CS/YM theory - do I need an RYA approved course?

[Steve Clayton]

Looking forward to Yachtmaster qualification my questions relates to the prerequisites to going onto a Yachtmaster prep/exam course:

From the RYA website:

What experience do I need before the exam?

The official answer is 50 days, five days as skipper, 2,500 miles logged, five passages over 60 miles logged from the point of departure to the destination. Two of these passages must have been undertaken overnight and two as skipper. Half of the experience must have been in tidal waters.


(Whilst this refers to "experience" I can't find prerequisite information on the RYA site. Other sites refer to completion of 1st Aid and VHF operator courses.)



So with the RYA approved courses of Comp Crew, Day Skipper, 1st Aid, VHF, Radar, Sea Survival under my belt, and satisfying the RYA experience criteria then do I really need to go to the expense of doing an RYA approved Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster theory course? I've got all the training books, practice charts etc and can quite readily find all the course information on the web and gen up on the subject matter.

So 2 questions:

1. Must I do a CS/YM theory course as a prerequisite to CS/YM prep (with the exam immediately following)?

2. If not then are there any advantages in doing a correspondence course as opposed to self teach?

 

[iangrant]

Best to do the course before the practical I think you'd struggle if you didn't "groom" yerself first.
Chichester Maritime is a great corrie course. Lots of other threads one this one.

Ian

 

[Steve Clayton]

Ian, thanks for prompt reply. Yes I will "groom" myself but

1. is an approved RYA theory course a "must have" before going on practical?

2. If "no" to (1) above then I can self-teach

3. Pros/cons please re course or self-teach

 

[iangrant]

When the examiner climbs aboard he'll look in your logbook. Trips, miles experience and the theory certificate..I'd say a must have. The theory is good fun with CM online anyway..

Ian

 

[EUXINE_Rival]

No. My understanding has always been that you must have a first aid certificate and Short Range Radio Certificate. Then so long as you have the relevant experience and can provide a suitable boat and crew you can apply for examination.

 

[Goodge]

To be honest you can ' ing it ' a bit. On my YM practical I was the only one who had religiously completed his log book as per RYA recommendations. Two others effectively self certified themselves saying they had covered the requisite miles etc. This was accepted by the examiner and the sailing school ( Hamble ).

Howver one guy who worked for a sea school in Spain hadn't done the theory and he struggled all week with the nav and was not up to speed at all.

I'd do the course if I was you and then do the practical soon after while all the info is still fresh in your mind.

 

[Skysail]

Steve,

No its not a formal prerequisite. VHF and 1st aid are. But you need to be on top of sec ports, course to steer, electronics, weather, colregs, etc, etc.

PM me if you want to see the standard needed. Or the RYA Book of Navigation Exercises is very good for practice.

Keith

 

[Steve Clayton]

Hola Keith,

como esta?

thought you might come in on this one. I couldn't clarify in my own mind whether a formal RYA approved theory course was a pre-req. or not. (and you can guess whose site I might be referring to for refresher information!!!).

A bit of a quandry; why spend a few hundred quid on a distance training theory course if I've got all the training information on board and can sit here on the yacht in Marina de Denia on wifi, refreshing the old grey cells on what I know I know - it just needs bringing to the forefront of the brain.

 

[martinb]

The YM theory is certainly not a prerequisite, even though it may be a good idea.
I did my YM theory in 88 and got round to doing my YM practical last year and I couln't find my old theory pass certificate, so it was not in my log book.

I did a 3 day YM prep course prior to the exam and would recommend this, as the skipper will take you through all you should know. I did no preparation, theory wise, and I struggled to get up to speed and lights, shapes and signals, as it appears that I had forgoton most of them, so I would recommend spending some time with a set of the practice cards.

Regards,

Martin

 

[Sean]

I imagine, if you do want to avoid outlay but still gain 'proof of knowledge', you could get in touch with RYA/training provider, and arrange to skip the teaching and just take the two assessment papers?

Sean

 

[john_morris_uk]

No you do not need to take an approved RYA 'pre YM course' or indeed any course before you do your YM practical exam. Officially there is no special Pre YM course anyway, although the RYA is aware that most if not all schools run such courses. If you are rusty of unsure of your Nav a YM Theory course would be a very good idea.

In practice a good yachtsman with the required mileage and experience, who sails safely and effectively and who has good command of his/her crew will pass their Yachtmaster Offshore exam.

However, many people sail their own boats in familiar waters year after year, and do not practice all the evolutions that they might be called to perform in their YM practical exam. This is one of the reasons that pre YM courses are so popular. They make you yacht outside your normal comfort zones and give you confidence. They make you practice evolutions such as Man-Over-Boards under sail and power, and they give you mock engine failure at incovenient moments etc etc.

There is no 'RYA' way to do all things in a yacht. The examiner will look to see that you do things safely and in a seamanlike manner. You should expect to demonstrate pilotage in unfamiliar waters by day and night and/or in reduced viz with and without electronic aids. Again, there are tried and tested ways to do these things, but whatever techniques you use, if you know what you are doing and demonstrate it well, you will pass.

Regarding mileage: The RYA require me to check that the candidate has the required mileage. To a degree it is a self certification, but it is soon obvious when someone pulls the wool over your eyes. In addition, mileage is supposed to be an indication of experience, but it is also a fairly crude measure. I once took a novice on an ocean passage. At the end of a few weeks he had enough mileage to take his YM offshore. However he had only moored the boat twice (as crew!), and anchored once(as crew). He had spent a lot of time watchkeeping in the Tropics in shorts and a T-shirt, and he was still a long way from being a Yachtmaster Offshore! In the same way, loads of miles gained cruising the same waters and visiting the same ports are not as valuable as those gained when cruising unfamiliar waters. The mileage requirement is a best guess as to what is the minimum required to have the necessary experience to be a YM Offshore.

If you are worried about your exam, PM me and I will give you details to phone me and we can chat about the way it works.

Please note that although I am appointed by the RYA, Examiners are independent and I cannot and do not speak for the RYA in any official way. I am only explaining how the system works and my understanding of official policy.

Regards John