YM Coastal - Radar Knowledge Requirement

[ncounties]

Hi all,

Some advice needed - I recently signed up for the Coastal ticket and the school in the Solent tried to push a Radar Course on me, saying it was necessary to pass the exam. This was the first I'd heard of the requirement, and having sailed on quite a few boats, and known a couple of people that had done either the Coastal or Offshore ticket, I was surprised to hear this requirement. Needless to say, I declined the offer, and opted to buy the RYA Intro to Radar Book Pamphlet, and watch a couple of YouTube Videos. I also contacted the RYA direct to check that I wasn't being had by the school. Ultimately they responded saying that the requirement was true (though I didn't necessarily need to do a course), and that this was due to the MCA raising with them five years ago, that they had seen less and less radar expertise amongst candidates, and that it was unlikely, if I couldn't switch on, set up, and use a fitted radar system as a navigational aid, that I would be awarded the YM Coastal ticket.

Thankfully, with a combination of the pamphlet and several Youtube videos, I understand how a radar works, the concept of start up (Brilliance, Contrast, Gain, Range and Tuning), and the views (North up, Course Up, Head Up). But, and we get to the crux of this post, I am a bit confused about the plots. All the examples I've seen reference plotting sheets which are A4 pieces of paper. Is this normal? If you were plotting, would you copy the rough position of a contact on an A4 paper template, or is it more normal to have an acetate template, cut to the size of the radar display screen, with the rings and bearings permanently pre-drawn on it, that you would place against the screen and trace [mark] the contact, and repeat?

Cheers,

NCounties

 

[Murv]

I recently passed my YM offshore.
The only working knowledge of radar I needed to demonstrate was use of a VRM and EBL.

I would have thought that using MARPA would be sufficient to track a potentially hazardous target if required, if not just old fashioned monitoring the relative bearing?

 

[[163233]]

I was asked to do a radar plot on my YM which was a surprise, it seems that they changed the syllabus between me doing the theory and the practical exam.

Radar plotting is very simple however, so don't bother with the course, you can get it off YouTube videos.

Modern radars do all this stuff for you so it's a bit anachronistic really.

 

[Graham376]

I recently passed my YM offshore.
The only working knowledge of radar I needed to demonstrate was use of a VRM and EBL.

The most useful features as far as I'm concerned is the ebl for collision avoidance.

 

[Slowboat35]

It seems rather extraordinary to me that the RYA think radar plotting is a required skill for a Coastal Skipper's ticket. Most yachts aren't even fitted with it!

Is use of AIS, forward-looking sonar or downloading GRIB files to become compulsory too?

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I did a complete blind nav route sitting down below giving radar vectors as part of my coastal. Loved it. Reminded me of my old nimrod days with roles reversed. ?

 

[[163233]]

It seems rather extraordinary to me that the RYA think radar plotting is a required skill for a Coastal Skipper's ticket. Most yachts aren't even fitted with it!

Is use of AIS, forward-looking sonar or downloading GRIB files to become compulsory too?

Sorry, t'was Offshore.

They expect you to know something of these things.

 

[john_morris_uk]

It seems rather extraordinary to me that the RYA think radar plotting is a required skill for a Coastal Skipper's ticket. Most yachts aren't even fitted with it!

Is use of AIS, forward-looking sonar or downloading GRIB files to become compulsory too?

The RYA administer the exams which are recognised basis for commercial skippering tickets as recognised by the MCA. If you follow the reports on incidents of vessels at sea, you will notice that there are often reported 'radar assisted collisions. The MCA (not unreasonably) now insist that the RYA ensure that anyone taking a YM Offshore or Coastal exam shows that they at least know how to turn the radar on and have a notion of how to set it up and interpret the picture.

The fact that most yachts don't have radar's is irrelevant. A YM Offshore ticket (with a medical and a couple of other bits of paper) can entitle the holder to be the skipper of a commercial vessel up top 24 metres long and 200 tonnes.

Please note that this is my explanation and I am not the official spokesperson for the RYA. If you want the official version, write to them. I only conduct exams (and officially I am an independent examiner for the RYA/MCA).

 

[Graham376]

I did a complete blind nav route sitting down below giving radar vectors as part of my coastal. Loved it. Reminded me of my old nimrod days with roles reversed. ?

In late '90s YM Offshore exam, we weren't allowed to use gps, everything had to be plotted on paper. Radar never came into it. During blind nav exercise, curtains drawn and no aids except chart and watch.

 

[[163233]]

The RYA administer the exams which are recognised basis for commercial skippering tickets as recognised by the MCA. If you follow the reports on incidents of vessels at sea, you will notice that there are often reported 'radar assisted collisions. The MCA (not unreasonably) now insist that the RYA ensure that anyone taking a YM Offshore or Coastal exam shows that they at least know how to turn the radar on and have a notion of how to set it up and interpret the picture.

That's fair enough, but it was entirely missing from my theory course, and the YM book, only a year or so old before the exam.

