Yachtmaster offshore Practical (Sail) any tips?

[Daydream believer]

He was aboard for two nights and we effectively did three days under examination.!

Three days under exam!! How long is the exam currently?

 

[Uricanejack]

Congratulations, I take my hat of to anyone who achieves the YM its quite an achievement. A pity the experience was tarnished by the examiners manner.

I did not get the impression from the OP the test was unfair.
I got the impression the examiner was rude, crass, swore a lot and made disparaging comments about the boat to the candidate and crew. If the OP is annoyed enough to complain here then passing his comments to the sailing school and the RYA would seam appropriate. Exactly what the OP regarded as rude or crass, who knows.
The issue appears to be behavior not competence. Both organisations would probably like to know, There is of course two sides to every story. They can look in to the other side.

The rest of use can relax and be sure to bring lots of pies to the exam, If the examiner eats all the pies, we pass

 

[Uricanejack]

I really don't see the problem. I took and passed my YM in 1996 or thereabouts from Oban in Febuary. The examiner (now deceased) so not named but notorious for his irascibility was an obnoxious sod. Nonetheless, he put me and my partner candidate through a very thorough exam over a whole weekend. He was aboard for two nights and we effectively did three days under examination. I always thought that his challenging demeanour was part of the exam.
If you are unhappy with the level of examination complain but if you are expecting a trip with the boys just get on with it!

Irascibility and obnoxious, I had a few teachers who fit the description
Might have been traditional once upon a time.

 

[john_morris_uk]

For whatever reason MOB under sail is rarely, if ever examined -

Not true. A large proportion of the time, the examiner is likely to tell the candidate that the engine has just failed to start. To the point that candidates sometimes gut flustered when one allows them to use the engine. They've practiced MOB under sail so much that they expect that's how its going to be examined!

 

[sailswim]

For an RYA YM assessment do I need to be concerned about the following...?
I removed the log impeller from the hull in my boat last year and glassed over the hole, as the head unit / display stopped working.

In my ship's log I usually record SOG and distance to waypoint from the GPS.
Obviously I am "missing" distance logged through the water.

As a backup for GPS failure I do have a Walker patent towed log. If in doubt I may need to refit the log impeller and get a new head unit?

 

[Praxinoscope]

It’s 40 years since I did mine, but I think the advice I was given at the time still stands, expect the unexpected, adopt the scouts motto Be Prepared, think things through cos ‘if it can go wrong it will’ and adopt the motto of the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy ‘Don’t Panic’.
Best of luck it’s a great feeling when the examiner finally says that he/she believes that you have reached the degree of competence to be awarded a Yachmaster Certificate.

 

[sailswim]

thank you.
If it is normal for a candidate to be sent below to navigate without GPS, pretending that the boat is in fog, with only the depthsounder, compass & log allowed, then I think I'd probably refit the impeller & get a working display for it.
Or get some practice in with the Walker log ...

 

[Sandy]

thank you.
If it is normal for a candidate to be sent below to navigate without GPS, pretending that the boat is in fog, with only the depthsounder, compass & log allowed, then I think I'd probably refit the impeller & get a working display for it.
Or get some practice in with the Walker log ...

Why on earth would you want to do that?

Time * speed = distance.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Why on earth would you want to do that?

Time * speed = distance.

And how do you know how fast you are going?

 

[laika]

And how do you know how fast you are going?

If heisenberg is to be believed, the less you know about that, probably the better

 

[Kukri]

I have used drudging in good earnest, and I'd suggest a better way to do it is to keep the anchor on board and veer a bight of chain. You are less likely to foul something on the bottom and you can vary your drag, and thus your speed and your degree of rudder control, which is in inverse proportion to your speed, by varying the amount of chain you have out. You can also correct for varying depths this way. Your maximum speed is unlikely to be more than half that of the tidal current, but it will get you there under good control in the end.

 

[Kukri]

If using a Walker log, do not go astern. If becalmed, hand it. Don't ask me how I know this.

 

[sailswim]

john_morris_uk - I was hoping someone like you might be lurking.
Is "blind nav" by a candidate at the discretion of the YM examiner?
Would you take a dim view of a candidate without an impellor log and a Walker log as backup to GPS?

For those familiar with Walker logs, is the streaming & handing of these devices impractical unless on a long offshore passage?
Too fiddly for a YM assessment in possibly congested waters?
But if only needed for "blind nav" then possibly only required to be streamed for a short time?
Lobster pots and floating lines are going to be a problem...?

