Yachtmaster Offshore Review?

[Dockhead]

I used to think that until I went sailing for a fortnight with a chap who had the yachtmaster offshore. I have sailed much longer & farther than him, most of it SH inc 2 round Uk trips SH .
He came with me just to get the experience of sailing to Holland.
I started sailing my own cruiser ( A Stella) at 21; Yet after 48 years of experience I could not help thinking that this chap with only a limited sailing CV but with yachtmaster training was a better sailor than me
It has made me think very carefully about doing the course myself. An RYA instructor I have known for years said I could pass it with ease. I am not so sure.

That sounds right to me, and I certainly don't expect to pass the exam without preparation. I sailed 1000 miles last year with three yachtmaster offshores as crew, including a North Sea transit (Dover to Helgoland nonstop) in heavy weather (F8, with 24 hours of F9). I learned a lot from them, and from the experience. I have a lot of respect for the qualification, which indicates a certain systematic approach which experience alone doesn't substitute.

But then again -- I always try to learn something from everyone I sail with, and rarely fail. There's no end of learning in this sport.

 

[prv]

Hi DH,Have you asked the RYA? I emailed them and asked if my ICC could be renewed when it becomes due since I'm no longer a UK resident but a full time American resident. They not only said that I could renew it, no problem, but said I would receive the reminder when the time comes, sent to my now USA address. I'm still a British citizen of course which might make a difference?

I believe the principle is that a country that issues ICCs can issue them to anyone, provided that the recipient's country of residence doesn't have an ICC scheme of its own. If it does, then they must get it issued there. The idea is to stop people just shopping around for whatever country's easiest, in the same way that some Germans used to take our VHF course because it was valid worldwide but easier than the official German one.

Pete

 

[laika]

From previous posts here and on cruisersforum I gather that Dockhead (a) has lots of experience, (b) has lots of theory knowledge (c) has a large well-equipped sailing boat and (d) is possibly more time-short than cash-short. The suggestion of getting a well-recommended instructor/examiner on board sounds perfect but I'd suggest (given d) for longer than an afternoon: maybe a couple of days or whatever can be spared. YM prep week with a random sailing school would be less useful. Aside from being 5 days you cant spare, you might not have a named individual for an instructor, it wouldn't be your own boat, you might be sharing the instructor with 4 others and if it was like my "prep week" you could end up lumped in with a couple of dayskippers and a couple of competent crew so you're not even learning from others 4/5 of the time. Plus you're paying for hire of a boat and the sailing school's profit.

It's definitely worth knowing what the "set pieces" are likely to be. Even if you already have the skills, a little practice on the things the examiners regularly trot out so that it's all more automatic in the exam can't harm.

Consider sharing the prep and the exam with someone else. As well as sharing the costs you'll have at least one highly competent crew to command, you can learn from watching someone else and I think I was more relaxed in my exam knowing that the focus wasn't exclusively on me all the time: You get some chance to breathe when the examiner is testing your companion.

 

[awol]

I reckon it all depends what the OP wants. If it's a just piece of paper then renewal of ICC is easiest. If it is a review of his competence then straight into a YM exam without tuition will show up his shortcomings (if any) or reassure him his years of experience have not been in vain. If it is to have a YM CoC then tuition/cramming might be a good investment. At the worst case an exam resit is cheaper than a week's tuition and probably won't be necessary!

 

[Twister_Ken]

You can't get a YM without also having an in-date first aid cert and a VHF ticket, so if you don't have them, allow for that as well.

Apart from all the theory stuff, you have to be able to successfully demonstrate tricks like rescuing a fender under sail, sailing on and off a mooring, blind nav, etc all of which a prep course is very useful for.

 

[prv]

I reckon it all depends what the OP wants. If it's a just piece of paper then renewal of ICC is easiest. If it is a review of his competence then straight into a YM exam without tuition will show up his shortcomings (if any) or reassure him his years of experience have not been in vain. If it is to have a YM CoC then tuition/cramming might be a good investment.

I reckon that's a good summary :encouragement:

Pete