Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage

[horatio_nelson]

I've just done the classroom course and passed the theory exam so the qualifying passage is next:

Minimum 96hrs, 600 miles, at least 200NM completed while over 50 miles from land, skipper or mate (plus a subsequent detailed oral exam about it and much more)

I'm interested to hear if anyone's done it (Pete of Halcyon Yachts will have!) and your experience / opinions please

 

[alant]

I've just done the classroom course and passed the theory exam so the qualifying passage is next:

Minimum 96hrs, 600 miles, at least 200NM completed while over 50 miles from land, skipper or mate (plus a subsequent detailed oral exam about it and much more)

I'm interested to hear if anyone's done it (Pete of Halcyon Yachts will have!) and your experience / opinions please

What's to tell?
Plan & Skipper an offshore trip, as indicated, take the required sights & reduce them, present to an examiner & discuss.
Relax & enjoy, it is good fun.

 

[Fascadale]

What's to tell?
Plan & Skipper an offshore trip, as indicated, take the required sights & reduce them, present to an examiner & discuss.
Relax & enjoy, it is good fun.

+1

I got the impression that the examiner perhaps saw a difference between a candidate who had prepared and sailed their own boat for the qualifying passage rather than those who had maybe pitched up and done the passage on a sailing school boat as "mate" (sometimes one of a few on board) under the watchful eye of a professional skipper

And remember, the sights do not necessarily have to be taken on the "qualifying passage"

 

[capnsensible]

I've just done the classroom course and passed the theory exam so the qualifying passage is next:

Minimum 96hrs, 600 miles, at least 200NM completed while over 50 miles from land, skipper or mate (plus a subsequent detailed oral exam about it and much more)

I'm interested to hear if anyone's done it (Pete of Halcyon Yachts will have!) and your experience / opinions please

Lost count.......

Tip. Do remember when you take your sights, make sure you run a dead reckoning plot. Electronic navaids must not be used at all.

Also don't forget to do a compass deviation check using the sun. It's a tiny bit of the theory but a big bit of the papers you need to produce.

Enjoy!

 

[horatio_nelson]

What's to tell?
Plan & Skipper an offshore trip, as indicated, take the required sights & reduce them, present to an examiner & discuss.
Relax & enjoy, it is good fun.

I was hoping it would be as straightforward as that

Have you done it? Interested to hear about the route taken, what it's like actually taking sights while at sea, anything really. Given that it's something I expect to do soon, I'm keen to hear anything and everything relevant.

 

[john_morris_uk]

+1

I got the impression that the examiner perhaps saw a difference between a candidate who had prepared and sailed their own boat for the qualifying passage rather than those who had maybe pitched up and done the passage on a sailing school boat as "mate" (sometimes one of a few on board) under the watchful eye of a professional skipper

And remember, the sights do not necessarily have to be taken on the "qualifying passage"

I try not to treat candidates differently who have been 'mate' on a boat and make you wonder how much real influence on crew, victuals and navigation they had. However I admit its much easier to examine someone whose just sailed their boat a few thousand miles across open ocean with a few friends or family as crew.

The sights are preferably taken on the qualifying passage, I am told, but I admit that mine weren't when I took my Ocean Ticket many years ago.

 

[horatio_nelson]

Lost count.......

Tip. Do remember when you take your sights, make sure you run a dead reckoning plot. Electronic navaids must not be used at all.

Also don't forget to do a compass deviation check using the sun. It's a tiny bit of the theory but a big bit of the papers you need to produce.

Enjoy!

Thanks, that's helpful

We were taught that ideally a compass check should be done at every change of watch!

I'd aim to do it once a day on passage I reckon. It was interesting to see the routeing charts with the deviations on them, eg off Newfoundland where it's 20ish degrees!

Was a fascinating course, very satisfying to have done.

 

[horatio_nelson]

I try not to treat candidates differently who have been 'mate' on a boat and make you wonder how much real influence on crew, victuals and navigation they had. However I admit its much easier to examine someone whose just sailed their boat a few thousand miles across open ocean with a few friends or family as crew.

