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IRISH SAILING
(previously Irish Sailing Association)
YACHTMASTER EXAMS
Details subject to change - check with IS
IS YACHTMASTER COASTAL
Minimum seatime:
25 days at sea, 3 days as skipper, 800 nautical miles in tidal waters, 12 night hours.
If you hold an IS shorebased Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster Coastal course completion certificate this is reduced to 20 days, 3 days as skipper, 600 nautical miles, 12 night hours.
Mileage on an IS Coatal Skipper/Yachtmaster Coastal sea based course may be included as part of the mileage requirements.
Certification required
Restricted VHF or SRC or higher qualification.
Minimum exam duration
6-10 hours for 1 candidate, 4-8 hours per candidate
Minimum age 16 years
Exam contents
Assessment of skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRCPS and meteorology.
Note that a course completion certificate is not a pre-requisite but the candidate must expect to be asked questions and given tasks based on the shorebased and practical course syllabi up to IS Yachtmaster Coastal level .
Exam fee contact Irish Sailing
IS YACHTMASTER OFFSHORE
Minimum Seatime
3,000 nautical miles in tidal waters in a cruising boat, 50 days at sea, 6 days as skipper, 30 night hours on watch
6 varied passages greater than 60 miles in length, 2 of which must have been outside of Irish waters (sic),
Mileage requirement is reduced to 2,500 for holders of an IS Yachtmaster Offshore shorebased course completion certificate.
All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to exam.
Mileage completed during an IS certified sea based course may be included in the mileage requirements.
Certification required
Restricted VHF, SRC or higher.
Approved Sea Survival course completion certificate
Approved current First Aid or Emergency Care course completion certificate
Minimum exam duration
8-12 hours for 1 candidate, 5-9 hours per candidate.
more than 3 candidates in 24 hours
Minimum age 18 years
Exam contents
Assessment of skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRCPS, meteorology and signals.
Exam fee contact Irish Sailing
IS YACHTMASTER OCEAN
Minimum seatime
An Ocean passage as skipper or mate. The Candidate must have been fully involved in planning the passage, route, navigational plan, condition of yacht and equipment, storing spare gear, water and victuals, organisation of watch keeping routine.
Passage: minimum non-stop distance of 600 nautical miles by the most direct route, at sea continuously for at least 96 hours and have been more than 75 nautical miles offshore for a distance of at least 200 nautical miles.
All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to exam.
Certification required:
Applicants must hold a valid IS Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence. Note that only an IS Ocean shorebased course completion certificate will be accepted.
Form of exam:
Candidate must submit:
1. The yacht's log or copy of the log for the passage
2. A track chart for the passage showing an observed position derived from:
a) four simultaneous position lines obtained from sights
of stars, planets or the moon, and
b) an observed position derived from a sun-run-meridian
altitude.
3. A compass check for deviation when out of sight of land.
4. All workings associated with the planning, sight reduction and plotting of the above sights and compass error check.
5. A brief narrative account outlining the preparation of the yacht, passage planning, weather forecasting, provisioning and the actual passage. and execution of the qualifying passage.
6. IS Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased course completion certificate.
Where a candidate does not hold an IS Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased certificate they will be required to sit an invigilated shorebased Yachtmaster Ocean exam similar to the shorebased course exam.
Oral test:
The IS examiner may, at his discretion, require the candidate to be available for an oral test.
Exam fee €contact Irish Sailing
RYA YACHTMASTER COASTAL
Minimum seatime (on vessel less than 24m LOA)
At least 30 days at sea, 800 nautical miles.
(If you hold an RYA Coastal Skipper practical course completion certificate this is reduced to 12 days and 400 nautical miles).
12 night hours.
2 days as skipper .
At least half the qualifying seatime must have been conducted in tidal waters.
Above requirements accumulated within the last 10 years.
Additional Certification required
Radio operator’s Short Range Certificate or higher.
Valid first aid certificate (RYA First Aid, or any certificate where the course was a minimum of 1 day and includes treatment of hypothermia, cold shock and drowning).
Minimum exam duration
Under sail or power, as appropriate.
6-10 hours for 1 candidate, 8-14 hours for 2 candidates
Minimum age 17 years at the time of the exam
Exam contents
Assessment of skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRCPS and meteorology.
Note that a course completion certificate is not a pre-requisite but the candidate must expect to be asked questions and given tasks based on the shorebased and practical course syllabi up to RYA Coastal Skipper level.
Exam fee £ contact the RYA
RYA YACHTMASTER OFFSHORE
Minimum Seatime
50 days at sea, 2,500 nautical miles including at least 5 passages over 60 miles + acting as skipper for at least 2 of these passages and including 2 which have involved overnight passages. 5 days experience as skipper. At least half the mileage and passages must be in tidal waters. All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to exam. Seatime must have been been under sail or power appropriate to the exam being taken.
Certification required
Radio operator’s Short Range Certificate or higher.
Valid first aid certificate (RYA First Aid, or any certificate where the course was a minimum of 1 day and includes treatment of hypothermia, cold shock and drowning).
Minimum exam duration
8-12 hours for 1 candidate, 10-12 hours for 2 candidates. No more than 2 candidates in 24 hours
Minimum age 18 years.
Exam contents
Assessment of skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRCPS, meteorology and signals.
Boat must be between 7m and 18m LOA.
Full details from RYA
Exam fee £contact the RYA
RYA YACHTMASTER OCEAN
Minimum seatime
Ocean passage as skipper or mate of watch. The candidate was fully involved in the planning of the passage, including selection of the route, the navigational plan, checking the material condition of the yacht and her equipment, storing spare gear, water and victuals and organising the watch-keeping routine; During the passage a minimum non-stop distance of 600 nautical miles must have been run by the log, the yacht must have been at sea continuously for at least 96 hours and the yacht must have been more than 50 miles from land while sailing a distance of at least 200 miles. All qualifying seatime must be within 10 years prior to the exam.
Form of exam
Oral and written assessment of sights take at sea. If you hold the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean shorebased certificate you are exempt from the written assessment.
Oral
The candidate must provide the examiner with:
1. A narrative account of the planning and execution of the qualifying passage
2. Navigational records, completed on board a yacht on passages, out of sight of land showing that the candidate has navigated the yacht without the use of electronic navigational aids.
The submission must include as a minimum: details of a position derived from the planning, reduction and plotting of sun-run-meridian altitude sights and a compass check carried out using the bearing of the sun, moon, a star or planet when out of sight of land. The sights and compass check need not necessarily have been completed during the actual qualifying passage submitted.
During the oral test the candidate may be required to answer questions on all aspects of ocean passage making in a yacht, including passage planning, astro-navigation, worldwide meteorology, crew management and yacht preparation, maintenance and repairs.
The written exam will include questions on sun sights, sight reduction and plotting and worldwide meteorology. Candidates who hold the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Shorebased certificate, Royal Navy Ocean Navigation Certificate or a DoT Certificate of Competence as a Deck Officer will be exempt from the written examination.
The RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean Certificate of Competence is a pre-requisite for the MCA Chief Mate, Master 500 and Master 3000 unrestricted qualifications.
Exam fee £contact the RYA
ROYAL YACHTING ASSOCIATION
YACHTMASTER EXAMS
Details subject to change - check with the RYA