Much talk of YM qualification..

[Peppermint]

below. Mate of mine paid big bucks for his lad to do YM intensive course for gap year. It's been a good experience for everyone concerned. The lad did some weeks of channel sailing interspersed with shorebased courses and passed the lot. They spent most of Nov. dodging storms in Biscay delivering a50 odd footer to the Canaries. At the begining of Dec. he and one other lad were joined on board by an experienced yottie and the three did the practicle exam. The result was 2 young lads are now commercial YM's and 1 experienced yottie failed. Weird Eh!

As a matter of interest. While training the lad did crew on a YM exam in which no nightsailing took place. Is that usual?

 

[snowleopard]

was for me...

no night sailing, no blind pilotage in my exam. the syllabus seems to vary enormously. if i had read tom cunliffe's articles first i'd never have taken it at all!

 

[ianwright]

I suspect,,,,,,,,,,,,,

,,,,,, that YM examiners give the exam they think the candidates need. "I'm not sure about this chap... Let's see how he handles X or Y"
Mine took under four hours , MOB, mooring and anchoring under sail and motor, lunch and drinks under sail, (!) Lots of conversation and questions and the examiner was a Mr T Cunliffe.
Do many people know that they can contact an examiner of their choice to 'run the rule' over them? Do it in your own or a friends boat, solo or with crew? Well you can. Try it, it worked for me.

IanW.

Vertue 203, Patience

 

[Steve G]

YM Qualifications

Interesting. I did the YM Offshore in October (Portugal for some sun ), no night sailing (but your log attests to your night sailing) did have the RYA fog exercise and we started with a passage plan from Beaulieu River to the Bag at Salcombe. The exam lasted 9.5 hours. The examiner did look at my log to check my experience - and as most of my sailing has been on the Scottish West Coast he was happy to see I'd made the effort do do some sailing out of Lymington on the Solent. I didnt enjoy the exam - it tested me significantly! I was asked questions, as promised in the small print, from the whole YM theory syllabus. The examiner was very careful to ensure safe practice and this he commented on in his debriefing. As with all exams everyones experience is different.

I wonder if the experienced yottie had done the YM theory course, as its difficult to pass YM Offshore without it.

If there are questions of impropriety regarding examiners they should properly be addressed to the RYA, or the exam becomes worthless.

My brief account at http://www.pbase.com/croftcroyne/yachtmaster

 

[Sailfree]

I was crew on one and it took a weekend.

I thought the examiner was thorough (from Combined services club- Portsmouth) and I asked for him when I did mine. I did it with 1 other and we took the weekend including night sailing but he refused to pass us as not enough wind. Lots of questions on complete sylbus.

We went out on the following Wednesday and both had to do all the necessary under sail. We both passed.

I did not realise that the examination standards varied so much.

 

[jimi]

Jings, this post is a blast from the past!

 

[Seajet]

I agree with the above comments, it can be quite a stiff exam, taking in my case 2 days to assess 3 students; night sailing was checked in one's log, and we did have a blind sailing test ( in the Western Solent, where the seabed contours suit ).

MOB under sail was a high priority.

I found out by accident that a major tip is to take the course and exam' in the winter; that way one gets the best instructors and examiners, and fellow students will be serious - not just after a sun tan !

 

[snowleopard]

I did not realise that the examination standards varied so much.

I don't think it's the standards that vary so much as the steps the examiner feels he has to take to discover if the victim knows what he/she is doing.

I had what I considered to be an easy ride but discussing it with the owner of the school boat who spent most of the time below with the examiner, he had formed an opinion within the first half hour. Had he been in doubt he would have put me through more exercises. One factor is the ability to read wind and tide - it is instinctive for me but I am amazed how many can't judge wind direction by glancing at the sea.

 

[Steve G]

Suntan!

I would agree with Seahorse!

Quote 'I found out by accident that a major tip is to take the course and exam' in the winter; that way one gets the best instructors and examiners, and fellow students will be serious - not just after a sun tan !'

If I'd thought about it I'd have guessed that to be the case, and sensible advice - my crew consisted of three day skippers one of whose english was virtually non existant, (and his partners excellent) but it made the exam more of a challenge, and part of the assessment is of course communication and handling of the crew!

I opted for Portugal so my wife and I could have a holiday in the week prior to the YM prep 'course' and exam

 

[Seajet]

I found the examiners make up their minds quite promptly as to one's judgement and skills.