 

[Sandy]

And how do you know how fast you are going?

On the exam boats I've been on the examiner stated the speed that the helm had to move the boat at.

Do you do it differently John?

 

[Kukri]

john_morris_uk - I was hoping someone like you might be lurking.
Is "blind nav" by a candidate at the discretion of the YM examiner?
Would you take a dim view of a candidate without an impellor log and a Walker log as backup to GPS?

For those familiar with Walker logs, is the streaming & handing of these devices impractical unless on a long offshore passage?
Too fiddly for a YM assessment in possibly congested waters?
But if only needed for "blind nav" then possibly only required to be streamed for a short time?
Lobster pots and floating lines are going to be a problem...?

I am extremely familiar with the Walker Excelsior and less so with the Knotmaster. Usually streamed when taking a departure on a passage and handed when again in pilotage waters. In fog, in confined waters, one does better using a Dutchman's log.

 

[john_morris_uk]

On the exam boats I've been on the examiner stated the speed that the helm had to move the boat at.

Do you do it differently John?

I sometimes wish I had the cheek to tell a candidate to go a bit quicker. However frustrating it is to want to lean on the throttle or advise the candidate, imho it’s not a good idea...

Two reasons why it’s not a good idea for an examiner to specify a speed.

Firstly it puts unnecessary pressure on the candidates. They’re supposed to conduct the boat safely and that includes ‘at a safe speed’. I suppose if a candidate was hopelessly slow you’d consider they lacked ability but that’s a judgement to be made on the ability under the particular circumstances of wind weather and visibility and navigational constraints.

Secondly there the whole question of safety and what happens if they hit something or stuff the boat aground in dangerous circumstances. Who is taking the rap? ‘The Examiner told me to go that fast isn’t a very convincing excuse and it doesn’t reflect well on the Examiner either.

 

[john_morris_uk]

john_morris_uk - I was hoping someone like you might be lurking.
Is "blind nav" by a candidate at the discretion of the YM examiner?
Would you take a dim view of a candidate without an impellor log and a Walker log as backup to GPS?

For those familiar with Walker logs, is the streaming & handing of these devices impractical unless on a long offshore passage?
Too fiddly for a YM assessment in possibly congested waters?
But if only needed for "blind nav" then possibly only required to be streamed for a short time?
Lobster pots and floating lines are going to be a problem...?

Blind nav is discretionary. (As is everything except mob and night sailing)

If you’ve got a good idea of how fast your boat moves through the water at different engine revs then you could use that? (It’s unusual to conduct blind nav under sail; but be prepared for anything!)

Speed time distance is only a guide in tidal waters. The most accurate and useful instruments are your compass and echo
sounder. An examiner will often ask you to find a buoy ‘blind’ but you’ll often see that the buoy he/she has chosen is on or near a contour line. Look up the tidal height and add to the contour live depth and get yourself onto that line to a definite ‘side’ (aim to miss) and then turn and keep the boat on that depth. As sure as eggs are eggs, you’ll find the buoy. Use the same technique to buoy hop en route. Don’t ignore the the tidal stream across or with or against you. Practice. It’s very satisfying when you get it right.

 

[sailswim]

thanks for that useful advice, we will practise!

 

[Sandy]

I sometimes wish I had the cheek to tell a candidate to go a bit quicker. However frustrating it is to want to lean on the throttle or advise the candidate, imho it’s not a good idea...

Two reasons why it’s not a good idea for an examiner to specify a speed.

Firstly it puts unnecessary pressure on the candidates. They’re supposed to conduct the boat safely and that includes ‘at a safe speed’. I suppose if a candidate was hopelessly slow you’d consider they lacked ability but that’s a judgement to be made on the ability under the particular circumstances of wind weather and visibility and navigational constraints.

Secondly there the whole question of safety and what happens if they hit something or stuff the boat aground in dangerous circumstances. Who is taking the rap? ‘The Examiner told me to go that fast isn’t a very convincing excuse and it doesn’t reflect well on the Examiner either.

Thanks John, as ever a fully explained reasoning to your position on a topic.

 

[RJJ]

Not that I am an examiner, but I did pass 22 years ago at the age of 21.

The best piece of meta-advice I ever received was: you are always learning. As well as the navigation, helmsmanship, tides and the rest....I have great faith in those who, as crew or skipper, are aware of their limitations and aware there's a heap left to learn.

I have sailed with some YMs, including Ocean, who (imho) don't deserve their ticket because they have stopped learning. Once you stop learning, you have lost your respect for the sea.