Self-study RYA Coastal Theory?

[nedr]

I am intending to do the RYA Yachtmaster Coastal practical course/exam next Spring. Obviously, I need to be well up to speed on the theory side beforehand. I don't rate the idea of a 5 day "crammer course" (I want to really know the material, not just pass an exam) & evening classes/weekends are not an easy option for me time-wise. This leaves 2 options: an online course, or self-directed study. I did the latter some years ago for my Day Skipper with no trouble using books & a CD course ("The Complete Course"). Could I do the same with the more advanced Coastal Skipper material, and would I be accepted on a practical course without the course completion certificate? Paying the best part of £300 to do an online course seems a bit unnecessary for someone who is pretty adept at self-tuition. What do people advise?

 

[nigelmercier]

Yachtmaster for Sail and Power: A Manual for the RYA Yachtmaster® Certificates of Competence by Alison Noice

I've got the earlier edition of this book, excellent: http://amzn.to/1uBAzCi

 

[Sandy]

Lots of good books out there. You will be fine.

 

[brokethebox]

hey nedr,

searegs (www.searegs.co.uk) do a really good online interactive course. It's run by Simon Jinks (ex Chief Instructor at the RYA) and he's a really top guy to have help you. I've no link to the company other than that I really rate Simon, he did my YMI moderation and I showed him a wee bit about youth sail training.

EDIT

sorry, should have read the post more carefully! Yes, you can direct access the practical course without having done the theory course. It's a pretty full on learning week so it is very difficult to catch up theory wise once on the practical course so worth knowing your stuff beforehand.

James

 

[planteater]

I did Dazed Kipper and Coastal with Chichester Maritime Online. I would thoroughly recommend them.

http://www.cmonline.co.uk/

 

[GrahamM376]

I see no reason why you can't home study. Unless things have changed in recent years, there's no need for any "bits of paper" when taking any RYA practical exams, they test candidates on level of knowledge and practical skills. Coastal skipper & YM candidates also need a number of qualifying passages & miles. No reason why for instance someone with no previous formal qualifications couldn't just take the CS or YM exam. Having said that, I don't think I would have passed without the 5 day CS practical course beforehand, it taught me a lot and brought me well up to speed.

 

[PaulMcC]

If you sign up for an online 'correspondance course' that will include the theory exam as well so you will end up with Yachtmaster theory (assumign you pass Therefore if you do the practical and pass you will have both elements and be a proper yachtmaster coastal. Up to you whether having the full qualification is worth it over and above just knowing the content.


On my practical course the examiner asked me a few theory questions which I took to be him checking I could translate the classroom theory into it's practical application on the boat. He asked a few questions about the weather and what I could read into what I could see, and he asked me to do a running fix at one point. There might have been others but those were the ones that stick in my mind.

 

[rotrax]

Both First Mate and I bought and borrowed the books for Yachtmaster Theory and studied at home-and during a narrowboat holiday.

No reason not to.

 

[Dab]

There is a lot of overlap between the Day Sipper theory course and the Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore theory course. From memory the principal differences are in navigation, weather, colregs and passage planning. For the navigation the problems are more complex and you do a lot more work with secondary ports, tidal heights and computation of rates. You are expected to have a deeper understanding of weather, particularly the characteristics of a standard depression and the reasons for fog formation. For colregs you cover the rules, lights and shapes and buoyage in much more detail. Passage planning takes you up to doing a written passage plan for a coastal passage of between 6 and 10 hours.

You do not need to have attended a theory course in order to do the Yachtmaster Coastal assessment, but you have to be comfortable enough with it so that during the exam when the examiner gives you a passage to complete you make sure that you have enough depth to leave your current location and arrive in the planned location (use of tidal curve and secondary ports), plot a course to steer and if necessary do a pilotage plan for you arrival and departure in the time it takes for the crew to prepare a meal. On my exam each candidate over the two days was also quizzed individually on col regs, met, lights and shapes, sound signals and the written passage plan we had written before the examiner came on board.

The prep week before the exam was probably the most concentrated learning experience I have had so far. All of the crew were experienced sailors, so we learnt a lot from each other as well as the instructor, and had plenty of opportunity to put the theory into practice with lots of short passages and drill over the week.

 

[Dab]

Meant to add at the end. I did my theory as a five day course, but when I was looking for stuff to read beforehand I came across this, which is a pretty good free online version of the theory course:

http://www.aztecsailing.co.uk/index.html

 

[James Millar]

I did mine with navathome (through hamble) and they were brilliant! One thing I also found useful was using the Tidal Hours app on the iPhone. Saved me a lot of writing! There are loads of great free apps online covering things like col regs and the like. You don't even need to buy the book anymore, its all there online!

 

[Uricanejack]

Meant to add at the end. I did my theory as a five day course, but when I was looking for stuff to read beforehand I came across this, which is a pretty good free online version of the theory course:

http://www.aztecsailing.co.uk/index.html

You know what, For a free site. its pretty good. thanks for posting, I spent about interesting half an hour thumbing through it.

 

[LadyInBed]

Meant to add at the end. I did my theory as a five day course, but when I was looking for stuff to read beforehand I came across this, which is a pretty good free online version of the theory course:

http://www.aztecsailing.co.uk/index.html

Another one here http://www.sailingissues.com/navcourse0.html

 

[CPD]

I found the RYA self study books really good - got me through Yachtmaster. You have to be strict with youreelf but well worthwhile.

 

[paulrae]

I did self-study for my dazed kipper. No problem being accepted for the course. Recently did a couple of more advanced practical courses and there was no check on the shore-based qualification paperwork. The tutor will soon suss out whether you're at the correct level for the course.

Good luck.