Yachtmaster Ocean Theory

[Doug_Stormforce]

The facts

So does anyone know what the real story is?

There is a written paper/exam as part of the shorebased course.

If you have the ocean shorebased certificate it saves you having to do the written exam when you go for your Ocean oral.

If you are taking a distance learning course anyone can invigilate the exam for you, does not have to be at a RYA centre.

This does not effect you going on to take the RYA Ocean Oral and becoming an Ocean Yachtmaster with commercial endorsement.

However if you plan to go onto a higher ticket such as Master 200 or OOW (unrestricted) then you will need to prove to the MCA that your exam was invigilated at a centre.

The answer therefore depends on what exactly you plan to do commercially.

We often invigilate super yacht crew who have taken the distance Learning Course with Ocean Training (and we are based in Hampshire).

 

[sarabande]

err, Nimbus, I agree about the cost of a sextant being equal to 5 GPSs, but how many GPS satellites would one sextant buy ?

 

[Ubergeekian]

I've just finished RYA Ocean course and was struck by how little astro it contained - just the bare minimum to do a sun-run-sun sight.

I signed up to do it in evening classes years ago. The very first exercise in the book - a meridian sun sight, I think - had a clearly and demonstrably incorrect answer. We're talking wrong number and wrong hemisphere. I gave up then.

 

[capnsensible]

Geeky, doing a long trip on a yacht is, frankly, often boring. It is quite neat to amuse yourself and your shipmates by determining your position on the face of our little planet from light emitted from objects a mind boggling distance away. Whether you need to or not.

Try Tom Cunliffe 'Ocean Navigation'.....even I can understand it so thats a reccommend!!

Also do cleaning fenders, polishing stanchions,whipping every single bit of rope you can find, cooking fish you catch, baking bread (gets your fingernails clean), fantasising about dusky maidens and reading any, absolutely any book onboard. Oh. and whittling

 

[snowleopard]

I signed up to do it in evening classes years ago. The very first exercise in the book - a meridian sun sight, I think - had a clearly and demonstrably incorrect answer. We're talking wrong number and wrong hemisphere. I gave up then.

You found an error in the book so gave up?

What will you do if you find an error on this forum?

 

[tt65]

Distance learning

Have a look at www.tiller.co.uk

 

[Ubergeekian]

Geeky, doing a long trip on a yacht is, frankly, often boring. It is quite neat to amuse yourself and your shipmates by determining your position on the face of our little planet from light emitted from objects a mind boggling distance away. Whether you need to or not.

I agree completely. It was just the RYA course I was put off, not the whole idea!

 

[Ubergeekian]

You found an error in the book so gave up?

Yeah. Couldn't see the point of working through RYA exercises if they weren't going to supply correct answers. Easier just to buy a book.

 

[timbartlett]

Yeah. Couldn't see the point of working through RYA exercises if they weren't going to supply correct answers. Easier just to buy a book.

No matter how assiduously stuff is proofread, typos (or author's errors -- we all make 'em) can slip through.

The RYA are actually one of the more rigorous publishers when it comes to checking things, but no-one can be immune. Usually what happens (in any publication) is that something goes out wrong and someone in-house spots it a day or two later. Then there's that "Oh ****" moment when you realise that the cock-up is about to be laid bare before thousands of readers.

Then, you might put out a correction. But the correction is later than the original, and doesn't necessarily reach all the original customers.

Sometimes, the mistake doesn't appear until the first of those several thousand start writing in about it.

I'm not making excuses -- mistakes shouldn't happen, but they do (and not just in the RYA). But it's a shame that anyone is put off the entire course by one.

 

[Phideaux]

"For the Ocean certificate the shorebased course is not mandatory."

Since when?

"EXAMINATION FOR RYA/DoT YACHTMASTER OCEAN CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE"
Candidates who hold a certificate of satisfactory completion of the RYA/DoT Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased Course are exempt from the written section of the exam."

Not sure what the disagreement is here? If you've got the YM Ocean theory course certificate then you don't need to do the written exam; if you've not done the theory course, then you do.

From what I understand (and have experienced) the RYA Day Skipper, YM Coastal and YM Offshore are all purely practical examinations and there is no requirement to have attended a theory course.

The YM Ocean requires 'either' the satisfactory completion of the theory course, 'or' a written examination as well as the practical (I've been told that the written element could be satisfied by examination of your astrosights logged on ocean voyages, but I've not got this far yet).

 

[Doug_Stormforce]

.......I've been told that the written element could be satisfied by examination of your astrosights logged on ocean voyages....

I think you have been slightly mis-led.

All candidates for the Ocean oral exam have to present sights they have taken, although they do not necessarily have to be taken on their qualifying passage.

If they do not have the shorebased certificate they additionally have to take a written paper at the time of the oral exam. Your own sights would not qualify as an exemption from the paper.

In reality the majority of Ocean Oral candidates have completed the shorebased course at some time or other.

 

[Phideaux]

If they do not have the shorebased certificate they additionally have to take a written paper at the time of the oral exam. Your own sights would not qualify as an exemption from the paper.

OK, that seems fairly unequivocal.

 

[alant]

Not sure what the disagreement is here? If you've got the YM Ocean theory course certificate then you don't need to do the written exam; if you've not done the theory course, then you do.

From what I understand (and have experienced) the RYA Day Skipper, YM Coastal and YM Offshore are all purely practical examinations and there is no requirement to have attended a theory course.

The YM Ocean requires 'either' the satisfactory completion of the theory course, 'or' a written examination as well as the practical (I've been told that the written element could be satisfied by examination of your astrosights logged on ocean voyages, but I've not got this far yet).

Hopefully no disagreement.
My post was intended to indicate that there 'is' a written/theory element, since I seemed to getting an impression from other posts, that just offering up the practical results would suffice.

I certainly am not aware of anyone getting a ticket just on those, even with a searching oral interview.

 

[bluemerlin]

Free Astronav e-book "Astronav from Square One to Ocean-master

As discussed in other astronav threads- there are a small number of free pdf e-books still available - "Astro-nav from Square One to Ocean-master" - softback being published this Jan. Simply email astronavsq1@gmail.com

 

[mjcp]

err, Nimbus, I agree about the cost of a sextant being equal to 5 GPSs, but how many GPS satellites would one sextant buy ?

We are (over)due a large CME too... like the one that fried the telegraph system in the 1850's:

http://climate.arm.ac.uk/Carrington_Flare_Report.pdf

mjcp

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I was unlucky enough to have three fail within 12 hours off the North cost of Spain having been at sea for 5 days hove to for two nights so DR was not an option.

I'd be interested to know what caused 3 gps sets to fail

 

[alant]

I'd be interested to know what caused 3 gps sets to fail

Too close to a grey funnel vessel perhaps?