YM- exam only?
- Thread starter Sea Change
- Start date
st599
Well-known member
If the RYA mandate is as they were planning at the instructors' conference before Covid, then you can't pass YM without at least a question on navigation by Radar.
capnsensible
Well-known member
srm
Well-known member
New owner of my last boat was on video call about a problem with the wheel pilot. He was looking at the wiring connections in the control computer and found the radar was connected. (Just to give radar a compass heading). How to explain "north up" vs "course up" displays very simply in a minute or less while discussing the fact that his unnecessary repair had reversed the wiring to the motor? Perhaps could make a YM exam question?
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
The questions are more likely to be things like, “Show me how to turn the radar on”, “Show me how to tune it/reduce clutter” or “Describe what you see on the screen etc”, “How can you tell if an object being painted by the radar is on a collision course with you?” “Which is more accurate, range or bearing?” etc. Simple and straightforward questions.
Daedelus
Well-known member
I still reckon it was when we stopped and Mrs D got out her home made fruit cake and I gave the examiner a particularly large slice that swung it for me.
DJE
Well-known member
On my YM it might have been when the examiner's phone bleeped as we were making an evening approach to Southsea Marina. He looked at it and said that we might like to know that England had just beaten Australia at rugby. Then he turned to me and asked if the crew might be allowed a beer to celebrate.
srm
Well-known member
YM Instructor course. I was steering a compass course at night, with a distant shore light as a guide. Examiner comes in to cockpit and I quietly ask him to take the magnet out of his pocket. He denied having a magnet but compass north had swung to follow the examiner. It was not a deliberate ploy, just the light meter for his camera.
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
That would definitely not have been deliberate. I remember Bill Anderson briefing me when I was appointed an examiner, “There’s no need to set trick questions. Candidates muck up quite easily by themselves.”
In fact setting any sort of questions to try and ‘catch candidates out’ is very definitely discouraged. Tasks need to be realistic and achievable.
flaming
Well-known member
The most surprising thing that happened to me on my YM exam was when we were sailing towards Cowes in the late evening on a dying breeze and the Instructor said "Stick the engine on, I'd like to make last orders". And then we went for a pint in the middle of the exam. We were all expecting to be out all night rather than tied up in Cowes having a beer...
He clearly knew what he was about though, as it blew 30 knots all the following day and that was some very tough sailing doing MOB etc.
He clearly knew what he was about though, as it blew 30 knots all the following day and that was some very tough sailing doing MOB etc.
lustyd
Well-known member
In theory that would be a fail on modern kit, but a pass as per the RYA courseware
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
Sorry but that’s rubbish on several counts. Here’s a couple or three.In theory that would be a fail on modern kit, but a pass as per the RYA courseware
There are very few ‘pass/fail’ questions (but there are plenty of answers that will lead to a probing discussion!) A YM pass is about the overall ability, skill and knowledge of the candidate. There are very few ‘perfect’ candidates.
On modern kit? Even on my twenty plus years old radar I can offset the display so boat is NOT in the middle. I also I haven’t come across any contemporary system where you can’t have the display as a traditional ‘ships head up’ display so ‘in the middle’ might be correct according to what setting the radar is on.
wonkywinch
Well-known member
When I sat my commercial pilot exams, I didn't spend much time revising for the radio stuff as I was a radio amateur and studied radio comms electronics as an apprentice. I failed the exam.
Wind forward to YM exam, I didn't study weather stuff at all as been commercial pilot for 30 years. Almost tripped up on the YM examiners fog questions as I'd forgotten the various types and causes in detail. Passed the YM with the advice I need to review fog.
Wind forward to YM exam, I didn't study weather stuff at all as been commercial pilot for 30 years. Almost tripped up on the YM examiners fog questions as I'd forgotten the various types and causes in detail. Passed the YM with the advice I need to review fog.
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
"Safe!"
And
"Danger that way; safety that way!"
Anything beyond that is a cherry on top!
srm
Well-known member
When introducing the gentle art of pilotage I would quote Mark Twain's river pilot."Safe!"
And
"Danger that way; safety that way!"
Anything beyond that is a cherry on top!
Lady passenger: "Gee your the pilot"
"Yes mam"
"You know where all the rocks are"
"No mam, I know where the rocks aint"
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
Unfortunately, on the East Coast it is very easy to be like Aladdin's Genie when he points out the emergency exits on the magic carpet.
Which way's danger?
This way and this way and this way ...
Google-Ergebnis für https://clip.cafe/img800/in-case-of-emergency.jpg
rogerthebodger
Well-known member
I had had a Day Skipper for some time but wished to upgrade to a Costal Skipper so I could do overnight passages.
After the examiner had passed me, I was requested to see the chief examiner who was goig to conceal my pass as he claimed my car driving licience had exired so I disrespected the laws of the land.
When I showed him me license that had been valid and renewed 10 months earlier, he reluctantly allowed my pass and issued my costal skipper licience
He clearly had an issue with me asking difficult questions
After the examiner had passed me, I was requested to see the chief examiner who was goig to conceal my pass as he claimed my car driving licience had exired so I disrespected the laws of the land.
When I showed him me license that had been valid and renewed 10 months earlier, he reluctantly allowed my pass and issued my costal skipper licience
He clearly had an issue with me asking difficult questions
RunAgroundHard
Well-known member
Too much sauce being drunk in the rainbow nation.
LittleSister
Well-known member
That works.
The other way of looking at it is most of the time you don't need to know exactly where you are, but just where you're not!
srm
Well-known member
When running practical courses for pilotage exercises I would find my own clearing lines, as wide as possible, then sit on the counter and let the students play, only stepping in if they got too close to my lines.
Rapidly becoming a lost art as navigation and pilotage has become a simple video game of follow the track. Some 20 years ago I bought some large scale used charts for the south coast of Norway and was astounded to see neatly drawn waypoints and tracks along narrow channels between the islands. Areas, I regarded as only requiring eyeball pilotage as shores were steep too and any dangers well marked.