Yachtmaster Offshore Prep + Exam

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The duration of the preparation is 4 days followed by a 1 to 2 days exam depending on the number of candidates. The 4-day “skills & drills” is quite intense as we look to tweak your knowledge and ability and fill in any gaps or improve any weaknesses.

The duration of the exam is 8 to 12 hours per candidate in which you will have to demonstrate a wide breadth of existing knowledge and skippering skills. You will start and finish your course in Gibraltar.

What’s Included

  • Fuel
  • Marina fees
  • Light meals at sea..breakfast, Lunch, snacks, and drinks (evening meals are not included).
  • Accommodation is onboard one of our motor boats for the duration of the course. Bedding is also supplied.
  • Course Material

 *Please note that exam fees are not included in our course fee – Current price is £241 and is payable direct to the RYA. 

Previous Experience Required: 

  • 50 days at sea
  • 5 days as skipper
  • 2500 miles logged
  • 5 passages of over 60 miles including 2 overnight and 2 as skipper (Half the qualifying sea time must have been conducted in tidal waters).
  • SRC/VHF radio operators certificate
  • valid First Aid certificate
  • Minimum age is 18

We highly recommend that you have attended an RYA 1 day Radar course. 

Yachtmaster Offshore Exam Syllabus 
Candidates may be given the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of competence in the areas listed below. In each section the examiner will expect to see the candidate take full responsibility for the management of the yacht and crew. In Yachtmaster Offshore exams the candidate will be expected to demonstrate competence based on broad experience. 

1. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea Questions will be confined to the International Regulations and although candidates must be aware of the existence of Local Regulations, they will not be expected to memorise specific local regulations. 

  • General rules (1-3)
  • Steering and sailing rules (4-19)
  • Lights and shapes (20-31)
  • Sound and light signals (32-37)
  • Signals for vessels fishing in close proximity (Annex II) D
  • Distress signals (Annex IV)

2. Safety 
Candidates will be expected to know what safety equipment should be carried on board a motorboat, based either on the recommendations in the RYA Boat Safety Handbook (C8), the ISAF Special Regulations or the Codes of Practice for the safety of Small Commercial Vessels. In particular, candidates must know the responsibilities of a skipper in relation: 

  • Safety harnesses
  • Lifejackets
  • Distress flares
  • Fire prevention and fighting
  • First Aid equipment
  • Liferafts Knowledge of rescue procedures
  • Pumps
  • Tpa’s
  • Shut off valves
  • Emergency steering
  • Helicopter rescue

3. Boat Handling  
Candidates for Coastal Skipper examinations will be expected to answer questions or demonstrate ability in simple situations only. Candidates for Yachtmaster Offshore will be expected to answer questions or demonstrate ability in more complex situations and will also be expected to show a higher level of expertise: Coming to and weighing anchor in various conditions of wind and tide. All berthing situations in various conditions of wind and tide Recovery of man overboard. Towing under open sea conditions and in confined areas Boat handling in confined areas. Boat handling in heavy weather. Use of warps for securing in an alongside berth and for shifting berth or winding 

4. General Seamanship, including maintenance  

  • Properties, use and care of synthetic fiber ropes
  • Knots
  • General deck-work at sea and in harbour
  • Engine operations – routine checks and service requirements
  • Improvisation of jury rigs following failure

5. Responsibilities of skipper  

  • Can skipper a yacht and manage the crew
  • Communication with crew
  • Delegation of responsibility and watch-keeping organisation
  • Preparing yacht for sea and for adverse weather
  • Tactics for heavy weather and restricted visibility
  • Emergency and distress situations
  • Victualing for a cruise and feeding at sea
  • Has knowledge of local Customs procedures
  • Standards of behavior and courtesy

6. Navigation  

  • Charts, navigational publications and sources of navigational information
  • Chartwork including position fixing and shaping course to allow for tidal stream and leeway
  • Tide and tidal stream calculations
  • Buoyage and visual aids to navigation
  • Instruments including compasses, logs, echo sounders, radio navaids and chartwork instruments
  • Passage planning and navigational tactics
  • Pilotage techniques
  • Navigational records
  • Limits of navigational accuracy and margins if safety
  • Lee shore dangers
  • Use of electronic navigation aids for passage planning and passage navigation
  • Use of Radar 

7. Meteorology  

  • Definition of terms
  • Sources of weather forecasts
  • Weather systems and local weather effects
  • Interpretation of weather forecasts, barometric trends and visible phenomena
  • Ability to make passage planning decisions based on forecast information

8. Signals  

  • Candidates for Yachtmaster Offshore and Coastal Skipper must hold the Restricted (VHF SRC) Certificate of Competence in radiotelephony or a higher grade of certificate in radio telephony.
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