Yachtmaster practical exam

[roaringgirl]

Sounds to me that the examiner just made a judgement over the whole period which was 'fail', and when pressed for feedback picked the wrong thing to justify his judgement?
The fact that you failed a subsequent exam kind of vindicates the examiner. I say that sympathetically as someone who failed two driving tests due to being focussed elsewhere as well as being young and a bit messed up.
It's not an exact science. No YM is perfect. If you're not ready to pass so be it. The exact standard is a grey area, so some people who pass won't be as good as some people who fail.

Don't forget, it's not just a bit of paper for amateur sailors, it's supposed to be a cert of competence to take care of members of the public at sea.
Luckily in the real world, employers tend not to take it at face value and want a ton of experience on top!

That was my conclusion too, and he was right - I wasn't ready.

 

[penfold]

I've sailed many thousands of miles further and am more confident in my abilities sailing a boat than my old man(his words), yet he's the one with the YM ticket and I have no RYA quals beyond VHF. I've also sailed with YMs I wouldn't trust with a pedalo on a boating lake.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Like any evaluation system the YM will show variations between examiners and experiences, all I can say is that I include the moment that the examiner said that he would recommend that I be awarded a YM certificate of competence as one of the high points in my 3/4 century.
Of course there are numerous highly competent sailors that have’ the gone down the YM route, but I think much of the ‘anti’ is very mis-placed.
The YM structure may not be perfect, but at least it does attempt to develop the numerous skills needed when skippering.

 

[Skylark]

Like any evaluation system the YM will show variations between examiners and experiences, all I can say is that I include the moment that the examiner said that he would recommend that I be awarded a YM certificate of competence as one of the high points in my 3/4 century.
Of course there are numerous highly competent sailors that have’ the gone down the YM route, but I think much of the ‘anti’ is very mis-placed.
The YM structure may not be perfect, but at least it does attempt to develop the numerous skills needed when skippering.

+1
There’s a lot of venom towards the YM scheme but unclear to me as to what lies at the root or what’s needed to improve it.

The seas are governed by the UN through their IMO. Our government delegates responsibility to the MCA and YM is an MCA CoC, managed by RYA on their behalf.

It’s not mandatory for recreational sailors but many put themselves through it as it is an objective assessment of skill and for self satisfaction.

The system isn’t perfect as it’s based upon human involvement and a snapshot in time. I’m sure there are some “lucky” to have attained it, others similarly “unlucky” to have failed. But overall, the vast majority of candidates get the result they deserve.

If used commercially, it’s an entry ticket to the bottom rung of the ladder. More responsibility comes with experience and testimonial/recommendation.

 

[Tamar]

I've sailed many thousands of miles further and am more confident in my abilities sailing a boat than my old man(his words), yet he's the one with the YM ticket and I have no RYA quals beyond VHF. I've also sailed with YMs I wouldn't trust with a pedalo on a boating lake.

As an owner of a boat business I can endorse this comment a hundred times

 

[doug748]

............................... Perhaps once I've finished my current circumnavigation [sic], I'll give it another go

The thought of it gives me the creeps. I went on a course once, bloody hell.

Spend the money on a gift for yourself and the boat.

.

 

[Wing Mark]

I've sailed many thousands of miles further and am more confident in my abilities sailing a boat than my old man(his words), yet he's the one with the YM ticket and I have no RYA quals beyond VHF. I've also sailed with YMs I wouldn't trust with a pedalo on a boating lake.

While I've met a few YMs who I wouldn't sail with (the majority f them instructors....), equally the people I 've met who are very 'anti' the YM scheme tend to have a few issues themselves.
Those of us who live on the coast and get the opportunity to play boats 300 days a year can be a bit dismissive of people whose only route is to do a lot of courses or charter holidays.


I did the course and exam on a whim, I was between jobs, thought maybe I 'd go and get a boating job for a while.
It's a learning opportunity, what you get out of it is partly up to you.
It was also a pleasant week on a boat with some new friends and enough distraction to put everything else aside for the duration.
I've had worse holidays that cost a lot more!

It's also good to sail different boats with different people from time to time, instead of only sailing in the same area in the same way.

 

[rib]

My tuppence worth.. You never know how good some one is till you sail with them.. They may well have certs or not have them. But when did they last sail and for how long. Are they only fair weather sailors. Do they only sail local. Etc etc one thing for sure sailing is the biggest b__l s______g sport going. I've sailed with crap sailors with over 20 years sailing... And very good sailors half way thru their zero to hero course...

 

[srm]

First of all the caveat - its around 15 years since I was involved in any RYA course instruction and about 12 since running STCW courses for MN officers / candidates, so this may be a bit out of date.

At an Instructors' Conference an RYA Examiner explained the criteria for a YM pass. The bottom line, he said, was "would we be happy to allow members of our family to go sailing with the candidate". No mention of any objective criteria, so there was no way the individual exams and candidates could be shown to have an equivalent standard.

I was horrified at this lack of defined criteria. As a college lecturer running MCA approved STCW courses for navigation, radar ' electronic nav, and ship loading / stability calculations, we had strict objective criteria for deciding if the candidate was "competent" or "not yet competent". (The 'no one fails' terminology that replaced the old Pass/Fail criteria). Our teaching and grading of students was also subject to sampling and checking by the MCA who could, and did, walk in without prior notice to ensure that standards across the country were equivalent.

On the subject of 'experience' a yachtsman's '20 years of experience' may be made up of three or four weekends plus a week or two holiday on a boat each year, possibly just sailing for a few hours at a time. The RYA do specify a minimum numbers of days living on a boat, and hours of 'night watch keeping' for their certificates but actual sea time requirements are minimal. For the MN certificates sea time is counted in years that comprise a specified number of working days at sea before being eligible to sit for the next level of certificate. Those employed on ferries and other vessels that allow them to go home at night have to do extended sea time before being eligible to sit the next level of certificate.