YM exam?

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scotty123

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A friend is thinking of doing this in the near future.
Is it still a good 'qualification', or has it been dumbed down over the last few years?

Anyone done their practical recently?
Apart from the obvious MOB, Blind Navigation, what else is necessary & what has changed in what examiners look out for? Since morse/signal flags are no longer in the syllabus, what is the current emphasis on?
 
I did mine a couple of years ago and it all seemed pretty practical, useful stuff. An ability to run a boat as opposed to doing everything oneself was something I had to work on, having spent most of my life as a singlehander.
 
During my prep week I was told that 1. an accidental gybe and 2. forgetting the topping lift (hence the boom falling down while lowering the mainsail or reefing) are both immediate fail.

Not sure it being so or not, better be careful anyway :)
 
I'd take a good look at sound signals and lights, sail trim, tidal calcs, Colregs and consider crew management - especially the clear briefing of (relative) novices. If it's a light airs week, there's much more time for the Examiner to get into the theory side!
 
Never done it, but everything I've read suggests it's a fairly free-form assessment of whether you're a good skipper. Not a tick-sheet to work your way down, though the suggestions of things to think about are certainly not unhelpful.

Pete
 
I was the crew on a boat that had two candidates for YM Offshore. I felt the examiner tested all the skills that were needed to manage a boat well.
 
I did mine last year. Like anything else in life, the better the prep you do the easier it is. As I had already done Coskip whilst in the RN I had a good idea of what to expect, so I didnt do a prep week as such, I just spent plenty of time out with my crew for the exam doing manouvers under sail so that you could get them right every time.
I prepared a comprehensive safety brief (complete with laminated aide memoire) prior to the exam. I took over an hour to deliver it(which is an hour you are not being beasted !) The examiner was most impressed by the effort put into it and it started the day off on a good note.
Buy a set of flip cards and learn them by rote. The examiner questioned me on these all day, including met.
Be prepared to demostrate 3 point fix, course to steer, EP etc. Show that you are willing to pass this knowledge onto your crew.
Dont forget your human factors. I made a nice stove top potmess prior to the exam, and made sure there was plenty of soft drinks, water and snacks. Examiners have to eat too. They cant ask awkward questions with a mouth full of potmess.
Make sure your charts are up to date.

I have yet to find my YM that useful. Its my long term aim to semi retire into instructing, so I'm looking a doing the CI course this year.

Dont be afraid to make a decision and run with it. If circumstances change, consider a change then. Always have a plan B.
Use the complete Yachtmaster by Cunliffe as your guide. Its all in there.
Hope this helps
 
Gk 66 said:
I prepared a comprehensive safety brief (complete with laminated aide memoire) prior to the exam. I took over an hour to deliver it(which is an hour you are not being beasted !) The examiner was most impressed by the effort put into it and it started the day off on a good note.
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Seems a little excessive to me, and I know at least one well-known RYA examiner would agree.

Other stuff seems like good advice though.

Pete
 
Four of us did our YM exam not long ago. We did the prep by ourselves, saving the cost of an instructor. We just worked though various books and information gleaned from people who recently done it and some answers to questions posted on here.
Allan
 
Practice, practice, practice. There are no short cuts!

Plenty of revision on IRPCS.

Good comms with the crew and earn their trust. Kepp em informed. Keep talking to your examiner, explain your decisions, if you make a mistake, go round again and explain why.

Good luck, when you pass you will have earned it!
 
scotty123 said:
Anyone done their practical recently?
Apart from the obvious MOB, Blind Navigation, what else is necessary & what has changed in what examiners look out for? Since morse/signal flags are no longer in the syllabus, what is the current emphasis on?
Click to expand...
This link may help:
http://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/exams/Pages/howtopassyourexam.aspx
I don't qualify for "recently" but don't think it's changed that much in the last decade. To MOB (under sail) and Blind nav set pieces your mate should probably practice:
* Finding an unlit object in the dark
* Picking up and leaving a mooring under sail
* Anchoring at a specified chart location under sail and weighing anchor under sail

Leaving and coming alongside a pontoon under sail was not expected to be demonstrated, but parking in an awkward spot under engine should probably be anticipated.

