International Yachtmaster Courses (IYT)

[richardknight]

Does anyone have any experience of thse courses? i.e. has anyone looked into them in any detail and or taken one? They seem as good an option as RYA to me in that they are training courses which by virtue of being MCA recognised have attained a certain quality bar.

What do you think - are they as good an option for those of us who are simply looking to become better sailors?

Richard

 

[Shakey]

As an aside, I thought the RYA had copyrighted the word 'Yachtmaster'.

 

[richardknight]

I believe they have in the UK and that they have applied for it in Europe. It's currently being contested by both IYT and perhaps more significantly the MCA who quite reasonably state that they can't as it's a generic term used by rather mor than just the RYA.

 

[john_morris_uk]

You might find it informative to check what the MCA standards and assessment were when they said they would recognise IYT as a suitable standard! It was something along the lines of "...a course that showed people had an interest in yachting...."

Its a free world and you can take your choice, but why have I examined people for their RYA YM qualification who have previously been through the IYT scheme? I will suggest that they come back to the RYA scheme because it is widely recognised in the yachting industry as the best one and it is the one that their future employers want.

Obviously I am biased, but the IYT scheme was set up purely as a money making venture and I know where my loyalties will remain. Furthermore, the RYA scheme remains a system where the average yachtsman with suitable experience can gain a qualification that he or she should be proud of. The RYA YM scheme has come to be used by the yachting industry, but it remains at heart a scheme for the amateur yachstman as well.

By the way I think you'll find that the RYA won their fight in the US courts as well!