The 'pre-planned voyage' and a bit of dinghy-style boat handling on the MOB drill did it for me, though a fellow YMO student was a Day Skipper instructor, which he kept to himself until after the exam as he feared the grading would be much higher for him.

I don't think this was the case with our particular examiner, he'd seen it all - including the Battle Of The River Plate !, and summed us up pretty quickly.

The only person I know who failed the Yachtmaster Offshore was a non - boat owner with a crucial lack of common sense...

and who are you calling a Seahorse ?!

 

[Ceirwan]

,,,,,, that YM examiners give the exam they think the candidates need. "I'm not sure about this chap... Let's see how he handles X or Y"
Mine took under four hours , MOB, mooring and anchoring under sail and motor, lunch and drinks under sail, (!) Lots of conversation and questions and the examiner was a Mr T Cunliffe.
Do many people know that they can contact an examiner of their choice to 'run the rule' over them? Do it in your own or a friends boat, solo or with crew? Well you can. Try it, it worked for me.

IanW.

Vertue 203, Patience

Similar to mine, around 6 hours, just me being examined.
It included MOB (Waited till I was busy with a navigation exercise and then threw over the Dan Buoy!), lots of questions on Col Regs, lights shapes etc, weather, including the assessing the clouds in the sky, mooring under engine and sail, anchoring.

The most fun part was to try and place the boat exactly on a spot given in Lat and Lon, without making use of the GPS, did it with bearings, depth contours etc.
Obviously the passage plan was assessed as well, its mainly all common sense and making sure you can sail and handle a boat.

I've never done an intensive course so my comments might not be accurate, but I don't see how someone can go from novice to yacht master in a month or two, it just seems that the knowledge and experience would be crammed rather than actually embedded in the mind.

 

[webcraft]

.
Mine was done with one other very young and relatively inexperienced but skilled candidate and included (for me) a night entry into Millport via the back passage, then three hours kip before getting up (for both of us) to note down the shipping forecast from the radio and draw a weather map from it. On the way back to Largs we flew a spinnaker, which isn't a requirement at all but was entertaining.

I think every exam is different. You can be asked to do absolutely anything that is on the syllabus, and then some!

- W

 

[Sgeir]

..... included (for me) a night entry into Millport via the back passage...

I did a night sail from Lamlash and an pre-dawn entry into Rothesay on my Day Skipper, but I didn't realise you have to do stuff like that for YM.

 

[capnsensible]

A knowledge of spinnaker handling was removed from the exam years ago. Along with the dozen or so morse code letters, think of the old RDF.

Back passage entry has never been a requirement, were you groomed?

 

[BlueSkyNick]

This has got to be the oldest thread to be recalled on the forum ! Sadly, Ianwright died about three years ago !!!

 

[bedouin]

This has got to be the oldest thread to be reclled on the forum ! Sadly, Ianwright died about three years ago !!!

Yes - bit of a shock seeing him being quoted

 

[RichardS]

This has got to be the oldest thread to be recalled on the forum ! Sadly, Ianwright died about three years ago !!!

I didn't know Ian but see that his last post (a very fitting term) was from April 2005.

It's a salutory thought that our posts and our profile will live on long after we've gone. Some kind of modern immortality, I guess, but rather sad.

Richard

 

[Ceirwan]

:O
Didn't realise I was quoting an eight year old post!

 

[Steve G]

Apologies to Seajet!

My wife admonishes me for not reading emails properly! My excuse is I wasn't wearing my glasses - a definate must for chart plotting!

 

[Jamesuk]

As a matter of interest. While training the lad did crew on a YM exam in which no nightsailing took place. Is that usual?

I dont want to plug UKSA but I did my course there 4 years ago and ALL the external examiners took us (14 on 4-5 yachts) through Blind Nav, sailing up to a buoy, Berthing under sail, Pilotage from every crew member not "Do one and present it" but ACTUAL do one in 15 minutes and lets go. I did my night sail from Cowes to Marchwood at the top of Southampton River. We also did, picking up and dropping an anchor under sail, MOB under power and sail, Spinnaker work, optimise the sails to the conditions, Leaving a dock, Leaving a dock under sail, turning in a convined space, cooking, washing up and so forth. Usual stuff.

Was alot of fun! Night sailing should be vital because of the Col Regs - It is one thing being tested using a card but at night much more relevent. (in my opinion)

I qouls highly recommend UKSA as well great fleet of yachts and the Catamaran training so important for those going off to Sunsail charter holidays as they have loads.