hour you trip over the lazy genny sheet and do a graceful triple salko with reverse tuck over the guardrail. Skip is of course absolutely ready for this and has the sheets released, dan buoy and life ring in the water before the examiner has even had time to realise what's occurring. A handy billy appears as if by magic, and is clipped on to the end of the boom. Using this you are hauled back aboard within 60 seconds of your star turn, and pop below to slip out of the neoprene before the examiner twigs. You re-emerge naked except for a pair of Henri Lloyd knickers and matching towel, to thank the skipper profusely, using expressions like "best bit of seamanship I've ever seen", "saved my life", "I'd sail with you to the gates of Hades", "take my firstborn child", etc. At this point the examiner signs off the skipper,and everbody retires to the snug in the Dog and Duck for the rest of the session to practise a bit of heavy-duty celebrating.

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[sailbadthesinner]

Re: Obvious innit?

splash heard

my mate is immediatley on phone to mrs s 2 b
to negotiate fee for NOT picking me up.
Mrs s2b gets mortgage paid off
plus life policy
plus other inheritances

probably go and buy a bloody stinkpot in med with proceeds and call it
lucky splash
MOB rules
fred rift

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>Ok brain let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.</font color=red>

 

[tcm]

Re: Obvious innit II - the blindfold navigation

Of course, before the MOB there'll be the blinfold nav thing. Learn the code in advance, so that in answer to his instructions from down below you say "rightyho" and "what?" for left or right and "okay!" to go further on and "fine!" to slow down. Within 800 metres you repeat the instruction he gives, 400 repeat again, and 150 repeat for last time. I bet they all do this anyway.

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[Twister_Ken]

Re: Obvious innit?

I do so hope that the lovely Mrs S2B is not computer literate!

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[Ohdrat]

This was my first experience of Big boat sailing although the 3 of us (2 yacht master candidates and me) had a 5 day "warm up".

I had previously only dinghy / day boat sailed and had the rudiments of navigation.. I discovered that
A) I am one mean sea cook
B) Sailing is like riding a bicycle - once mastered it comes back instantly
C) I learnt vast amounts sailing with more experienced sailors and probably more than I would have on a practical day skipper / coastal skipper course

The candidatates both passed and thanked me for my efforts crewing.. my night sight came in handy too..

I would be responsible .. In other words behave like a competent crew.. if it's getting dark and you don't already have lifejacket and harness on put it on. Generally be as helpful as you can.. this is the most rewarding way and get as much out of it as you can..

Crewing for Yachtmaster candidates is a fabulous way of picking up tips and developing skills generally.

A good yachtmaster candidate will show you how and why and explain their plans

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[Cornishman]

Re: Obvious innit?

Do you really believe the examiner wouldn't see through that one straight away - I would now you have given the game away!

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[Viking]

A friend of mine just did it. And he had a problem on what the examiner was looking for. (he's thing of taking the exam) He said that two people taking the practical YM were exam. The first was embrassed each time they give an instruction, rammed the pontoon twice, and ran aground four times. The other did a perfect blind nav. test, sail off and on to a buoy in the tight Beaulieu River at low springs and did a test he thought was a good performance including the MOB. Guess who passed and who didnt? He could not find out the reasoning behind the examiners conclusions.

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[graham]

I heard of someone crewing for their mates exam.On the blind nav ex the course he was given to find the fairway buoy was obviously 20° out so he "cheated a bit" on the helm to help out his mate.

As they approached the buoy a new course was shouted up 90° to the old one and they promptly sailed away from the buoy.

It turned out he was deliberately leaving the buoy to stbd until he arrived on the depth contour then following it along to find the buoy.His mate screwed up the plan completely by "helping".

Obviously dont shout out answers or suggestions ,just do what your told.

I have crewed on an exam.Its not as easy as you think to remember your place but its definitely usefull if you intend doing the exam yourself.

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[rhinorhino]

I have always wondered this and never got an answer.
What would the examiner do if you turned up with a crew so well trained that you could give orders in perfect safety, like "Cowes please" or "pick up that bouy!"
I sure you would fail but I would like to know why.

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[tcm]

hm. On this basis though, swmbo is actually very good at boating and I am a fabulous cook?

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