The sights are preferably taken on the qualifying passage, I am told, but I admit that mine weren't when I took my Ocean Ticket many years ago.

fascdale:
I got the impression that the examiner perhaps saw a difference between a candidate who had prepared and sailed their own boat for the qualifying passage rather than those who had maybe pitched up and done the passage on a sailing school boat as "mate" (sometimes one of a few on board) under the watchful eye of a professional skipper

And remember, the sights do not necessarily have to be taken on the "qualifying passage"

Thanks both, that's good to know

I'm tempted to take a school boat but I'm pretty sure I could do it on my own boat with crew, although I'd probably leave taking the sights until another time.

 

[Skylark]

.......what it's like actually taking sights while at sea, anything really. Given that it's something I expect to do soon, I'm keen to hear anything and everything relevant.

Depends upon the sea state. Much easier when not rolling about. In calm conditions it’s nice to sit forward on deck. Remember to put the sextant halyard around your neck. All you need is three arms. Two for the sextant and one for a timepiece. Once you’ve figured that one out your in good shape ?

When passage making, remember boat maintenance, including sails. If a nav bulb failed, how would you replace it while ensuring that you don’t drop the lens and/or screws overboard (I was asked this question by my examiner). The last time I crossed Biscay we lost the Port sidelight courtesy of slamming into waves.

It’s “fun” to run a Dead Reconing log and compare it to the GPS. Taking daily sun-run-sun fixes keeps the mind active. You can also promise to make lunch just as soon as you’ve worked out latitude from the MP.

Best of luck with your passage. The oral exam consists of having a mug of tea with a very helpful and experienced sailor. I learned a lot from this experience alone, I was given some great tips.

 

[capnsensible]

Thanks, that's helpful

We were taught that ideally a compass check should be done at every change of watch!

I'd aim to do it once a day on passage I reckon. It was interesting to see the routeing charts with the deviations on them, eg off Newfoundland where it's 20ish degrees!

Was a fascinating course, very satisfying to have done.

(Psst, that's variation)

 

[john_morris_uk]

Thanks both, that's good to know

I'm tempted to take a school boat but I'm pretty sure I could do it on my own boat with crew, although I'd probably leave taking the sights until another time.

If you make a proper Ocean passage and conditions are anything reasonably benign you've got plenty go time to take the sights. A few days at sea and you get into a routine of eating sleeping, cooking and watch keeping with a little boat maintenance and a plot on the chart once or twice a day. Getting the sextant out is a way of passing the time!

 

[capnsensible]

Absolutely, it's a great way of using time plus learning a skill too.

Someone on here, an old mariner said something I've always remembered and passed on. ' Your first one thousand sights won't be as good as the second!'

I'm absolutely nowhere near that, but practice, as always, really does work.

Tips. Take your first sight as soon as you get a horizon. Loadsa people say I will start tomorrow and never do.

If a sun reduction looks total pants, just chuck it and take another sight. You can spend ages trying to find where your adding up or taking away went wrong.

Worth checking the errors every time you use the sextant, especially plastic ones.

Not necessary for exam, but sunrise and sunset stars are great to learn. Cloud will often make its appearance at just the wrong time but after a few days, some of the stars you will get and shoot every day for weeks. Add a planet like Venus and Roberts yer fathers sibling.

:encouragement:

 

[john_morris_uk]

Absolutely, it's a great way of using time plus learning a skill too.

Someone on here, an old mariner said something I've always remembered and passed on. ' Your first one thousand sights won't be as good as the second!'

I'm absolutely nowhere near that, but practice, as always, really does work.

Tips. Take your first sight as soon as you get a horizon. Loadsa people say I will start tomorrow and never do.

If a sun reduction looks total pants, just chuck it and take another sight. You can spend ages trying to find where your adding up or taking away went wrong.

Worth checking the errors every time you use the sextant, especially plastic ones.

Not necessary for exam, but sunrise and sunset stars are great to learn. Cloud will often make its appearance at just the wrong time but after a few days, some of the stars you will get and shoot every day for weeks. Add a planet like Venus and Roberts yer fathers sibling.

:encouragement:

Plus a few from me. (And I also commend morning and evening stars: it might look complicated, but once you get the hang of them then you can shoot several and get a fix in a few minutes. None of this running on the first position line malarky as where the lines of position cross is where you were. Four or five star sights also shows you which ones were 'bad ones' and you simply discard them.)

