Yachtmaster Course FAQs

What is a Yachtmaster?

The RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence is often the ultimate aim of aspiring skippers. It is a well known, highly respected qualification worldwide, proving your experience and competence as a skipper.  As a yachtmaster you should be able to skipper coastal and cross channel passages.

What experience do I need to take the Yachtmaster exam?

This will depend on which exam you choose to take:

The Yachtmaster Coastal Exam requires 30 days experience at sea, 2 days as skipper, 800 miles including 12 night hours.

The Yachtmaster Offshore Exam requires 50 days experience at sea, 5 days as skipper, 2500 miles, 5 passages over 60 miles, including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper.

Note that at least half the qualifying sea time should be gained in tidal waters and on vessels less than 24m LOA, and all sea time must be on vessels of the same discipline as the exam to be taken.  Therefore, if you wish to take the yachtmaster power exam then your sea time must be in power vessels rather than sail.

How long does the Yachtmaster Exam take?

For Yachtmaster Offshore candidates the exam must be 8-12 hours for 1 candidate, 10-18 hours for 2 candidates. No more than two candidates can be examined in 24 hours and no more than four candidates can be examined in one 2 day session.

What age can you be a Yachtmaster?

The minimum age for the Yachtmaster Coastal is 17 years, for the Yachtmaster Offshore it is 18 years.

What is covered in the Yachtmaster course?

The course is run by a qualified RYA Yachtmaster Instructor who will coach you on the skills needed for the practical exam at the end of the week.  They will assess your current level of knowledge and skills, both theory and practical on the first day, and then aim to polish those skills during the course ready for you exam.  It is strongly recommended that you have completed the RYA Yachtmaster Shorebased course prior to the practical, as there will not be time to teach this during the yachtmaster course.  The instructor will cover navigation, boat handling, man overboard, safety, meteorology and anything else they feel you may need.  You must revise your Collision Regulations thoroughly.

Are there any other courses that will help prior to the Yachtmaster exam?

As mentioned above the RYA Yachtmaster Shorebased is strongly recommended.  If you are unfamiliar with how a radar operates and what it's uses are then we recommend the one day RYA Radar course.  The RYA Marine Diesel Engine course is also useful if you do not know how to complete engine checks and cannot fault find should something go wrong with the engine at sea.

How do I commercially endorse my Yachtmaster Certificate?

To commercially endorse your Yachtmaster Certificate you will need the following:

• Valid, and in date First Aid Certificate
• RYA Marine Radio SRC Certificate or other acceptable GMDSS Marine Radio Operator's Certificate.
• Sea Survival Certificate
• Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) Certificate
• ML5 or ENG1 certificate

You will then need to complete the RYA Commercial Endorsement Application and send to the RYA with all of the required documentation.

All commercial endorsements must be revalidated every 5 years by proving at least 150 days of actual sea service on appropriate vessels and with the valid documents as listed above.

What will a commercially endorsed yachtmaster certificate enable me to do?

A commercial endorsement is required for work on board British flagged vessels subject to the MCA's codes of practice for small commercial vessels.  The vessel must be appropriate to the certificate you have.  Therefore if you have a yachtmaster sail certificate this applies to sail only and not power.

A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate will allow you to work on boats up to 24 meters.    Permissions differ depending on categories of water, but as a guide, you will be able to skipper a vessel up to 20 miles from a safe haven.

A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate will enable you to work on vessels up to 200 gross tonnes up to 150 miles from a safe haven.