Essential Seamanship & Navigation

RYA Essential Seamanship and Navigation

The Essential Navigation and Seamanship course provides a basic awareness and understanding of navigation and safety, ideal for anyone new to boating or looking to take the ICC (International Certificate of Competence). 

We offer this as an online interactive course which takes approximately 8-10 hours to complete.

Previous experience Required 

    • No age restriction
    • No previous experience or assumed knowledge required

Course Syllabus covers the following

    • Anchoring
    • Buoyage
    • Charts and Publications
    • Passage planning
    • Pilotage
    • Rules of the road (Collision Regulations or Coll Regs)
    • Safety Engine checks
    • Tidal awareness
    • Visual & Electronic navigation
    • Weather forecasts
    • The main components of a radar set
    • How a radar set measures distance
    • How a radar set measures bearings
    • The limitations imposed by the power, antenna size and display size of a typical small craft radar
    • Switch on a typical small craft radar set; adjust its brilliance, contract, gain, range and tuning

 


Professional Practices and Responsibilities

RYA Professional Practices and Responsibilities
A compulsory online course for new and re-validating RYA Commercial Endorsement holders. 
You can take this course anytime prior to your Commercial Endorsement application or renewal. 
Your PPR certificate will be valid either for your first Commercial Endorsement application or your next renewal

The course takes approximately 8-10 hours to complete. 

Previous experience Required 

    • No age restriction
    • No previous experience or assumed knowledge required

 Course Syllabus 

    • How you fit into the professional maritime world,
    • Importance of correct manning,
    • Keeping skills up to date,
    • Safe management of commercial vessels,
    • The compulsory carriage and maintenance of safety equipment  
    • Creating and implementing risk control.



VHF Marine Radio

RYA VHF Marine Radio 

The VHF radio is an important piece of safety equipment onboard and it is vital to understand the correct procedures. 

The Short Range Certificate is the minimum qualification required by law to control the operation of VHF and VHF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) equipment on any British flagged vessel fitted with a radio either fixed or hand held. The course takes around 10 hours to study with a pre-knowledge test at the end of the course.  This is then followed up by an assessment and exam which will take place in the classroom with our Instructor. During this assessment you will get to use real radio equipment so you can become confident in using the various controls and DSC (Digital Selective Calling) functions. 

This course is a pre-requisite for candidates taking either their RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Coastal or RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence examinations.


 Previous experience Required  

    • 16 years – at the time of the exam
    • No previous experience or assumed knowledge required


 Course Syllabus covers the following 

    • Background information on the GMDSS system and its equipment and licensing requirements
    • Radio rules and regulations
    • Operation of marine VHF equipment including DSC functions
    • The phonetic alphabet
    • Basic radio language and protocols including pro words such as over, say again, out etc.
    • Correct use of the various channels
    • How to make calls to other stations
    • How to send a Distress Alert and Distress Message (Mayday)
    • How to send an urgency alert and a safety call
    • Sit the short written exam upon successful completion of which you will be issued with the " United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Certificate of Competence and Authority to Operate"