RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Written Paper - Grrrrr

Dear Richard and other sailors,

Thanks for the info on the Ocean stuff. Very useful.
I'm have been planning on taking it myself now for a number of years, but being a delivery skipper have found it difficult to combine a period of having the money and having the time! I've usually got one of those, but never both!
I'm loathe to take the sailing school route, I've thrown far too much money at them at various stages of my career.
Thus I stumbled on this thread, trying to get hold of past papers. In an attempt to avoid even the correspondence/online theory courses.

So I put it to you guys. Whats the cheapest way to get a commercially endorsed ocean yachtmaster?

FYI. I am a commercially endorsed YM. With 50 000nm experience, a lot of which is comprised of 'ocean' passages.

Good winds and safe sailing.

Matthew

Skipper with Thumbs Up Sailing Yacht Delivery http://www.sailingyachtdelivery.com
Once you have your YMO ticket, you can get it commercially endorsed. However, tip, might be better if currently 'sail', to get a 'power' conversion, before getting your comm endorsement.
 
The RYA don't like passing out old exam papers as the questions rotate every 2 or 3 years ans with a full set of previous papers you could walk the exam.

Having said that it's not difficult, you get extra marks (or possibly just marks) for logical layout which the poor old examiner can follow when he's marking it all.

Daedulus
Could you please disclose your connection with the RYA or one of their training schools.
Prometheus
 
Once you have your YMO ticket, you can get it commercially endorsed. However, tip, might be better if currently 'sail', to get a 'power' conversion, before getting your comm endorsement.

As Alant says power conversion prior to applying for commercial endorsement ,also if your ML5 medical( only 60 miles offshore) is close to renewal (now most doctors charge around £75 +for this) worth now getting ENG1 medical same price approx and unlimitted distance needed for Y/M Ocean

Y/M Ocean keenmarine.co.uk
 
It's not about the minimum a Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner will accept....bearing in mind the environment and the responsibility.

All those guys are hugely experienced. They know their biz. And they are independent. Is anyone here seriously suggesting they - the Yachtmaster Qualifications Panel - are not up to the job?

It's my view that any one of those guys knows within minutes if the candidate in front of them is 'up to snuff'.

Who else would you trust with the job?

Bilbobaggins
YM Ocean - Commercial
 
Last edited:
My experience with the RYA has always been good. I think that while there is allot of written exams etc it always support the practical aspects of sailing and what you need to know. I found some books geared to the RYA exams that were spot on the money. I think if you buy as someone prior has sugested the Ocean Yachtmaster exercices by Langley Price and Ouvry you wont go far wrong.
 
As Alant says power conversion prior to applying for commercial endorsement ,also if your ML5 medical( only 60 miles offshore) is close to renewal (now most doctors charge around £75 +for this) worth now getting ENG1 medical same price approx and unlimitted distance needed for Y/M Ocean

Y/M Ocean keenmarine.co.uk


Think you need Ship Capt Medical, or whatever its now called as well.
 
My experience with the RYA has always been good. I think that while there is allot of written exams etc it always support the practical aspects of sailing and what you need to know. I found some books geared to the RYA exams that were spot on the money. I think if you buy as someone prior has sugested the Ocean Yachtmaster exercices by Langley Price and Ouvry you wont go far wrong.


Cunliffe's books are better, for those doing the RYA Course IMO, with the above to read, when they have some more understanding.
 
Last edited:
I did the written exam first (about 7 years before the required passage). In about 2003 I did the passage and submitted the shots etc. He asked me a load of questions on my shots i suppose to make sure they were my shots. I included my bad sextant shots as well but I also submitted all my work detailing the preparation of the boat prior to the trip. He was more interested then that and then we talked about boating in general and it did not feel like a test in the way the yachtmaster offshore did.
 
He was more interested then that and then we talked about boating in general and it did not feel like a test in the way the yachtmaster offshore did.
I suspect the YM Offshore test the technical bits and the Ocean examiner takes that as a given. :)
 
I suspect the YM Offshore test the technical bits and the Ocean examiner takes that as a given. :)

If your saying, that an Offshore ticket, proves you can sail a boat, perhaps, but sailing across an ocean & managing planning/crew/problems/victuals/watches/weather/etc, over that distance offshore, needs a different mindset.
 
If your saying, that an Offshore ticket, proves you can sail a boat, perhaps, but sailing across an ocean & managing planning/crew/problems/victuals/watches/weather/etc, over that distance offshore, needs a different mindset.
Agreed, YM Offshore proves you can point the boat in the correct direction, park it neatly and avoid the hard bits. Once you set out to the wide blue yonder you have a totally different of issues. From the little I've seen of RYA examiners they can tell within 8 nano seconds what you can and cannot do.
 
Top