You mention "signal flags": Certainly semaphore is off the syllabus, but I believe at least the common one-flag (e.g. A/B/H/Q) signals (plus "NC" obviously) are expected to be known. I was asked a 2 flag signal question but I strongly suspect that was just "extra credit". No 3 flag questions which was just as well as the only one I know off the top of my head is apparently defunct:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?319230-Position-Reporting-to-Lloyds-of-London

Other than an obvious prerequisite for most yachting careers, YM is useful for blagging a ride anywhere. Pre-requisite for some charity volunteering. I don't get an insurance discount but my insurers gave me a hefty no claims bonus for my first boat because of it.
 
Goldie said:
I'd take a good look at sound signals and lights, sail trim, tidal calcs, Colregs and consider crew management - especially the clear briefing of (relative) novices. If it's a light airs week, there's much more time for the Examiner to get into the theory side!
Click to expand...

The exam is only 8 hours long. Not a week.
 
A very experienced examiner many years ago told me that he was able to make a preliminary judgement in the first 20 minutes or so, just from the way the candidate handles themself and the boat, and works with the crew. The rest was just checking that judgement out. Most examiners would much rather pass you than fail you, although there are oddballs, and b*****ds as in any field.

My co-owner did his last autumn and it was all fairly straightforward, make sure you can pick up moorings etc. under sail, and make sure your crew know how the cockpit instruments work if you don't have repeaters of depth, log etc at the chart table for the blind navigation. I don't detect any dumbing down from when I did mine 19 years ago, it's still a pretty rigorous and very worthwhile assessment.
 
awol said:
I was on a boat that did it last Friday. I felt blindfolding the candidate and the rest of the crew to simulate night sailing was taking it a bit far ............................
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You also need to look out for the 'trick tasks'. For example when the examiner says 'right, Mr P, I want you to go over there (points) and anchor', and the location to which he points is a bay known for poor holding, with 20 knots of onshore wind, the correct response is 'feck that, we are going to (insert name of safe refuge, e.g. Lochaline )'.
 
As above. I did Coastal, then YM. Learnt a LOT from the prep week, and the exam, each time.

And don't underestimate the pressure that exam conditions can put on you. When I did my YM there was another candidate who was advised not to take the exam by the instructor. He outsailed me comprehensively during the exam period, whilst I sailed at a level way below what I was capable of. He passed with flying colours, and I scraped through. The competent crew chap we had on board told me later it was as if we'd swapped!

A good reality check, that was for sure!
 
KenMcCulloch said:
You also need to look out for the 'trick tasks'. For example when the examiner says 'right, Mr P, I want you to go over there (points) and anchor', and the location to which he points is a bay known for poor holding, with 20 knots of onshore wind, the correct response is 'feck that, we are going to (insert name of safe refuge, e.g. Lochaline )'.
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Now Ken, I managed to resist the temptation to comment on your and your co-owner's anchoring skills. The event was billed as an "adventure race" - you're surely not past the age for adventure yet?
 
awol said:
I was on a boat that did it last Friday. I felt blindfolding the candidate and the rest of the crew to simulate night sailing was taking it a bit far ............................
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I would object STRONGLY to being blindfolded - I wear hard contact lenses, and pressure on my eyes is uncomfortable and could cause damage if prolonged.

Anyway, it isn't a reasonable simulation of night sailing - at night, you need to see the lights on navigational marks. If anything, it can be easier navigating at night once you've sorted the lights out.

I personally feel there's far too much emphasis on the idea that you will sail with a large and unknown crew. Even the "Competent Crew" handbook assumes you will be joining a boat and crew you don't know. I suspect the vast majority of us sail with friends and family, and "crew management" is a bit of a strange concept in those circumstances.
 
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awol said:
Now Ken, I managed to resist the temptation to comment on your and your co-owner's anchoring skills. The event was billed as an "adventure race" - you're surely not past the age for adventure yet?
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Apologies for the thread drift... About 20 years ago I had a conversation with a lady about 'adventures' and only twigged after the event that this was almost certainly a proposition of a personal nature which I had probably wisely failed to pick up on. We say yes to adventure even though our bodies are creaking like old wooden boats in a gale.
 
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