Slow track yachtmaster

[Goodge]

Slow track Yachtmaster

A mere 7 years and 2 months after enrolling for Yachtmaster theory classes, I finally took and passed the practical at the weekend.

Here is my ‘slow track yacht master diary’

September 1997 - Enroll Yachtmaster theory Cost £65
June 1998 - Pass Yachtmaster theory
August 1998 VHF Radio Cost £44
October 1998 Coastal Skipper Practical Cost £360
Mileage builder with Sunsail Cost £530
October 2002 First Aid Cost £ 55
December 2002 PADI Open water diver Free
(Xmas present from wife)
January 2003 Powerboat level 2 and ICC Free
(Paid for by sailing club for rescue duty)
August 2003 Sea survival Cost £55
November 2004 Yachtmaster prep and exam Cost £690

Total £1799

3400 miles logged, made up of Solent cruising, 8 cross Channel trips / N France cruising on my friend’s boat and the occasional charter.

I would add that I was already a keen dinghy racer so not exactly a zero to start with.

UKSA are presently charging about £8500 for the Zero – Hero course so I’m certainly better off and have managed to collect a lot of the same tickets.

So was it too slow or the way to go?


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[Solitaire]

Congratulations! While it's been a lengthy time no doubt you are all the better for it.

<hr width=100% size=1>Boating is <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.powerboattraininguk.co.uk>Serious Fun</A>

 

[tome]

Call that slow track! Enrolled shorebased YM in 81 and eventually did the exam in 2000.

Well done!

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[Goodge]

In that case I should remove my thread !



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[snowleopard]

nah! that was fast

enrolled for YM evening classes 1972, took exam 1974 (failed - semaphore & morse)

re-took courses 1992-4

passed offshore & ocean june 1995
july 1995 received certificate (coastal skipper)
august 1995 received certificate (ocean x 2)
so i still don't have YM offshore

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[Goodge]

Re : ' so i still don't have YM offshore '

But you say you have 'Ocean' do you mean practical or theory?

Current rate of knots that will take me at least another 3 years to complete Ocean practical and theory.


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[snowleopard]

did it a bit back to front - took both theory courses at the same time, then the ocean oral but examiner had to sit on my papers until i'd passed the pre-requisite offshore practical which i did a month later. i got the coastal skipper certificate in place of the YM offshore and when i sent it back they sent me a second ocean cert instead of the offshore. i didn't bother to chase it any further as the ocean cert proves i got the offshore.

there is no ocean 'practical' exam, you log the 600 mile passage, do your astro work (not necessarily on the same passage) then present your logbook and astro to the examiner at an oral exam on shore.

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[Peppermint]

Re: You speedster

I took Coastal Grades 1 & 2 theory in 1979.
YM Theory in 1998.
YM Practical 2003 with Commercial bits soon after.

I've got a few more miles in to.

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[Evadne]

Better late than never. I took my YM theory in about 1991, I guess I'll get around to doing the practical one of these years....

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[copterdoctor]

Well done. That is by far the best way to go. Each time you moved on to the next bit you some experience to build on and ask questions from.

Now enjoy!

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[tcm]

congratulations! and i don't think it's that slow either.

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[Goodge]

I'm beginning to think its not now having seen what other people have done.

Still its not 17 weeks is it ? Wonder what any fastrack YM's think ?

Anyway I'm a leisure sailor, not in the industry and didn't need my qualifications in a hurry so I got there as fast as I could.

To be honest the biggest constraint was not owning a boat. so I couldn't do the mile.
I only started to get a bit more serious about this a couple of years ago as I only had limited access to a yacht.

Anyway, got it now and that's all that matters

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[BlueSkyNick]

Well done Goodge. It would seem unfair to mention the entrance to the Petite Rade in Cherbourg, at this happy time.

<hr width=100% size=1>I can't be bothered with a footnote - it's usually rubbish anyway.

 

[Goodge]

I did think of titleing my thread 'Dodgy navigator in exam success shock' but I've since learnt that everbody runs aground at some point and Cherbourg was not as public as the pros who hit the Sydney Opera House.

By the way, is the Xmas drinks at Folly still going ahead ?

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[iangrant]

Well done mate, don't you listen to that big bad nasty man..

Ian

 

[iangrant]

the value of a yachmaster by Bill Cooper..

Quote Bill: Author of Sell up and Sail:

"The Yachtmasters Certificate, for example, is all useful knowledge and updated at intervals; but to have gained it is not the be-all and end-all. There is a danger, in fact, that such certificates entrain dubious feelings of an all powerful super knowledge of the sea.

Quote, Ian Grant

"I must confess to feeling proud of my new badge (Mrs G taunted I had my pompous head on for a while) but soon to be humbled by big waves and some nasty seas, I have lots to learn...

Ian

 

[jimi]

Take it you did'nt hit a whopping great rock in the middle of the exam? How did that happen again?