For those who are wondering, there are a couple of good videos on the basics here:-

 

[TernVI]

The RYA administer the exams which are recognised basis for commercial skippering tickets as recognised by the MCA. If you follow the reports on incidents of vessels at sea, you will notice that there are often reported 'radar assisted collisions. The MCA (not unreasonably) now insist that the RYA ensure that anyone taking a YM Offshore or Coastal exam shows that they at least know how to turn the radar on and have a notion of how to set it up and interpret the picture.
....

Isn't that a fair description of the level of knowledge which leads to 'Radar assisted Collisions'?

I would have thought it better for anyone using a radar commercially to have had some training or experience and an exam just on use of the radar, not something that's touched on in an 8 hour sailing exam.
We have a separate exam for the wireless telephone, why not the radar, which is somewhat more complex?

 

[Laser310]

It's more than a little bit unlikely that anyone will actually do a paper plot for avoidance of a radar target on a yacht these days...

Nevertheless, the principles are worth knowing - and the best way to learn them is to work through it.

Those same principles are used to calculate what course to steer to maximize distance from a hurricane - and that is something you actually might do, and even if you don't do it formally, the principles might inform your ultimate choice of course to steer

 

[Praxinoscope]

Perhaps the RYA could look at a developing a one day course in RADAR that would cover the Subject sufficiently, especially for us 'Oldies' that did their YM long before a knowledge of RADAR was considered to be part of the YM syllabus,.... in fact maybe a one/two day theory refresher course covering those areas that just weren't even thought about back in the 70/80's when I passed my YM, might be a worthwhile consideration?

 

[st599]

Perhaps the RYA could look at a developing a one day course in RADAR that would cover the Subject sufficiently, especially for us 'Oldies' that did their YM long before a knowledge of RADAR was considered to be part of the YM syllabus,.... in fact maybe a one/two day theory refresher course covering those areas that just weren't even thought about back in the 70/80's when I passed my YM, might be a worthwhile consideration?

You mean like the 1 day RYA Specialist Short Course called RADAR ;-) ? Radar | Specialist Short Courses | Courses | Courses & Training | RYA - Royal Yachting Association

To answer the OP. Yes, RADAR knowledge was added to YM.

 

[TernVI]

Perhaps the RYA could look at a developing a one day course in RADAR that would cover the Subject sufficiently, especially for us 'Oldies' that did their YM long before a knowledge of RADAR was considered to be part of the YM syllabus,.... in fact maybe a one/two day theory refresher course covering those areas that just weren't even thought about back in the 70/80's when I passed my YM, might be a worthwhile consideration?

They could do a one day course in google:
Radar | Specialist Short Courses | Courses | Courses & Training | RYA - Royal Yachting Association
BTW it's 'radar', it's a word now!

 

[Deleted member 36384]

..... I would have thought it better for anyone using a radar commercially to have had some training or experience and an exam just on use of the radar, not something that's touched on in an 8 hour sailing exam. ........

There is an expectation that candidates for certificates of competency will know all parts of the syllabus before presenting for examination. How they come about that knowledge is up to them. I don't teach sailing but I understand that radar was introduced 2 or 3 years ago, maybe a bit longer but not by much. As usual with examinations, it is best to know what subjects will be examined by referring to the syllabus, available in the RYA Logbook.

 

[st599]

There is an expectation that candidates for certificates of competency will know all parts of the syllabus before presenting for examination. How they come about that knowledge is up to them. I don't teach sailing but I understand that radar was introduced 2 or 3 years ago, maybe a bit longer but not by much. As usual with examinations, it is best to know what subjects will be examined by referring to the syllabus, available in the RYA Logbook.

I think one of the problems is that the full syllabus is available to examiners, but not on the website.

 

[Skylark]

.................But, and we get to the crux of this post, I am a bit confused about the plots. All the examples I've seen reference plotting sheets which are A4 pieces of paper. Is this normal? If you were plotting, would you copy the rough position of a contact on an A4 paper template, or is it more normal to have an acetate template, cut to the size of the radar display screen, with the rings and bearings permanently pre-drawn on it, that you would place against the screen and trace [mark] the contact, and repeat?

No one seems to have addressed your question.

I mostly rely upon MARPA on my small boat radar but, maybe once or twice per year just for the practice, I’ll plot a couple or three timed, moving targets on an A4 template. I’ve never used, nor seen, an acetate template.

Radar can be useful as a Pilotage aid, too.

 

[Praxinoscope]

You mean like the 1 day RYA Specialist Short Course called RADAR ;-) ? Radar | Specialist Short Courses | Courses | Courses & Training | RYA - Royal Yachting Association

To answer the OP. Yes, RADAR knowledge was added to YM.

Haven't looked at the RYA available courses for a long time, so please excuse my ignorance of not knowing about it.
I'm sorry but I still think of it as an acronym not a word but that's me being old and pedantic.

 

[TernVI]

Any reasonably competent pedant would know it's been an accepted word in all the major English dictionaries for decades.