YM Practical

[Vid]

Re: Chart in Cockpit on YM Exam or any other time

I can assure you that charts in the cockpit are essential in somewhere like the Gotheburg archipelago where there are enormous numbers of very similar looking rocks, many not adequately marked and hardly visible above the surface. I was sailing there with a local who's sailed those waters for 20+ years and he definitely needed the charts in the cockpit.

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[Cornishman]

Tom,

Absolutely, but then I coud have written him a book about examiners I have known! Maybe I will, one day.

We have to do an updating course once every 5 years, at our own expense, and that's when we meet up with other examiners. I must have met about 20 or more and we all have different outlooks on life, but I am surprised that you were so severely criticised just because you did not do what he was looking for. If the candidate's solution is different from mine but is just as safe and seamanlike then I would be happy with that.

I never criticised any candidate until after the exam was over - and then in private. I felt I had the same duty of confidentiality as, say, a doctor does to his patient.

Mike

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[tome]

In fairness he was a great bloke, just a little eccentric perhaps! Once the night sail was over I had the distinct impression he'd already made up his mind who would pass.

I'm sure there are many other flavours of examiner, but I'm reasonably thick skinned and his style didn't worry me. I went on to meet him and his wife at their home where we spent 10 minutes going through my Ocean sights and qualifying passage, followed by a pleasant hour or so swinging the lamp.


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[Jacket]

Re: Chart in Cockpit on YM Exam or any other time

Thats where I started keeping my chart in the cockpit, and have done ever since when sailing in costal waters. In Stockholm I was given a clear plastic folder that will hold 6 small charts in seperate platic leaves, and as a result is heavy enough that it can't blow away, and keeps the charts dry even when its chucking it down.

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[Jeremy_W]

>>>Once the night sail was over I had the distinct impression he'd already made up his mind who would pass.

Most examiners of anything make up their minds a lot faster than that. I heard that a well known YM Examiner said, as he congratulated a succesful single-handed candidate, that the decision was made in the first five minutes.


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[polarity]

Re: Sorry. Disagree.

Well actually - I was asked by the YM examiner to enter an unlit creek at night, that I had never been to before. Made a swift calc. that it would be a falling spring tide when we got there and that there would be no moon. So I refused on the basis of good seamanship. Passed OK.

Also have to say that I learnt more from the weekend under examination than I did in the 5 day refresher!



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[Reap]

Re: Sorry. Disagree.

During my yachtmaster I was also asked to take yacht into an unlit creek at night, I checked the tides and thought it was not a good time as by the time we got in the tide would be falling. He accepted this and we went somewhere else.
In later years as an instructor I would nearly always take yachtmaster prep courses into an unlit creek or harbour at least once in the week and disagree with cornishman in that I think it teaches a lot more than how good your night sight is.
I think it teaches how valuable accurate back bearings can be, teaches the use of contours and can be a great highlight to a week.
For example a night entry into Newtown Creek can be very exhilerating.
Not sure whether its necessary during an exam though.

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[Cornishman]

Re: Sorry. Disagree.

By asking you to enter an unlit creek at night the examiner was probably looking for you to refuse, and if you had tried to do it you would have been marked down for it. In both your and polarity's case you did the right thing and presumably were not markd down for your decision.

I'm not sure how you can use back bearings if it is dark - how do you see 'em? Bit of an unfortunate choice of words to say darkness is the 'highlight' of the week, too!

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[jimi]

Re: Sorry. Disagree.

I did a night entry into Newton Creek during my YM exam. the examiner had told us earlier that he was'nt going to piss about with trick questions and expected us to do what he asked.

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[plombier]

After years of avoiding the thing like the plague my examiner wanted to be within 3m of the Bramble Pole in pitch black and a spring tide. Wonderful back bearing/transit on Gurnard & South Bramble bouys worked spot on.

When he chucked the lifebouy over the stern for MOB, my daft crew shouted "Oi, you've just chucked 'is lifebouy away. He only bought a new one last week" P*ll*ck.

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[Reap]

Re: Sorry. Disagree.

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I'm not sure how you can use back bearings if it is dark - how do you see 'em?

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Well just because the entry is dark it doesn't mean there are no lights behind you!/forums/images/icons/wink.gif Take Newtown as an example again. A back bearing off (say) Salt Mead to put you on a contour on your chosen side of the entrance. Then contour your way in. (in darkness)

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[YMRookie]

Quick update and thanks to all for their efforts on this question.
Took the YM practical in Plymouth and passed!!
I was on a school boat with an excellent instructor for 4 days before the exam, which was essential to get used to the crew and equipment.
Nerves and fatigue were the chief barriers to overcome. We had a couple of late nights practicing night entry/blind nav and light recognition and I had trouble sleeping on board so was exausted by exam time.

I made some silly mistakes early on e.g. not securing all the lines on board when recovering another candidates demo of berthing alongside a tidal wall and not quickly throwing a lifebelt to our MOB whilst doing the usual dishing out of orders, attempting to start engines and picking a course downwind! We also got a little close to some large channel traffic.
However guess these were forgiven as nerves and a really tough blind nav exercise undersail seemed to recover the situation.
The examiner was excellent. He was much tougher than a previous exam that I observed in preparation last year, but completely fair and bent over backwards to relax our exam jitters.
Learning points that helped me:
1) Learn COLREGS inside out and backwards- you can get away with less but it takes all the pressure off this part of the test.
2) Get proper rest pre the exam, there is great pressure to be extra sociable with your new crew but get the balance right.
3) Practise blind nav techniques untill you are totally confident. (yes this is possible, if not should you be going for YM?)
4) Don't giveup if you make a few silly mistakes, keep trying to the end of the test.
5) Practise everything under motor and sail. We had our enging on for approx 10 minutes during the whole exam. Including the start of the blind nav (at night) when after 100 metres he called for the sails to be hoisted and the engine stopped.

It was a tough test but I now feel more confident having been thoroughly examined and heard those imortal words "you have achieved the standard required for Yachtmaster".

I would recommend the test to anyone who wishes to stretch both their sailing skills and themselves
Thanks again
RMRookie

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[tome]

Well done!

Thanks for the feedback and congratutlations

Regards
Tom

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[jimi]

Congratulations .. its good fun is'nt it!

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[graham]

Congratulations,Did you know that you now stand 2 inches taller ,Music sounds sweeter and you are far more attractive to the opposite sex??

Thats what I hoped for when i did mine anyway.


Completely agree with your bit about getting some rest prior to the exam.I think this is a point that sailing schools overlook by cramming in as much as possible into the refresher course.And as you say you have to be sociable with your new crew mates as well!

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