 

[alant]

I was hoping it would be as straightforward as that

Have you done it? Interested to hear about the route taken, what it's like actually taking sights while at sea, anything really. Given that it's something I expect to do soon, I'm keen to hear anything and everything relevant.

Yes, of course I've done it, route Capetown to UK.

 

[alant]

Plus a few from me. (And I also commend morning and evening stars: it might look complicated, but once you get the hang of them then you can shoot several and get a fix in a few minutes. None of this running on the first position line malarky as where the lines of position cross is where you were. Four or five star sights also shows you which ones were 'bad ones' and you simply discard them.)

Planning for star sights 'crucial' to getting it right.

 

[horatio_nelson]

Depends upon the sea state. Much easier when not rolling about. In calm conditions it’s nice to sit forward on deck. Remember to put the sextant halyard around your neck. All you need is three arms. Two for the sextant and one for a timepiece. Once you’ve figured that one out your in good shape ��

When passage making, remember boat maintenance, including sails. If a nav bulb failed, how would you replace it while ensuring that you don’t drop the lens and/or screws overboard (I was asked this question by my examiner). The last time I crossed Biscay we lost the Port sidelight courtesy of slamming into waves.

It’s “fun” to run a Dead Reconing log and compare it to the GPS. Taking daily sun-run-sun fixes keeps the mind active. You can also promise to make lunch just as soon as you’ve worked out latitude from the MP.

Best of luck with your passage. The oral exam consists of having a mug of tea with a very helpful and experienced sailor. I learned a lot from this experience alone, I was given some great tips.

If you make a proper Ocean passage and conditions are anything reasonably benign you've got plenty go time to take the sights. A few days at sea and you get into a routine of eating sleeping, cooking and watch keeping with a little boat maintenance and a plot on the chart once or twice a day. Getting the sextant out is a way of passing the time!

Absolutely, it's a great way of using time plus learning a skill too.

Someone on here, an old mariner said something I've always remembered and passed on. ' Your first one thousand sights won't be as good as the second!'

I'm absolutely nowhere near that, but practice, as always, really does work.

Tips. Take your first sight as soon as you get a horizon. Loadsa people say I will start tomorrow and never do.

If a sun reduction looks total pants, just chuck it and take another sight. You can spend ages trying to find where your adding up or taking away went wrong.

Worth checking the errors every time you use the sextant, especially plastic ones.

Not necessary for exam, but sunrise and sunset stars are great to learn. Cloud will often make its appearance at just the wrong time but after a few days, some of the stars you will get and shoot every day for weeks. Add a planet like Venus and Roberts yer fathers sibling.

:encouragement:

Thanks, this is all great stuff and really makes sense having done the course

I realised why that yacht-on-ship transport firm is called 'Seven Star'

 

[john_morris_uk]

Planning for star sights 'crucial' to getting it right.

‘Selected Stars’ is your friend.

 

[AndrewB]

I am really surprised to see that use of the sextant is STILL such a major component of the YM Ocean practical. (Why not the astrolabe?)

P.S. Mine was Brighton to Corunna. Back then we were still actually navigating by sextant, so just getting there was pretty much proof you could do it.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I am really surprised to see that use of the sextant is STILL such a major component of the YM Ocean practical. (Why not the astrolabe?)

P.S. Mine was Brighton to Corunna. Back then we were still actually navigating by sextant, so just getting there was pretty much proof you could do it.

It’s only a part of the exam. 1/3rd or less to be precise.

 

[corbu]

My advice is make sure you don't get dismasted 650 or so nm out from the Azores and eventually get rescued by a type 45 destroyer. As the RYA take the somewhat harsh line that your trip has to be completed to be valid. I thought it gave me lots to analyse and would have made for an interesting narrative. Fair enough I suppose but has put paid to my ocean yachtmaster aims for a while as my wife's says that you I am never doing that again! On a more practical note I was surprised to be seasick for the first 24 hours on the big ocean swell. Lying down at the end of the watch equalled instant relieve though, now understand the advice to lie down when sea sick, never needed it in a coastal situation. Maybe an eastwards passage from the Azores in February wasn't my best idea. But, it did satisfy my objective to stretch my experience of heavy weather. Good luck on your passage.