Pro. Skippers

jointventureII

jointventureII

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Hi,
Wondering if anyone can help with a few questions I have about becoming a professional skipper. Im currently at uni but after graduation plan to work on boats with the intention of one day becoming a skipper, be it charter or delivery
Qualifications - is yachtmaster the top rung of the ladder even for pros?
Is there any other qualification needed?
Who employs a skipper - does anyone in this forum? What do you look for?
What is the minimun size of boat? Im guessing its probably over 50ft for a full time private position.
I can appreciate that you dont reach the big time jobs overnight and that it takes many years and a lot of experience.
The idea of becoming an motorboat instructor also appeals. Again, presumably this requires a fair bit of training beyond yachtmaster... Anyone out there an instructor? Likes / Dislikes?
Many thanks,
Michael
 
Where to start with this one!! Yacht Master is the pinnacle and if you want to become a YM instructor then you have to have at least 7,500 miles logged. But before that you need to move up thru the ranks. You can go to such places as UKSA and do a fast track YM over a period of 12 weeks at a cost of around £10k.

Then you will have to build up miles to start the YM instructor course by becoming a cruising instructor first.

I have know people of your age go to the US and "bum" rides on big boats out of places like Fort Lauderdale - one friend's son then went onto graduate from Warsash Maritime College and now can drive boats up to 9,000 tons.

There are a few other instructors on here who may add their pennies worth, plus a few "private" skippers - NortherWave being one who may help.

Likes? Loads! Being on the water mainly. Dislikes? The fact that you don't earn much!!

It would pay you to do Powerboat courses, you'll need VHF, first aid and sea survival certs and become commercially endorsed.

Others may add to this, but good luck anyway.
 
the YM is the starting qualification for most boat work.

teaching site is then cruising instructor, this course can be done though the RYA too, then after a year or 2, sometime more depending on how much teaching you do. you sit the instructor ticket, this has a 58 % fail rate last time I heard.

there is a class 4 ticket that is about £9,OO0 to take and hard [so I have been told] this is the ticket that if all goes wrong on board you could go to jail .its a MCA qualification think but not sure!

the RYA web site has some info, good place to start . /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Personally I have something against folk who decide to be a skipper before they have ever been to sea. I'm a bit the same with trainers. Spend ten years at sea. Then decide if you want to take a course and train others. Untill then. I'm sure there is a rasberry sound which I cant quite spell at the moment!!
 
Im 20 and have been boating for a fair few years, skippered a 29 footer under parental supervision from 14 and now use my dads day angler 23 on my own. Not the same as an 80fter, granted, but its the same sea and it offers the same dangers especially around my home waters. I feel that i have a fair amount of experience for my age.
This is something ive given plenty of thought to, the idea of working in an office makes me want to top myself. I come from Jersey where the majority work in an office and very very few have good things to say about it, even if they do enjoy the nature of their work.
Im currently looking at career options and for a long time working as a skipper seems to have suited me down to the ground. Obviously i'll never know unless i try, which is fully what i intend to do.
We shall see!
 
Well at least that is a good start, you have actually done some boating and as you say your home waters do need respect. Simplest way to get in the big boat scene is get yourself qualified to basic crew level Powerboat 2, Sea survival, first aid and the MCA Social Responsibilities course. You are then employable as crew. Then get yourself off down to the crew agencies in the South of France or Majorca, they will want to sell you every course going, resist and join a boat as a 'deckie' this is the lowest of the low BUT it gives you a chance to see the industry from within before you spend a lot on trainging for something you might not enjoy. You must be smart, etheical and prepared to work hard to get on.
 
I think you are right you won't know until you try, get some basic qualifications as Jon said . Best place to get work is Barcelona , Majorca but there are lot's kicking around the pontoons looking for work if you have other skills such as varnishing , waiting on tables silver service and the like it will help . Most jobs you will be sweaty decky to duty steward , to driving the guests ashore ( some places require advanced powerboat for this) so a jack of all trades . good luck with it I wish you well I was 16 years old when I first did it and quite scary at times and great fun at others.
Regards Tim
www.griffmarineservices.co.uk
 
walk before you run

I agree with you on this.

Spend some serious time at sea then teach if you feel the need.

There is no substitute for experience - my advice would be to get a 'proper' formal education at sea either RN or MN and then you can do the private yacht work with a MCA ticket - quite why peeps aim at small boats as a target and overlook QM2, 9000 teu container ships or the odd 350,000 ULCC beats me.

Get the best 'ticket' you can and then review your options - takes time effort and money. Class 1 Master Mariner FG or even Xtra Master opens a few doors........
 
Hi, yes, a few people hire skippers hereabouts, i have from time to time.

The minimum requirement to a be a pro skipper is a RYA Yachtmaster with commercial endoresement. The commercial endorsement means you need a medical, and so a couple of 1 day courses on first aid and sea survival. The YM consists of two componenets, theory and practical. Depending on whether you do a power of sailing practical, you get commercial qual in power or sail. This is the first step mind, not the "pinnacle" of commercial qualifications. I did this out of interest i suppose.

Lots of different branches of commercial boating tho, delivery, instruction.

Charter skipper is hard work but more fun than an office i suppose, and essentially you pilot and skipper the owners boat whislt he or paying guests are aboard. Powerboat charters can be a day or a month, more common in boats based in the med. The aim of most skippers is to be skipper of largest possible boat on a full-time basis. Smaller boats (50-80 feet) will usually hire a skipper for a season.

What do owners look for in a skipper? First and foremost you're in the holiday industry, and so i want someone not physically repulsive and if possible, a pleasant but not dominating and also willing personality - cos each owner will have their particular ways they want things doing, or not doing. If i need a fulltime skipper next year I will be looking for youthful keenie i think - someone who wd be pleased as punch to get the job rather than some old lag who yawn hm yes orlright i'll do it.

BUT beware - getting a job in the boating industry means erm it's unlikely that you'll ever be able to buy one...
 
Hi Michael,
Despite what Jon1 says, you will need certificates to get work on a reaonable sized boat - the certificate you need is the STCW95, which is a short course covering:
1.Personal Survival - survival suits, hypothermia, liferafts, basic actions in emergency, etc.
2.Elementary First Aid - basic, immediate, and emergency response to the most common shipboard injury emergencies, including CPR.
3.Elementary Fire Fighting and Fire Prevention - types/classes of fires, prevention, hazard awareness, methods of fire extinguishment, structure of incident response team, appropriate equipment, personal safety, team support, and live exercises.
4.Personal Safety & Social Responsibility - types of shipboard emergencies, alarms and signals, initial actions, personal/protective safety equipment, effects of pollution, pollution prevention, safe working practices, enclosed spaces, accident prevention, sexual harassment, individual rights, drug and alcohol awareness, and prevention of abuse.

It is a legal requirement that crew working on a commercial vessel e.g. charter yacht, has to have this certificate as a minimum. Most crew agencies will not put you forward for a decent job without the STCW95 certificate. If you are serious about looking for work on a yacht, get the STCW95 first and worry about the Yachtmaster later. The Yachtmaster is the entry level to the more serious certificates that you will need to run a larger yacht. The Yachtmaster will limit you to vessels less than 200 tons.
Running a larger yacht can be rewarding, both mentally and financially - there is good money to made in the yachting industry, but it is hard work and demands a serious comitment if you are to progress. Try it, and see if you like it. As has been pointed out, your first few jobs will be as deckie, but at least you will be able to see if you like the life.
Good luck....
John
 
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