Minimum age for Yachtmaster

  • Thread starter Thread starter LPW
  • Start date Start date
L

LPW

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2004
Messages
23
Location
London
Visit site
I was recently reading the article in the March issue of "Yachting World" about an incident that occured in the bay of Biscay resulting in the loss of life of the skipper. In the article it says that one of the crew members was aged 17 and had a Yachtmaster ticket. Am I correct to believe that the minimumage for a Yachtmaster is 18, and the magazine just printed the age incorrectly, or am I completely wrong?

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
What about new Min age for PB2 tickets

As far as I can work it out the new min age to hold a RYA power boat 2 ticket is 8.
Now forgive me but I happen to think that is to young! At 8 years of age some youngsters wouldn't even be able to see over the bows of our club boats. If they have to be with someone over 16 then why ticket them at all?

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
And increasing by 2 years for every 1 year thereafter I believe - whew, that means that I have much more time left than you in which to learn to sail properly before being overtaken by the minimum age limit /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Not United States as you asked but out of interest sparked by the thread I had checked the syllabus's (syllabii ??) of the New Zealand and Australian Yachtmasters and neither make any mention of an age limit here. Doesn't mean there isn't one but was no mention made.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Re: Bit young

Though it could be to encourage youngsters into racing.

Many harbours restrict the use of PB's with an age to horse power limit. Salcombe was plagued by kids in high powered boats until it brought in a restriction.

The scariest I saw was a party of kids between about 8 and 12 in a dory with a 225hp outboard. They did seem to know what they were doing though.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
i detect some potentially disparaging remarks about north american standards
i dont know about britain, but in canada we have been plagued by youngsters buzzing around, over, through and under on jet ski's and other "transportation" of that ilk, which resulted in the introduction of a boaters operator card by the federal government. it is a progressive scheme starting with anyone under the age of eighteen "driving??" a powered floating object - can i call them boats, being required to pass a competency exam, somewhat basic, but covering most rules. should the little blighter not have the card tucked away in their swimsuit, they lose the floating object. I might add that our marine police - and we have a lot of them around during the summer- are more interested in looking for boaters with a beer in their hands which is verboten - but it has proved to be an excelent revenue source

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I didn't mean to be disparaging towards you or our cousins to the south of you, if anything it only reflected my dislike of substituting qualifications for experience and ability: the yachtmaster used to be seen as a pinnacle to aim for, when you had enough miles tucked under your keel. Now it is seen as a pre-requisite, little more than an unofficial boat driving license. The same applies to the RYA course.
Your federal rules and the confiscation of vessels from unlicensed hooligans does sound attractive, at least in part.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top